Six months ago, Nathan Deal was a sitting member of Congress, holding a seemingly safe Republican seat representing Georgia’s 9th District. Today, he’s the GOP nominee for governor of Georgia facing Roy Barnes, the Democratic nominee and a former governor, and John Monds, a Libertarian, in what promises to be a hotly contested November election. Why Deal suddenly left Washington to seek a state office in which he previously expressed little interest is likely to become a major campaign issue. It should.
Deal resigned from Congress in mid-March, shortly before a committee was to release a report on possible ethics violations against him. The resignation ended the inquiry. Under the rules, Congress surrenders its jurisdiction in such cases if a lawmaker resigns from office. Deal vigorously denies he resigned to short-circuit the investigation and possible charges arising from it. Despite the denial, the timing and convenience of the resignation are highly suspicious – even to some members of his own party.
Indeed, Karen Handel, Deal’s runoff opponent who graciously conceded defeat Wednesday and said that she would not demand a recount though fewer than 2,500 votes separated them, publicly fretted about Deal’s possible ethical shortcomings in Congress. She certainly suggested there was some truth to the matter when she tagged Deal as a “corrupt relic of Washington” in the just concluded campaign.
Deal says as little as possible about the ethics investigation, other than to charge that it was part of a “political witch hunt fueled by Democrats.” It’s more than that.
The Office of Congressional Ethics indicated that there was “substantial reason to believe” that Deal had violated rules in a case involving his family’s auto salvage business. Deal’s resignation might have put an end to official inquiries into charges, but Georgians – Republicans included – should require a more plausible response from Deal. He certainly owes one to voters.
Handel’s concession without a demand for a recount is the result, no doubt, of an effort by party insiders to put an end to the acrimony that has created rifts with the state’s Republican Party. Handel pledged to support Deal in November. There’s no certainty, however, that her supporters automatically will do the same. They are unlikely to go over to Barnes or Monds, but they could choose not to vote. If that proves the case, Deal and other Republican office-seekers – generally conceded to be the front-runners in almost every race in the general election – could find the going tougher than expected.
The road to the governor’s office is not easy, nor should it be. Candidates earn the title. If Mr. Deal wants to be governor, he owes a cogent explanation about the possible ethics violations and the timing of his resignation to those he hopes to serve. If he refuses to provide it, Barnes and Monds should pointedly remind him – and voters – of his obligation to do so.