Ralph Reed Craps Out: Georgia Republicans Decide Not To Gamble On Former Christian Coalition Head
Former Christian Coalition director Ralph Reed’s attempt to launch a political career went down in flames last night when voters in the Georgia Republican primary decisively rejected his bid to become lieutenant governor.
Reed, 45, was defeated by Casey Cagle, a state senator, 56 percent to 44 percent.
The results can only be seen as a stunning fall from grace for the former hardball political operator and telegenic whiz kid who led TV preacher Pat Robertson’s political unit during its most successful period. When Reed announced his candidacy 18 months ago, he was considered a shoo-in. Political analysts believed Reed’s ability to mobilize conservative Christian voters in the state would enable him to bulldoze Cagle and triumph in the general election as well. Some even speculated that Reed would then run for governor and finally president.
But Reed’s campaign hit a serious speed bump when his ties to disgraced Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff were exposed. Documents showed that Reed, who worked as a political consultant after leaving the Christian Coalition in 1997, had been paid more than $5 million by two Indian tribes that owned casinos. The tribes were clients of Abramoff and wanted to fend off attempts by other tribes to establish competing casinos.
Reed worked with Abramoff to mobilize conservative Christians to oppose the new casinos – without telling them that established gambling interests would benefit. Reed said he was not aware that the forces of legalized gambling were behind the money, but as The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported this morning, “e-mails showed that Abramoff informed Reed of the money’s origins several times.”
As the story grew and Abramoff was arraigned (and later pled guilty to three felony counts of conspiracy, fraud and tax evasion) Reed’s candidacy went into a nosedive. Some conservative Christians abandoned him, and his fund-raising plummeted. By the end of the campaign, Reed had to lend his own campaign $500,000. Casey, meanwhile, blanketed the state with television ads blasting Reed for his hypocrisy.
Reed tried to regain his footing by marshaling conservative spokespersons and Republican leaders to his side. Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity appeared at one Reed rally, and Rudy Guiliani, the former mayor of New York, backed Reed. Reed also won support from Zell Miller, former Georgia governor and U.S. senator. (Although he claims to be a Democrat, Miller has been endorsing Republicans recently.)
The state branch of the Christian Coalition also stood by Reed. On election night, after Reed had conceded, Sadie Fields, head of the state CC unit, told the Journal-Constitution, “I’m obviously disappointed. The state lost an opportunity. But he will be back. He has far too much to offer.”
Others disputed that prediction. “We’ve witnessed the final implosion of Ralph Reed,” said Charles Bullock, a political scientist at the University of Georgia.
Now that the race is over, only one question remains: Will all of those who stuck with Reed to the bitter end – especially the Religious Right activists who are often so eager to judge others – ever repent for backing such a blatant, money-grubbing hypocrite whose chief deity appears to be not the God of the Bible but Mammon?
Don’t hold your breath.