Newspaper Page Text
GOVERNOR:
Barnes
remained
upbeat
► From Page 1
Brenda Qerspache, a ’64
University alumna, sup
ports Deal because “he’s
well qualified for the job
and he’s been a politician
for a long time,” she said.
Helen Story, a retired
teacher firom Cobb County
and ’73 University alumna,
attended Deal’s election
party in Atlanta “because I
am a Republican and I
want Nathan Deal to win.”
While Deal and his sup
porters awaited the results
Tuesday night, his grand
children were busy drawing
in their coloring books.
“I think it’s neat that it’s
a family affair,” said Deal’s
niece Leah Hulsey from
Gainesville.
Oscar Poole, a supporter
from Ellijay and owner of
Colonel Poole Georgia
BBQ, made a bold state
ment by wearing a yellow
suit with a patriotic tie and
hat to the event.
“I came because I want
to stomp this left-wing
socialist trend in our gov
ernment,” Poole said. “I’ve
done quite well in this busi
ness, and I want every
American to have the same
privileges I have.”
Jeannette Fbsia, a junior
from Clayton State
University, came to support
Deal for a more simple rea
son.
‘We need jobs back in
Georgia. That’s the main
thing," Fusia said. “My par
ents have been out of a job
MWORAL Stegall pleased with success of campaign
► From Page 1
community in a different way.”
Denson supporters remained positive
throughout the night, especially as she
* led the polls around 10 p.m.
“Nancy Denson is one of the most well
rounded candidates that we have,”
Manuel Martin of Athens said. “She has a
plan for Athens and in all of her policies
that I’ve seen, she's had Athens' best
interest in mind and I think she’s going to
win.”
Denson continually thanked guests
and supporters throughout the night.
“I appreciate all of the support from all
of the segments of the community,”
Denson said. “My door will always be
open to students and eveiybody else in
the community."
At Little Kings Shuffle Club, support
ers of Gwen O’Looney’s bid for mayor
gathered after polls closed. O’Looney gar
nered 23 percent of votes.
Voters discussed politics under the
glow of bar lights and laptops, staying up
to-date on the latest results reported.
O’Looney said she would like to see
students registering to vote in Athens
rather than in their home district.
“They live here,” she said. “They are
legally residents of Athens. They should
embrace it as citizens.”
O’Looney said she feels “great” about
election night, and that she thought it
looked like there would be a run-off
between herself and Denson.
VOTE Some supporters
not surprised by loss
► From Page 1
the candidate for two years said Edwards had “cut”
into Broun's base of support in the 10th District.
“I’m optimistic. I know it’s really an anti-incumbent
year, and we’re really pushing for that,” Patel said.
Edwards said there were many uncontrollable factors
that would affect the results on Election Day, such as
the political climate and even the weather.
“At the end of the day, you can Just do the best you
can,” he said.
KeH Pihera, who attended Edwards’ Election Night
party, also wasn’t shocked Edwards lost, saying many
had predicted the Republican Party would sweep elec
tions across the country.
Megan Seda, a Broun supporter from Columbia
County, said she has been happy with they way Broun
has represented the 10th District. She agrees with
Broun’s views on small government and his goals to
decrease government spending.
“He has been a leader with changing the idea of how
the government should work," she said. “He’s changed
the mind-set of what people expect from a congress
man.”
Several Republican Party supporters —some with
University ties felt confident about their party’s
chances earlier Tuesday night.
Abby Musselwhite, a Junior at the University from
Gainesville, was in attendance to support Nathan Deal.
Musselwhite’s mother has worked for Deal for the past
18 years.
"Knowing him personally, he’s a good man and he’s
respectable” she said. “I think that’s important in a poli
tician.”
Another long-time Republican supporter was Marcia
Boone. Her Republican roots stretch back to her youth,
as she helped her grandmother in Indiana campaign for
Dwight Eisenhower in the “I Like Ike” election of 1952.
Boone graduated from the University in the late 1980s
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A Several supporters of Roy Barnes celebrated Election Night at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center in Atlanta.
since Obama came into
office.”
Fusia was born in
California, but her family is
originally from Mexico.
“For me, it’s easy as a
student,” she said. “We
have our education and
other options, but they’re
much older and it’s a little
more difficult to secure a
pretty good job.”
And what does Deal tell
his supporters as the final
Election Day results come
in?
“Thank you for a suc
O'Looney said an issue she would fight
for as mayor would be to make sure down
town worked for people in all of Athens’
many communities, including students.
