Jason Carter in The New York Times

On Crime: No ban on the death penalty

Jason Carter distances himself from a man he has loved and admired since boyhood: his grandfather, former President Jimmy Carter. Of the elder Carter's call to ban the death penalty, his grandson said, "I love my grandfather, but we disagree." And when grandfather Carter offered to attend a campaign rally in Albany, Ga., his grandson politely asked him to stay home. "He wanted the people of southwest Georgia to see that he was a man of his own," the former president said in an interview in his office.

So it goes in what may be the nation's most awkward legacy campaign. Political families--from the Roosevelts to the Kennedys, Bushes and Clintons--have long been a part of American politics. Carter's bid to unseat Gov. Nathan Deal, the Republican incumbent, is testing the strength and durability of the Carter name in Georgia, a red state that Democrats hope to turn blue. But it is also a test of something more: a deep bond between a 38-year-old grandson and an 89-year-old grandfather.

Source: N.Y. Times on 2014 Georgia gubernatorial race Jul 26, 2014

On Foreign Policy: Declares his powerful connection to Israel

Like many candidates, Jason Carter, the Democratic nominee for governor in Georgia, is courting the Jewish vote. But when Carter, a state senator, declared his "powerful connection" to Israel, it was more than a campaign sound bite. It was a not-so-subtle attempt to distance himself from a man he has loved and admired since boyhood: his grandfather, former President Jimmy Carter.

The former president's views on Israel are not the only ones to make his grandson squirm. Of the elder Carter's call to ban the death penalty, his grandson said, "I love my grandfather, but we disagree."

The elder Mr. Carter has plunged into his grandson's campaign. "He got elected governor of Georgia by shaking 600,000 hands," the younger Mr. Carter said. "That's what he would tell you: 'You've got to go to the grocery store and shake everybody's hand.' "

Source: N.Y. Times on 2014 Georgia gubernatorial race Jul 26, 2014

On Principles & Values: Grandfather Jimmy Carter participates in grandson's campaign

Democrats lost the Georgia statehouse in 2002, and the once Solid South is a distant memory for their party. It has been four decades since the elder Mr. Carter was governor, and more than three since he left the White House--"involuntarily retired," he likes to say. "Mr. Jimmy," as locals know him, is a revered figure here. But the former president arouses intense passions among conservatives, who detest his politics. Republicans lampoon him as a failed leader.

Senator Carter is the son of Jack Carter, the eldest of Jimmy and Rosalynn's four children. Like his grandfather, he is seeking the governorship after just four years in the State Senate.

"He wants it both ways," said one supporter of Gov. Deal. "He wants his granddaddy's help with contributors, but when it comes to the issues, he distances himself. My guess is if his last name were Jones, you and I might not be having this conversation."

Source: N.Y. Times on 2014 Georgia gubernatorial race Jul 26, 2014

The above quotations are from Media coverage of political races in The New York Times. Click here for other excerpts from Media coverage of political races in The New York Times. Click here for other excerpts by Jason Carter. Click here for a profile of Jason Carter.
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