VALDOSTA —
Both the Democrat and Republican candidates for governor are targeting South Georgia as part of their campaigns.
The Valdosta Daily Times ran a story earlier this week from the Atlanta Journal Constitution as part of our Georgia Newspapers Partnership.
Through interviews and analysis, including insights from a Valdosta State University professor, the article noted how South Georgia could be crucial in deciding who will be sitting in the Governor’s Mansion next year.
Both Roy Barnes, the former Georgia governor and Democratic candidate, and Nathan Deal, the GOP gubernatorial candidate, have taken note of this possibility. Each man is concentrating on the region, through marketing and campaign stops.
“Nathan Deal as well as Roy Barnes are targeting this region and realize it’s going to be an important part of the election,” said James LaPlant, a political scientist at Valdosta State University.
LaPlant said Barnes has often visited the region south of Macon since handily winning the Democratic nomination in July. LaPlant said in the article that he believes such attention has given Barnes “a leg up” in the region.
“Roy realizes he has to do well here to get back to the Governor’s Mansion,” LaPlant said. “When Roy lost to Sonny Perdue, he lost throughout all of South Georgia. The only area that Roy held on to was around Columbus, Albany, the very southwest corner of the state.”
Meanwhile, Deal has made inroads in South Georgia, through the region’s conservative base and a runoff election with Karen Handel that better identified him to voters. A group of VSU students has formed a group supporting Deal.
In the coming weeks, if polls continue indicating this trend, South Georgia can likely expect more visits from Barnes, Deal and their respective representatives.
This attention is a good thing for South Georgia. We will not only get to hear the candidates’ platforms firsthand, but we can let them know what’s on our minds. They can better understand the concerns of South Georgia.
While we should look at our importance in the election as an opportunity, The Times hopes whoever wins will remember what he has learned during his visits here.
We hope that the winner will pay just as much attention to South Georgia as governor as he is as a candidate.
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