Scandal Battering Ralph Reed’s Hopes in Georgia

The former head of the Christian Coalition, who is running for Lt. Gov. of Georgia, is now finding himself trailing at the polls, largely as a result of his connection to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

N.Y. Times:

MARIETTA, Ga., July 13 — It is curious enough to see Ralph Reed, a man who was on the cover of Time magazine at age 33, the man widely credited with galvanizing evangelical Christians into a national political force, putting everything he has into a race for the relatively low-profile job of lieutenant governor of Georgia.

But it is stranger still to see him losing ground. Because of Mr. Reed’s entanglement in a national lobbying scandal, a political contest that once seemed well within his grasp has turned into a battle for his personal and professional reputation, and it is not clear whether he will survive the Republican primary on Tuesday.

At a recent rally here in the Atlanta suburbs, where people ate hot dogs and strawberries compliments of the Cobb County Republican Women’s Club, a longtime ally of Mr. Reed’s in a red “Support Our Troops” sweater pulled the candidate close and whispered anxiously in his ear.

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Erik S. Lesser / The New York Times

Ralph Reed