Georgia GOP candidates want Delta punished for dropping NRA


              FILE - In this Saturday, April 6, 2013 file photo, a Delta Airlines jet flies past the company's billboard at Citi Field, in New York. Delta says Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017 that it will start serving meals to all passengers on 12 long-haul routes over the next several weeks. Airlines took away free sandwiches and similar fare after an industry downturn during the worldwide financial crisis.  (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
FILE - In this Saturday, April 6, 2013 file photo, a Delta Airlines jet flies past the company's billboard at Citi Field, in New York. Delta says Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017 that it will start serving meals to all passengers on 12 long-haul routes over the next several weeks. Airlines took away free sandwiches and similar fare after an industry downturn during the worldwide financial crisis. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

ATLANTA (AP) - Republican gubernatorial candidates in Georgia are leading calls to punish Delta Air Lines for cutting business ties with the National Rifle Association. But the state's term-limited GOP governor has refrained from publicly entering the fray.

Gov. Nathan Deal's spokeswoman, Jen Ryan, said he had no immediate comment Tuesday on the controversy pitting other top Republicans against one of Georgia's largest employers.

GOP Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle threatened Monday to block renewal of a major tax break for Delta after the Atlanta-based company announced it is ending fare discounts for NRA members following Florida's deadly school shooting.

Four of Cagle's Republican rivals in the governor's race also want the tax break stopped. One of them, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, called Tuesday for a "sales tax holiday" on guns and ammunition.

Upcoming Events