Editorial-Opinion June 2018

Things on the political scene are about to get amazingly interesting in Georgia. If you thought the run-up to primary day was fun, “Jest you wait, boy. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”

I am going to begin with something that is important to many Georgia sportsmen—and as contentious as a hen turkey fighting a coon for her nest. For decades, we have lived with a deer season structure that divided the state into Northern and Southern zones. And we will continue that condition, but in name only. On page 36 in this issue, you can read how it came to be that the Southern Zone has swollen up to engulf all of the state—except for the Chattahoochee National Forest.

I kid you not! It’s not a done deal—there’s public comment until the end of the month and couple of public meetings. But…

Next on the agenda is the run-off for Governor on the Republican side between long-serving Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, from Gainesville, and former State Senator and current Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who hails from around Athens.

An interesting thing about this horse race is the echo of the last Republican run-off eight years ago. Karen Handel garnered more votes than the other candidates in that primary, but not enough to win. Nathan Deal was second, 11 points behind her. When the run-off was held, Deal  won the run-off by one percentage point. He went on to win the general election that fall and has been Governor now for eight years.

Both Cagle and Kemp see a clear way to winning the run-off, and they hope, the Governor’s seat.

But I predict mud in our future. Lots of mud. And if the run-off between Cagle and Kemp gets too bloody, it could loom dangerous for Republicans come November.

One of these bloodied and wounded candidates will face Democrat Stacey Abrams in the general election.

Between now and the Nov. 6 election, there is no telling how many celebrities and how much money will be pouring into this state in support of the first black woman in the history of our country with a chance to become a state governor.

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have endorsed her. Glowing articles praising her rise have been already covered by the New York Times, Washington Post, LA  Times and Mother Jones, just to name a few. CNN already loves her. Abrams has and will be cast as a media darling.

Her accomplishments are considerable and noteworthy, including graduating from Yale Law. However, she did not graduate from Yale business school. In April of this year, she admitted owing $50,000 in back taxes and has $170,000 of credit card debt.

Yet in 2015 she raised a reported $3 million for the Georgia First Project, which she founded and operated, to raise funds to register voters. That effort was criticized by members of minority communities and the Georgia Democrat party leaders for a lack of transparency and accomplishment. The underlying question was, “Where did the money go?” State Democrat Senator Vincent Fort complained in an Atlanta Magazine article, “She hasn’t been open and transparent.”

You won’t see the media cover any of that, however.

Yet concerns about Abrams were serious enough that Secretary of State Brian Kemp (her potential opponent)opened an investigation into fraudulent registrations for New Project Georgia.

Now, Abrams has launched a new New Georgia Project, with a goal of raising more than $10 million for minority registration efforts.

We’re a hunting and fishing magazine. I know that hunting, fishing and the 2nd Amendment aren’t the only issues that should decide who you vote for, but they’re important in my house.

GON surveyed the candidates to get a feel for their hunting and fishing chops. You can read the responses from Cagle and Kemp at gon.com.

Abrams didn’t respond, and that speaks volumes. It says to me she doesn’t hunt or fish. And I know how she feels about guns—she’s our worst nightmare… a progressive liberal who wants to create gun laws that affect only law-abiding citizens while “reforming” criminal justice, a mantra that has already led to rampant juvenile crime with no consequence. 

This gubernatorial election isn’t a movie trailer, but if it were, you’d think is was an action flick. Lots of explosions… explosions that make that little tannerite pop in Kemp’s ad seem puny.