Jimmy Carter's Legacy Shadows Grandson's Run

Jason Carter's campaign to be the next Georgia governor is being shadowed by the legacy of his grandfather,  former President Jimmy Carter, Politico reports.

Case in point: Five days after the younger Carter jumped into the Georgia governor's race, his grandfather delivered a speech urging a ban on the death penalty. Within hours, the candidate  told a reporter, "I believe in the death penalty for heinous crimes, and that won't change when I’m governor."
 

The episode the upsides and downsides of the Carter legacy for the young Democratic state senator, who is waging a long-shot bid to unseat Republican Gov. Nathan Deal.
 

Despite Hispanic- and African-American populations in Georgia, the state remains solid GOP terrain and for many conservatives Jimmy Carter embodies failed liberalism and weak leadership.

Jason Carter, a 38-year-old Duke- and University of Georgia-educated lawyer, is a respected voice in the state Senate, Politico notes, and calls himself as a centrist Democrat who will work to reform education and state ethics laws.
 

Carter announced his candidacy earlier this month, as Democrats are already energized about their 2014 prospects with Michelle Nunn — daughter of Georgia legend Sam Nunn, a former senator — seeking a Senate seat.

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