Wife seeks to join powerful husband in Georgia state House

The Valdosta restaurant owner is running as a Republican for the state House in this heavily Democratic city.

That’s not terribly unusual.

What is unique, however, is that White is the wife of state Rep. Jay Powell, R-Camilla, who is chairman of the powerful tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. White, who maintains an apartment as her official residence in Valdosta, wants to join her husband in Atlanta.

If she wins, she and Powell would be the first husband-and-wife team in the General Assembly in recent memory.

The former Valdosta City Council member said she considered running for the Legislature before but didn’t want to have to resign her council seat first. When she decided to do it this year, no one was more surprised than she was. Except maybe her husband.

She and Powell were in the car March 10, headed to a political dinner in Atlanta. Noon the next day was the deadline to qualify to run for the state House or Senate this year. For weeks, White said, this “small voice was coming” into her consciousness, telling her to run.

That night, in the car, she told Powell she was seriously considering going to the Capitol the next day to sign up.

“It went like an E.F. Hutton commercial,” White said. “Total silence. It came completely from nowhere.”

Now, she's taking on two-term incumbent Rep. Dexter Sharper, D-Valdosta, who is also a former member of the City Council. White said it's not personal but that as a Democrat, Sharper lacks the ability to make things happen for the district.

“Our current representative is just sidelined,” she said. “That’s the nicest word I’ve found to use. He can’t pass anything that’s beneficial to us or block anything that would be damaging to us.”

A Republican can change that, she said. She made no suggestion that being married to one of the most powerful men in the House would help. Powell's colleagues, however, have stepped up on her behalf. White has received campaign contributions from more than a dozen House Republicans and has had Speaker David Ralston, D-Blue Ridge, and Gov. Nathan Deal down to campaign on her behalf.

Powerful business interests, too, such as Delta Air Lines and SunTrust, have given her money. In all, White has raised more than $60,000.

None of this seems to bother Sharper.

“I was born in Valdosta,” he said. “I grew up in Valdosta. My wife and I raised our four children in Valdosta. We’ve worked hard in this community. I’m looking forward to serving the people a couple more years.”

The seat is considered reliably Democratic. African-Americans make up more than 50 percent of the district’s voter base.

Sharper said he’s not concerned about White’s campaign account, either. A businessman, entrepreneur and musician, Sharper has raised just $2,150 for his campaign.

“You don’t win just on contributions from people,” he said. “You win because of the support of the people who get out and vote for you. The last time I ran, my opponent, he outspent me by a few thousand dollars, so I’m not one to really look at the amount of money collected. I’m looking at the people you’re impacting. It’s about the votes.”

Powell, an attorney in Camilla, was first elected in 2008. He and White were married three years ago. Powell said he knew White had interest in the seat before. He said he’s taking some ribbing from colleagues about what would happen if his wife were also in the House.

Appropriations Committee Chairman Terry England, R-Auburn, told Powell that he "looks forward to the first time she and I got crossed up and were on opposite sides," Powell said.

“I said that’s not going to happen,” he said. “I’ve never won an argument with her, and I’m not going to publicly display that.”