Will Voters Choose Issues Over Party?
Nominees in some statewide races have insisted lately their elections are about issues, not politics. Some have made education a focal point. And it seems some voters may be willing to put Party aside when it comes to schools.
Hear the broadcast version of this story.
Republican Gov. Nathan Deal and his Democratic opponent state Sen. Jason Carter addressed a group of teachers at the Georgia Education Leadership Institute Friday.
Both struck impassioned tones. Carter spoke first. He claimed Deal hasn’t made education a financial priority and promoted his plan to create a separate education budget.
“A separate education budget sends a message, an enforceable priority that says, ‘We will deal with our education investment first as our state’s top priority and we will require our elected officials in Atlanta to take responsibility for the way that we fund education period,’” he said.
Carter said Deal shifted financial responsibility to cash-strapped school districts instead of boosting the state’s education budget. Deal disputed that, saying he made every effort to preserve school funds.
“While other agencies were being cut, I held the line on K-12 education funding and actually increased that funding every single year that I’ve been in office,” Deal said.
The governor also touted the state’s job growth, saying Georgia has become one of the top states in which to do business. While Carter criticized the governor for cuts to the HOPE program, Deal countered that he restored HOPE funds when possible.
There was one issue on which the two agreed.
“Education is too important to the future of our state for it to become a political football,” Deal said.
“This issue is too important for partisan politics to rule the day,” Carter pronounced.
Educators in the audience seemed to concur. Meriwether County Principal Tracy Sims said Carter knew his audience and clearly explained his vision. She said Deal didn’t connect with the crowd the same way.
“It just seemed like it was more of a canned speech,” she said. “He could have been speaking to farmers, scientists, it wasn’t really purposeful for education, it didn’t seem like.”
Sims is a Republican who’s voting for Carter.
Then there was Monica Henson with Provost Academy Georgia, a statewide online charter district.
“I think that Sen. Carter is very sincere,” she said. “I think that Gov. Deal has done a very good job, and I think that Gov. Deal deserves a second term.”
Henson is a Democrat who’s voting for Deal.
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