Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Poythress on Barnes: ‘He’s not as connected to the grassroots as he used to be’

David Poythress, the only Democratic candidate for governor out in the hustings at this moment, put out a note this morning evincing some frustration with Roy Barnes.

Last week, in this space, the former governor again expressed a certain coyness about the 2010 race.

“I keep hoping that there will be some knight in shining armor. 
I don’t want to shirk a duty,” Barnes said.

No doubt the lack of clarity is hurting other candidates trying to line up support and financing. Here’s what Poythress, the former state adjutant general of the Georgia National Guard, wrote to his supporters:

“Roy Barnes dedicated almost three decades of service to our great state, performed his duties well and left an amazing legacy. But let’s be honest, he isn’t nearly as connected to the grassroots or core constituencies of our party in the way he used to be.

“This was confirmed to me as I campaigned across the state this week. Countless Democrats pulled me aside to say that they were put off by Barnes’ remarks about his potential comeback candidacy and encouraged me to respond with a stinging response. Instead of taking that course, let me give you my thoughts on Barnes’ comments.

“If Roy Barnes gets in this race, I’m running. If other Democrats get in this race, I’m running. Simply put, I’m running for governor.”

I'm telling you right now, Poythress is not going to bow out because of Roy Barnes. These two fought for the nomination back in 1998. I wonder what is DuBose Porter is thinking about right now. I would like to see him run for governor, but Porter has to be realistic. Does he think that he can defeat Roy Barnes in the primary? Does he think he can out fundraise Barnes? Porter might need to look at the possibility of maybe running for Agriculture Commissioner if my guy Terry Coleman, who I already endorsed decides not to run for the post.

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