Former President Bill Clinton endorsed Attorney General Thurbert Baker in the race for Georgia governor on Monday. Clinton’s endorsement is not all that surprising. Baker backed Clinton’s wife, Hillary, for president in 2008. And Baker’s chief rival in the Democratic primary, former Gov. Roy Barnes, backed John Edwards in the presidential race. Clinton held a fundraiser for Baker in New York last year.
In his endorsement letter, which the Baker camp emailed out, Clinton praised the candidate for his role in pushing the bill that created the HOPE scholarship. He also said Baker has outlined a more detailed plan for Georgia’s future – including a Lottery-run bingo game to help fund education – than the other candidates.
“Thurbert is a rare and special man with a life story that could only happen in America,” Clinton wrote. “Born with next to nothing, Thurbert Baker never forgot where he came from and spent his whole life quietly but firmly opening the doors of opportunity for millions of Georgians, opportunities he never had. “If you give him the chance and elect Thurbert Baker your governor, he will open those doors for millions more. You can count on that because he’s already done it.”
Baker first met the future president when Clinton was attorney general of Arkansas in the 1970s. Baker served as a state House floor leader for Georgia Gov. Zell Miller, who was a huge Clinton backer and a keynote speaker at the 1992 Democratic National Convention at which Clinton was nominated for president.
http://blogs.ajc.com/georgia_elections_news/2010/07/12/clinton-endorses-baker-for-governor/?cxntfid=blogs_georgia_elections_newsWow. Torn on this.
Roy Barnes (our last Democratic Governor who lost his job thanks to Diebold the same year that Sen. Max Cleland was smeared and Diebolded by the GOP)...
Anyway, I was leaning towards Roy, who lead Georgia during better times, but Thurbert is a good guy who stood up to our repug Governor when he wanted to sue over healthcare reform.
What to do, what to do...