UPDATED

Perdue: I Haven't Endorsed Anyone In Battle Over Schaefer's Senate District 50

Update at 1:50 p.m. adds comment from Butterworth campaign manager, additional issue in race. New material highlighted.

By Dick Pettys
InsiderAdvantage Georgia

(7/24/08) Gov. Sonny Perdue took pains Thursday to distance himself from a pamphlet distributed by Sen. Nancy Schaefer during the primary campaign that apparently suggested to some people the governor had endorsed her in the race for SD 50.

He hasn’t endorsed anyone, he said.

Schaefer finished second in a three-way primary battle and will face challenger Jim Butterworth in the runoff on Aug. 5.

Perdue commented during an appearance via telephone on the Martha Zoller show on Gainesville radio station WDUN.

Zoller began by telling Perdue his name had been bandied about in the race and asked him if he wanted to address it.

“I trust the people of that Senate district to make their decisions. I don’t think they need a governor sitting in Atlanta from middle Georgia trying to tell them how to make those decisions. I know I had a few calls over a mail out that was done. It was unfortunate. I had not had any conversation with either of the candidates - either of the three candidates - in there regarding any kind of endorsements, and some people felt I had chosen sides and it was not the case and it’s not the case today,” he said.

The question was raised a few minutes later in the program by a caller, and Perdue reiterated that he had “absolutely not” endorsed anyone in the race. “If I were up there, I could be a little offended if the governor was trying to tell me how to elect my legislative representative.”

Even so, Perdue endorsed at least one incumbent senator during the primary elections - Sen. John Douglas - and perhaps others.

The pamphlet which Schaefer circulated included a photo with her and a shirt-sleeved Perdue, with this statement attributed to Perdue: “Nancy Schaefer is a strong voice in the Senate for Northeast Georgia and I count on her integrity and commitment in the state Senate.”

Butterworth led the July 15 voting with 6,865 votes, or 40.8 percent, to Schaefer’s 6,315, or 37.5 percent. Third-place finisher Terry Rogers got 3,649 votes, or 21.7 percent.

Here is a portion of the pamphlet:

Following the broadcast, the manager of the Butterworth campaign, Dan Gassaway, said the pamphlet reflected "failed leadership" on Schaefer's part.

"Northeast Georgia needs jobs, lower taxes and real leadership," he said in a press release. "Unfortunately, all we have received from Schafer is a long line (of) disappointing political stunts designed to distract us from her failures."

Meanwhile, the two runoff participants are clashing over another issue: how to keep open a cannery in Habersham County.

Schaefer announced this week she has asked Perdue for a $10,000 grant from his emergency fund to keep the cannery in operation until the county can find the money.

Butterworth, who is chairman of the Habersham County Commission, said the county already has approved an $8,000 grant to keep the facility open for the harvest season.

For more background on this race, see the June 30 InsiderAdvantage report here.