Atlanta’s Snowjam gives Nathan Deal’s rivals fodder, but will voters remember in November?
As metro Atlanta's Snowjam melts into the region's consciousness, Gov. Nathan Deal's political opponents hope the government's troubled response to the weather bogs down his march to re-election.
The governor’s backers say the icy gridlock that stalled metro Atlanta will fade from voters’ minds by the sunny May 20 primaries and be a faint memory by November’s elections. But his opponents are painting it as the latest in a series of tone-deaf moves from Georgia’s top leader.
Deal has responded with a vigorous public schedule and plans a series of announcements in the coming weeks on new state emergency procedures designed to show the governor is embracing needed changes.
“Sometimes people remember things like that, sometimes they don’t,” Deal said of the weather debacle. “It happened. It’s an event of history now, but it’s recent history.”
About the Author
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
