Blog Topic: Raging Election

In the Loop: Candidates Condemn 'Violent Rhetoric' by a Richard Winfield Supporter Against Chalis Montgomery

By Blake Aued | February 12, 2018 3:07pm

Photo Credit: Nicole Adamson/file

Chalis Montgomery.

Chalis Montgomery's campaign called on opponent Richard Dien Winfield today to denounce what it called "escalating and violent rhetoric" against Montgomery.

Both Winfield and Montgomery are running in the Democratic primary to take on District 10 Rep. Jody Hice (R-Greensboro).

Irami Osei-Frimpong, a Winfield supporter who is featured in some of his campaign materials, posted on Facebook Sunday that he would "kill their [white liberals'] Democrat."

The Montgomery campaign took this to be a threat and called on Winfield to denounce it.

“The national sickness of violent political speech—particularly against women—has unfortunately reached our city,” Montgomery spokeswoman Kimberly Davis said in a news release. “This issue is one that transcends this particular election and is reflective of where we are in terms of public discourse in this country. It’s about how we treat all women.”

In a statement provided to Flagpole, Winfield said that he asked Osei-Frimpong to change the language of the post—which he did—and that he would not tolerate inflammatory speech.

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In the Loop: Deborah Gonzalez Endorses Kelly Girtz for Mayor

By Blake Aued | January 25, 2018 3:43pm

Photo Credit: Chris Scredon

State Rep. Deborah Gonzalez (D-Athens) has endorsed Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Kelly Girtz in the race for mayor of Athens.

“Deborah has spent her career working toward a fair, supportive environment, particularly for women and creative professionals, and with that background, we are fortunate to have her representation in the General Assembly,” Girtz said in a news release. “She shares a commitment to ensuring that all people are provided with real opportunity, and I'm grateful for her endorsement in my run for Mayor of Athens-Clarke County. I'm looking forward to continuing our collaborative efforts for the good of Athens and the region.”

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In the Loop: Bill Overend Announces Commission Candidacy

By Blake Aued | January 22, 2018 3:32pm

Athens lawyer Bill Overend announced today that he's running for the Athens-Clarke County Commission District 7 seat, representing part of Five Points and Macon Highway.

Overend—a former Flagpole staffer who ran for ACC Solicitor General in 2006 and has served as chairman of the ACC Democratic Committee and on the Athens Downtown Development Authority board—said that he believes the local government doesn't do enough to anticipate challenges or act to solve them, rather than endlessly studying the issue.

The full text of his announcement is below:

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In the Loop: Houston Gaines Has $100,000 for Another House Run

By Lee Becker | January 11, 2018 9:31am

Houston Gaines.

Deborah Gonzalez, newly elected to represent Georgia House District 117, began 2018 with $11,466 in her campaign account; and Jonathan Wallace, newly elected to represent Georgia House District 119, began the year with $11,639 in unspent campaign funds.

Gonzalez and Wallace are Democrats. Both the 117th and 119th House Districts are split between Oconee and Clarke counties.

Republican Houston Gaines, who lost to Gonzalez in the special election in November of 2017, had $96,863 in unspent campaign funds at the end of 2017.

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In the Loop: Clarke Dominated Oconee in Tuesday's State House Elections

By Lee Becker | November 8, 2017 12:44pm

Photo Credit: Nicole Adamson

District 119 winner Jonathan Wallace speaks to supporters at his Election Night party.

Oconee County voters turned out in big numbers on election day, with a plurality picking Democrat Jonathan Wallace to represent voters in Georgia House District 119 and a majority picking Houston Gaines to represent voters in Georgia House District 117.

Wallace won strongly in the Clarke County part of the evenly split 119th District, ending with 56.7 percent of the votes in the unofficial tally—enough to avoid a runoff on Dec. 5.

Democrat Deborah Gonzalez dominated voting in Clarke County, giving her 53.1 percent of the votes in the 117th, which, in addition to Clarke County and Oconee County, includes parts of Barrow and Jackson counties.

