Jason Carter smeared in anonymous campaign flier (Updated)
Flier filled with erroneous information linking Carter campaign to Yasser Arafat is floating around Toco Hills
Political campaigns get nasty and desperate in the final days. It appears that state Senate District 42 race is no different.
On Tuesday, May 11, DeKalb County voters will cast ballots to decide who’ll replace David Adelman, their former senator who now serves as U.S. ambassador to Singapore. The challengers in the race are: lawyers Tom Stubbs and Jason Carter, both Democrats; real estate executive Steve Patrick, an independent; and small-business owner David Montane, a Libertarian.
Carter, as you might have heard, is the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter. That kind of family connection and name recognition could benefit a candidate in a district like the 42nd, which leans liberal. But it could also be an obstacle, as the district has a large Jewish population that might have concerns about the former president’s comments regarding Israel and Palestine. (That’s a murky issue for one to dip a toe, but common sense tells you a grandson shouldn’t be blamed — or commended — for his grandfather’s views. Months before Adelman’s seat opened up, the younger Carter served as a go-between in discussions between his grandfather and the Jewish community to mend the rift.)
That hasn’t stopped a mysterious political operative from distributing anonymous fliers in the Toco Hills area, which sits in District 42 and is home to a large Jewish population. Jason Pye at Peach Pundit posted an image of the flier, which claims that the bulk of Carter’s campaign contributors come from outside the state.
One contributor, Amir Emami, is singled out for donating $9,600 — much more than the $4,800 allowed in Georgia. Emami’s listed as being from Hong Kong, which is... wait, that’s outside the United States! And, sweet Jesus, that’s a photo of Yasser Arafat! One of those dudes has got to be Amir, because that’s not a very American name! Whole world’s going to hell, people!
The Carter campaign says the information is “completely erroneous and wrong” — and has evidence to back up his claim.