Republican Karen Handel buried the hatchet Monday and endorsed Gov. Nathan Deal in his re-election campaign as the fight for female voters has escalated in the tightening race for governor.
Handel, a former Georgia secretary of state, has long had a tempestuous relationship with Deal, who narrowly beat her in the GOP’s 2010 gubernatorial runoff. But she said in an interview that she considered the past enmity between her and Deal as “water under the bridge” as she urged Republicans — and particularly women — to vote against Democrat Jason Carter.
“Governor Deal has done a good job,” Handel said. “And when we look at the next four years the question is do we want to have the steady hand of experience and maturity or do we want to pass it off to someone who is inexperienced?”
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll showed Carter, an Atlanta state senator, has a 10-point lead with female voters over Deal, a stubborn gender gap that worries the governor's strategists. Women make up about 56 percent of the likeliest voters, giving them an outsized role in November's contest.
Carter’s allies said the governor has done too little to embrace issues most important to female voters. State Sen. Nan Orrock, an Atlanta Democrat, said Deal “has a long record on gender that is not attractive” to female voters, such as rejecting Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act.
“Gender does play a role in public policy,” Orrock said. “And women are the majority of voters in Georgia and across the nation. We think it’s very important to have women engaged, alert and aware on Governor Deal’s record.”
Handel's endorsement of a fellow Republican would usually merit little news if not for the vitriol that marked their 2010 rivalry. The two battered each other for months in the bruising primary and runoff in that race, with her campaign accusing Deal of patronizing female voters while Deal's aides called her rhetoric "unhinged blather."
Handel endorsed Deal in his general election contest against former Gov. Roy Barnes but did little to boost his campaign. Their relationship further strained when she published a book, "Planned Bullyhood," in late 2012 that ticked off a series of "alleged ethical lapses" committed by Deal. Deal's office depicted the attacks as "sadder than the end of 'Old Yeller.' "
The frostiness between the two has thawed in recent months. As she mounted her unsuccessful bid for the Senate GOP nomination, Handel and Deal would exchange warm greetings at campaign events. She also attended his annual “Grilling with the Governor” event at Lake Lanier in July.
“I didn’t get to where I am today by being focused on the past,” Handel said, adding: “I wanted to win. And Governor Deal wanted to win. But one of the most important things about life is understanding, and being the bigger person and magnanimous in victory.”
Handel's endorsement is part of a circle-the-wagons movement by Republicans to rally to Deal's aid. Most Democrats have fallen in line behind Carter, too, though some more grudgingly than others. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, who has long had close ties with the governor, recently hosted a fundraiser for his fellow Democrat. But his spokeswoman pointedly said the event "doesn't equal an endorsement."
The endorsement from Handel comes as Deal's campaign has unleashed a brutal new attack ad that depicts Carter as a "silver-tongued politician" who plans to increase spending by $12.5 billion. Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said the campaign arrived at the figure by calculating the cost to fully fund the education funding formula over 10 years and expand Medicaid.
Carter called it a “made-up” number and said he has repeatedly vowed not to raise taxes. Deal, though, said he stuck by the claims.
“Politics is a contact sport,” he said. “And if you’re going to give it, you better be prepared to receive it.”
