Girding for battle in Georgia

Once upon a time, candidates who had weathered primary races in the spring and summer waited until Labor Day to renew campaigns seeking election in November. No more. Now, there’s little respite for the men and women on the ballot. They’re on the road daily and every utterance and action is scrutinized by the public. Just ask Nathan Deal and Roy Barnes, candidates for governor of Georgia.

Deal, the Republican nominee, and Barnes, his Democratic opponent, have been extraordinarily active since the primaries earlier this month. Both have traveled across the state to share their visions for the state during the next four years. Their goal is to win the seat being vacated by term-limited Republican Sonny Perdue. Their efforts have been entertaining and instructive and have stirred more interest than similar races in neighboring states.

Deal, a former U.S. congressman, has spent much of the time answering questions about an ethics investigation into his activities while he was in Congress. He’s also trying to explain to voters how someone who has spent more time outside the state than in it in recent years is prepared to lead a state in difficult times. If that’s not enough, Deal has also had to explain whether he is for or against casinos in the state. He’s suggested both.

Deal first said he had an “open mind” about the possibility of casinos in the state. No doubt, he had visions of the revenue the casinos, if approved, could bring to Georgia. He forgot, though, that Christian conservatives in the state — a group he is actively courting — are opposed to gambling. He quickly backtracked, saying through a spokesman he “personally opposes casino gambling.” The Barnes campaign quickly issued a statement saying Deal’s waffling on casinos shows he “is too unsteady for the job of governor.”

Barnes, meanwhile, has been courting teachers. He needs their votes. He didn’t get them in 2002 when he sought a second term as governor. Educators, traditionally strong supporters of Democratic candidates, turned against him when he instituted reforms that teachers believed were inimical to them. His effort is proving successful. One of the state’s largest teachers’ groups has endorsed his candidacy, a move that shores up the Democrats’ eroding base in an increasingly Republican state.

In truth, Georgia’s governor’s race has been relatively calm to this point. That will change. Deal and Barnes have been sparring since the primary. A more visceral battle will begin over the Labor Day weekend when both candidates will pick up the pace and ratchet up the rhetoric in what will be a long, tough race to woo voters to their side.