Supporters of Spencer Frye gathered
at Cine to watch the results of the elec
tion come in. Frye earned 21 percent of
votes in the election.
“I think we're doing great,” Frye said.
He said he was “cautiously optimistic that
we can get to the runoff.”
Guests at Frye’s event were supportive
and also optimistic.
Eddie Glikin, a cab driver, musician
and Spanish medical interpreter, said he
supported Frye's focus on small business
es, the environment, and local music and
arts.
“I like that he’s trying to get away from
the normal thought in Athens that the
University is the main source of employ
ment,” Glikin said. “There’s other ways of
doing it small businesses and the peo
ple.”
He was “hopeful” Frye would make it
to the runoff election, but said even if he
didn’t, Frye would have an effect on
Athens.
“If nothing else, the points he has are
very solid, and it’s getting people think
ing,” Glikin said.
In a rented office building on the west
side of Athens, friends, family and volun
teers of Athens mayoral candidate Charlie
Maddox huddled around a projection
showing precinct results. The crowd was
hopeful for a Maddox victory.
cessful campaign,” Deal
said.
But despite the unfavor
able results, the atmo
sphere at Barnes’ Election
Night party was lively.
Nevertheless, every
attendee at the party did
not have the same upbeat
mindset.
Pat Alexander, a recent
ly retired executive assis
tant who worked for the
last seven governors includ
ing Barnes, said the early
poll numbers did not faze
her.
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▲ Russell Edwards addresses supporters
Tuesday. Edwards' campaigners said the
University grad fought hard to stay In the race.
with a degree in special education and now serves as the
13th District Chair for Republican Women.
And on Tuesday night, she was preparing to party
with her party.
"I’m expecting to celebrate a Republican win,” she
said.
-NEWS
“l pay no attention to
the poll numbers. I under
stand it is only a small sam
pling of the community,”
she said.
She also added that
Barnes was a “fair man, the
best man for the job,” and
she said she would be will
ing to come out of retire
ment for the gubernatorial
candidate.
Like Alexander, Myran
Belyue, a member of the
National Action Network
for Clayton County, said he
was very optimistic about
“People have been ready for a change,”
said Natasha Maddox, Maddox’s daugh
ter and campaign manager.
The mayoral candidate walked in late
after he took a voter to the polls just
before the election ended.
The crowd greeted him with cheers
and applause as he walked around talking
to supporters and cracking jokes. Maddox
only managed to gain about 18 percent of
the vote.
Despite the results, he said he is proud
of the way the candidates carried them
selves during the campaign and turns the
responsibility over to the people.
“The final choice is up to the people,”
he said. “The campaign has never been
about me and my advancement. It's about
the people of Athens.”
Supporters of 22-year-old University
senior Glenn Stegall gathered at his cam
paign office on Prince Avenue. If elected,
Stegall would have been one of the young
est Athens mayors ever Stegall captured
nearly 4 percent of votes.
He saw his age as an asset to his cam
paign.
“My age gives me the ability to look at
things objectively without looking into
the past,” Stegall said. “You need to be
able to see the current situation.”
Stegall said communication is key.
“I learned to be able to communicate
with people and understand their needs,”
Stegall said. “It’s been amazing to listen
to people and give them solutions.”
Stegall was pleased with the success of
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Barnes.
“He has supported the
civil rights community, and
he has been instrumental
to different initiatives. We
believe he is good for
Georgia,” he said.
Belyue mentioned bring
ing school bullying to the
legislature and helping
with the transportation
problem in Clayton County
as some of these initia
tives.
However, not every sup
porter was optimistic, even
early on in the gubemato-
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▲ Student Glenn Stegall was one
of five Athens mayoral candidates.
the campaign. Though it was challenging,
the county got his best effort, he said.
“Students were extremely supportive
of the campaign." Stegall said. "Around
campus, students showed a lot of sup
port.”
Briana Gerdeman, Jen Ingles, Mary
Walker, Drew Hooks and Sarah
Giarratana contributed to this report
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rial race.
Lucy Smethurst, who
directed the state’s Clean
Air Campaign during
Barnes’ last term, said she
loved Roy Barnes, but she
is not holding her breath.
“I wish I could be (opti
mistic] because he is the
man to get Georgia back to
a first-class state,” she
said.
She added that it was
hard for Barnes to make
this difference in a state
that is so deeply
Republican.
3