Posted on 07/23/2014 8:16:00 AM PDT by Kaslin
First-time political candidate David Perdue won a surprise victory over favored Rep. Jack Kingston in the Republican runoff for the US Senate nomination in Georgia. Kingston, who had the backing of the US Chamber of Commerce as well as conservatives such as my Salem colleague Erick Erickson, had been leading in almost every poll as the runoff approached. In the end, Perdue’s outsider message may have won the day:
Businessman David Perdue stunned Georgia’s Republican political establishment Tuesday by capturing the party’s U.S. Senate nomination in his first run for office.
The former CEO of Reebok and Dollar General toppled 11-term Rep. Jack Kingston by a narrow margin, setting up a battle of political newcomers with famous kin in the fall. Perdue’s cousin, Sonny, was a two-term governor and Nunn’s father, Sam, was a four-term U.S. Senator.
In addition to his famous last name and lingering political network from his cousin, Perdue deployed $3 million of his own money to back his bid. Still, he was outspent by Kingston and allied Super PACs – including the deep pocketed U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
That leaves the Senate race in Georgia to two political neophytes — Perdue and Michelle Nunn, who has also never run for office until now. Both come from political families, however. Nunn’s father Sam spent four terms in the Senate before retiring in 1996 as a blue-dog Democrat who voted in favor of tort reform and in support of the death penalty and balanced budgets. Nunn’s challenge will be to convince Georgia voters that she’s a chip off the old block while still representing the outsider, anti-establishment perspective.
Perdue’s win makes that a little more difficult, Politico’s James Hohmann points out:
The general election is likely to be a costly battle between two candidates running as “outsiders,” despite their politically powerful families. Democratic nominee Michelle Nunn’s father, Sam Nunn, represented Georgia in the Senate for 24 years. Perdue’s first cousin, Sonny Perdue, was the state’s first Republican governor elected since Reconstruction, serving two terms from 2003 to 2011.
With Kingston’s defeat, Nunn has lost her chance to run against Washington and the national debt. She is expected, instead, to contrast her background as a nonprofit executive against Perdue’s tenure as a CEO at companies like Reebok and Dollar General.
Georgia is the Democrats’ best chance to pick up a Republican-held seat this fall, which ensures it will be one of the most closely watched races on the map.
Democrats might have hoped for a GOP split such as that seen in Mississippi after a close primary and runoff. If so, they’re doubly disappointed as Kingston wasted no time in endorsing his former opponent:
Kingston immediately pledged his support in a concession call to Perdue and told him “once we combine our two camps we will absolutely be unstoppable.”
Erick blames the Chamber of Commerce endorsement for the narrow loss:
In the last two weeks, David Perdue made hay out of walking out of his meeting with the Chamber. He claimed the Chamber wanted him to vote with them 100% of the time. He would not.
That message resonated. Kingston was the career politician in the pocket of the Chamber and would pass amnesty.
Not now. He lost. And he did so largely because David Perdue made Kingston own his Chamber of Commerce endorsement.
Erick’s a lot closer to the race than I am, and the narrowness of the runoff makes this a very plausible analysis. It might be simpler than this, though. Kingston’s been in Washington for 22 years, and with or without the Chamber of Commerce endorsement, that’s baggage in the last few cycles. Georgia voters may just have wanted a reasonable alternative to a career politician, and Perdue managed to make that case for himself in the course of the primary and runoff. Don’t discount the power of populism in this cycle — and it might be fortunate for the national GOP that they defused that argument in Georgia, assuming Perdue doesn’t blow the general election.
Good move, Georgia. Kingston was damaged goods, and his Chamber connection shows you where he’d be on amnesty. Purdue is the only one who could beat Nunn, and he will.
Did voters in a “term limits” “throw the bums out” frame of mind toss a conservative and nominate a RINO?
I know nothing about Perdue or Georgia politics and I didn’t even know this race was happening; however, from this article, it sounds like amnesty just bit another one in the rear by surprise.
“Did voters in a “term limits” “throw the bums out” frame of mind toss a conservative and nominate a RINO?”
You tell us.
Answer your own question if you have the answer.
Please enlighten.
However, if Kingston is in the pocket of the U.S. Chamber of Crony Capitalism, that’s a bad thing.
Perhaps the other way around
You know, its a sad day when the name of the Chamber of Commerce is associated with crony capitalism and illegal aliens for cheap labor. A good institution corrupted.
With some wry sense of open and frank self-examination by candidates on both parts, I find it amusing that both try to make that connection to erstwhile familial ties.
Are we now to only hear about Michelle Nunn (formerly Michelle Martin-Nunn) [Has Hubby Martin been put back in his subservient place?]. Or shall we see, should the little bland mouse with platitudes get elected, a transformation into the new Senator Michelle Martin-Nunn following in the footsteps of that groundbreaking Icon of female politics, Hillary Rodham-Clinton? Time will tell - or not (hopefully).
Likewise, I half-heartedly expect Perdue (honestly, I don’t even remember his first name) to get a good-old-boy nickname something like “Sonny” in the ensuing months.
Regardless, it will be a sight to behold, and not one damned GOPe controller/consultant in sight (I cross my fingers here.)
No.
I don't. I did enough reading to come up with the question. Did you?
I think most any supposedly benevolent organization gets corrupted over time. To much money, not enough outside or impartial supervision and development of a general sense of complete autonomy. It is far too easy for the principals of those organizations to be infiltrated and corrupted by vile schemers who seek only personal enrichment or further of their ideologies.
Jack Kingston isn’t or wasn’t a conservative in my mind.
Maybe joining the vast majority of GOP voters in the priniples of reducing the size and scope of the out of control and lawless Federal Government would be a better strategy for electoral success than trashing the vast majority of GOP voters. And that's what we get from the "smartest people in the room".
Why it's smart to attack your base is beyond my meager political skills. The US Chamber of Government Commerce has also threatened the GOP with cutting off funds for "comprehensive immigration reform" Let's not forget that piece of political genius. Once we get another 20 to 60 million of Democrat voters, who does the Chamber think will be left to support the profit sector of the economy. It's be total socialism all the way. And they're the smart ones. Genius' I say. Just think Karl Rove with his 2% success rate in the last election cycle.
That's what I was seeing. I'm also seeing signs that Purdue might be a stealth RINO, but I just don't know. I do have problems with the term limits crowd. That sentiment gave California a legislature that was more corrupt and far more incompetent than the professional crooks we had before.
Perfect description of the Chamber of Commerce and Tom Donahue.
Yes.
Career politician wasn’t producing results. Out.
If new guy doesn’t produce results, he’ll be out too.
I’ve watched the (R)s blow opportunities too many times. Life is finite. Quit playing job-preservation games, stop playing nice with the out-to-eat-you opposition, go big or go home.
From what I can tell, neither is Purdue.
“Did voters in a “term limits” “throw the bums out” frame of mind toss a conservative and nominate a RINO?”
Is that a serious question or are you just joking?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.