Posted on 07/18/2006 9:15:29 PM PDT by SirLinksalot
Reed loses first election amid Abramoff scandal
GREG BLUESTEIN
Associated Press
ATLANTA - Successful campaign strategist Ralph Reed's famed base of supporters proved more invisible than invincible Tuesday as he lost his first run for public office in his bid for Georgia's No. 2 job.
State Sen. Casey Cagle's victory ended, for now, the political career of Reed, the former leader of the Christian Coalition and veteran Republican operative who has helped others win election.
And Reed's loss gave national Democrats a political casualty to associate with Republican ethics scandals, as Reed's campaign was hampered by his ties to disgraced supperlobbyist Jack Abramoff.
An upbeat Reed told a crowd of a few dozen cheering supporters that though his candidacy for the lieutenant governor's seat had ended, his conservative message will live on.
"Stay in the fight. Don't retreat. And our values will win in November," he said.
At a raucous rally in the Republican stronghold of suburban Atlanta's Gwinnett County, Cagle thanked voters for helping him to an "unbelievable" victory. "It wasn't just Casey Cagle. It's because we believe in hope, we believe in opportunity," he said.
Cagle's victory makes him the immediate front-runner in November, thanks to Georgia's recent Republican tilt. Former state Sen. Greg Hecht and former Department of Human Resources Commissioner Jim Martin seemed likely to head into a run-off in the Democratic contest.
When Reed entered the race last year, he quickly set fundraising records and scared off other GOP challengers seeking the low-profile seat, a mostly powerless post with perks but few real duties. But concerns over his ties with Abramoff quickly transformed what looked like a cakewalk into a fight for Reed's political life and personal reputation.
The candidates have been locked in a bitter battle for months, and contributions poured into both campaigns, filling their coffers with roughly $2.5 million apiece. Endorsements came streaming in as well, with Reed landing the support of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Cagle earning the nod of former presidential candidate Steve Forbes.
In attack ads and televised debates, Cagle has hammered away at Reed's work with Abramoff, who pleaded guilty to fraud and corruption earlier this year. And as the primary neared, Cagle took the rare step of questioning aloud whether Reed could face criminal charges for accepting more than $5.3 million from two Indian tribes with ties to Abramoff.
The tribes had hired Reed to battle gambling initiatives that would have hurt their casinos and often funneled the money through nonprofit intermediaries, a Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigation revealed.
Reed has not been charged with a crime and told voters and reporters alike that he regrets the work he did with Abramoff. He said the two-year Senate probe vindicated him and, in one particularly tense televised debate, admonished Cagle for suggesting he's committed a crime.
His election fortunes hinged on whether he could convince the base of supporters he built while working for conservative causes - and later as chairman of the state GOP in 2002 - to cast their ballot for him.
He had counted on voters like Debbie Shedd, a 49-year-old social worker in St. Marys, who was unfazed by his dealings with Abramoff.
"It's really bad when you try to win an election by persecuting someone. If that's the only way you can beat a person, I don't think you should hold the seat," Shedd said, referring to Cagle's campaign ads.
Yet enough Cagle supporters - and Reed detractors - turned out to sway the contest in Cagle's favor. Also a factor was the number of Democrats who requested Republican ballots on Tuesday solely to vote against Reed. In Georgia, voters can cast a ballot for either party, regardless of their affiliation.
Randy New, a 52-year-old gay lawyer and lifelong Democrat, cast his vote in the Republican primary for the first time Tuesday and sent an e-mail to friends and business associates to do the same.
"Casey Cagle is going to have hundreds of gay people to thank if he wins the primary today," New said. "Ralph Reed opposes equality for gay people. He uses gay people to benefit his political ambition and the political ambition of the religious right."
I, on the other hand, didn't even know he was running.
(Go Israel, Go! Slap 'Em, Down Hezbullies.)
I've always liked Ralph Reed but, you sleep with a dog, you're gonna get fleas.
Let's see, since the Republican who won tonight is also going to win in November then that would make this another one of the those Democrat "moral victories".
Yup. Dirty players shouldn't be surprised when they lose. I'm disappointed that a man of God like Ralph acted so unethically.
You are not grasping the concept of the symbolic rat victory. True a Republican candidate won a Republican primary, but it is a symbolic victory for rats in that it does them absolutely no good...but they can feel better about it. It's like Gore won the popular vote, or look how close we were when we lost the last CA house seat, or the Kerry Alito fillibuster. Kinda like that.
Famous Ralph Reed quote, delivered to pastors in Michigan: "President Bush said when he was running in 2000 that he wouldn't discriminate based on sexual orientation. If you don't like that, find another candidate."
Not exactly what his faithful back home would expect of him.
Outrageous. Smear politics and homosexual activists destroy a good and decent man.
" I'm disappointed that a man of God like Ralph acted so unethically."
Men of God who give up the pulpit for politics effectively choose Mammon over God. They forsake the true power for the lure of a golden calf.
Open primaries are stupid.
Georgia Republicans, and everywhere in the country, need to get rid of them, post haste.
Why in the world would any party want their enemies choosing their nominees?
"Not to worry, Ralph, ol' Rudy's got your back!A feeling shared by many.
Looks like conservative poseur Rudy, hereafter known as the Election Killer----reinforced Reed's shady image.
"You are not grasping the concept of the symbolic rat victory. True a Republican candidate won a Republican primary, but it is a symbolic victory for rats in that it does them absolutely no good...but they can feel better about it."
I would add that this does them harm . . . they don't have Reed to hold up as their "example" of Pubbie EEEEEvil.
Your wife is a very wise woman.
"Hey, lookit me--a cross-dressing, abortion worshipping, gay loving New York city boy.
I got all these Georgia rubes fooled. With me endorsing Ralph, he'll win in a breeze."
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