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October 22, 2014 VOLUME 30 NO.6 Visit online at www.collegiannews.com
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THE OFFICIAL VOICE OF THE STUDENTS SINCE 1987
Who's Your Candidate?
Get to know the Gubernatorial candidates before the election
By Rangadevi Chakraborty Staff Writer
T
he three candidates for Governor of Georgia this term are incumbent Nathan Deal, and challengers Jason Carter, grandson of former-president Jimmy Carter, and nanotechnologist Andrew Hunt. Their battle for voters has been increasingly fierce over the past few months. Recent news articles evolved around their respective finances, childhood mysteries and Georgia’s skyrocketing unemployment rate of 8.1 percent this August.
Contrary to what Gov. Deal states on his personal website, Georgia appears to be one of the worst places in the country for job-searchers. When Carter used this to fuel his criticism of Deal’s stewardship, the latter shot back and accused Carter of apparent willingness to expand Medicaid (AJC). But before we make judgements on either side, let’s get to know these people and see why their policies are so important for us students.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Deal's campaign
D
eal’s direct opponent on the left side of the political spectrum is Jason Carter, who has, according to his own website (www.carterforgovernor.com), “worked across partisan and geographic lines to bring honest debate to the state legislature on issues that matter to Georgia’s families. He has been a tireless advocate for stronger ethics laws to make sure that Georgia has an honest government that works for everyone. In the Senate, Jason has fought for public education and to protect the HOPE Scholarship for Georgia families all across the state. He has worked to make sure that small businesses get the same benefits that big companies do, earning him an “A” from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business-Georgia for his work in the Senate in 2012.” AJC reported him saying: “We want a Georgia that’s at its best. And Georgia at its best invests in education, it doesn’t cut billions out of the classrooms, it has an economy that works for the middle class and it always has an honest government.”
Libertarian
Photo courtesy of Andrew Hunt's campaign
Democrat
Republican
N
athan Deal, Georgia’s eighty-second governor, has, according to his own website: “cut state taxes, eliminated state agencies, reduced the state government workforce, saved HOPE from the brink of bankruptcy, championed education innovations and implemented significant cost-saving reforms in our criminal justice system. Being a Republican, he fought to increase public safety on our waterways, improved our workforce by aiding veterans and technical college students and enacted stricter rules on lobbying to boost public trust.” After serving the U.S. army in Augusta and having started his own law practice in Gainesville, he made a career by subsequently becoming a judge, state senator and U.S. congressman. http://nathandeal.org/the-governor/
Photo courtesy of Jason Carter's campaign
T
he third-party candidate, Andrew Hunt, started his own company, nGimat, and believes in a “highly educated workforce” (andrewhunt.us). According to his website Hunt is “a pioneer in nanotechnology [and] has proudly represented Georgia in numerous national and international forums where leaders from around the world collaborate to solve the most complex problems on the planet.” Hunt’s parents founded the first Montessori school in Georgia, leading him value and want to continue this education legacy. According to his website “Georgia can rise into the top 20 states in testing in just four years.”