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In the Loop: UPDATE: Democrats Score Stunning Wins in Athens State House Elections; T-SPLOST Approved

By Blake Aued | November 7, 2017 11:25pm

Photo Credit: Nicole Adamson

Jonathan Wallace supporters celebrate after learning he won the state House District 119 race.

Democrats won shocking victories in two special elections for Athens-area state House seats on Tuesday, winning the conservative-leaning seats in spite of well-funded opposition from Republicans.

In District 117, Deborah Gonzalez overcame Republican opponent Houston Gaines' $200,000 war chest and much-publicized support from Democratic Athens-Clarke County Mayor Nancy Denson.

As of 9 p.m., Gonzalez led Gaines 53 percent to 47 percent, with some Clarke County precincts left to be counted, but all the votes in staunchly Republican Oconee, Jackson and Barrow counties have been counted, leaving Gaines no chance to catch up.

Likewise, with all Oconee precincts reporting, Jonathan Wallace avoided a runoff by winning 56percent of the vote in District 119, which historically leans even further to the right than 117. (Both districts were specifically drawn to elect Republicans.)

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In the Loop: Several Athens Voting Locations Have Changed

By Blake Aued | November 6, 2017 1:26pm

Athens voters go to the polls Tuesday to decide on a 1 percent sales tax for transportation and (for some) to elect a new state representative.

Be aware that a few polling places have changed:

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In the Loop: Republicans Try to Differentiate Themselves in House District 119 Race

By Lee Becker | November 6, 2017 11:28am

Photo Credit: Sarah Bell

Marcus Wiedower

In individual sessions held with the Oconee County Area Republicans in recent weeks, the three Republican candidates in the special election on Tuesday for Georgia House District 119 have shown rather different characteristics.

Tom Lord took few firm stands in a session with a small number of Republicans gathered on Sept. 30, using the 50 minutes given him instead to get feedback and suggestions from those who turned out to meet him. He focused on his trustworthiness and his conservative values.

Steven Strickland was given less than 40 minutes on Oct. 19, and he used his time to make the case that his technological expertise would serve the state well. He defended his assertion that government should play a role in infrastructure development and stressed the need to help rural Georgia.

Marcus Wiedower was energetic is his nearly 45 minutes with the group on Nov. 2, talking about his personal life, including his love of sports, and his accessibility. He repeated his pledge not to raise taxes and his complaint that the state has bowed to pressure from the film industry in not defending religious liberty.

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In the Loop: House Candidate Houston Gaines Raises $200,000

By Blake Aued | October 31, 2017 10:07am

I'm rich!

Republican Houston Gaines had raised nearly $200,000 as of last week for his Athens-area House District 117 race, outpacing Democratic opponent Deborah Gonzalez nearly four-to-one.

In documents filed Monday with the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission, Gaines reported raising $196, 251 and had $140,436 on hand as of Oct. 23, 15 days before Election Day, Nov. 7.

It's a common strategy for candidates with such overwhelming fundraising advantages to keep some of their powder dry to ward off future challengers.

Gaines' list of contributors is a Who's Who of powerful, connected Republican politicians and business interests in Athens and Atlanta.

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In the Loop: Race and Gender Are Issues Now in Athens House Race

By Blake Aued | October 26, 2017 8:18pm

As you can tell, Houston Gaines is white, male and young. Which of these things makes him unique, we have no idea.

In Monday's Federation of Neighborhoods candidate forum, Republican Houston Gaines kept referring to the "unique perspective" he'd bring to the state House of Representatives.

One would think that Gaines, who just graduated from the University of Georgia in May, was referring to his youth. When Flagpole intern Nate Harris asked him what made him unique, though, Gaines' answer was anything but clear.

After much hemming and hawing, Gaines at one point said, "It's obvious just by looking at us that we have a different perspective."

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