Nathan Deal

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Nathan Deal
Nathan Deal.jpg
Governor of Georgia
Incumbent
In office
January 10, 2011-present
Term ends
January 2015
Years in position 2
PartyRepublican
PredecessorSonny Perdue
Compensation
Base salary$139,339
Elections and appointments
First electedNovember 2, 2010
Next electionNovember 4, 2014
Term limits2 consecutive terms
Prior offices
U.S. House of Representatives
1993 - 2011
Georgia State Senate
1981 - 1993
Education
Bachelor'sMercer University
J.D.Mercer University
Personal
BirthdayAugust 25, 1942
Place of birthMillen, Georgia
Websites
Office website

Contents

Nathan Deal (b. August 25, 1942 Millen, GA) is the current Republican Governor of Georgia.[1] He was first elected in 2010 and took office on January 10, 2011. Deal will next be up for election in 2014.

He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1992 until March 2010 when he resigned to run for governor. Deal also served in the Georgia State Senate from 1980-1992.

Biography

Deal earned his undergraduate and JD from Mercer University, where he today serves on the board.

For the two years immediately after completing law school, Deal served in the U.S. Army, earning the rank of Captain. From 1970-71, he was an assistant district attorney, followed by a single year as a Juvenile Court Judge in Hall County. From 1977 to 1979, he was Hall's County Attorney. In 1979, he entered private practice, where he continued until 1992.[2]

Education

  • Mercer University, J.D., 1966
  • Mercer University, B.A., 1964

Political career

Governor of Georgia (2011-present)

Deal was first elected governor on November 2, 2010 and assumed office the following January.

Issues

Fiscal 2014 Budget

Deal introduced his proposed budget for fiscal year 2014, which begins July 1, 2013, in his January 10, 2013, State of the State address. His proposed budget totals $40.837 billion in spending.[3][4] On the revenue side, his budget anticipates $21 billion in federal tax dollars and $19.341 billion in state taxes, the latter being a 2.7 percent increase from fiscal year 2013's budget. Claiming that urgent action was needed to avoid a major funding shortfall in the state's Medicaid insurance program, he called on the legislature to extend the Department of Community Health's authority to levy the hospital provider tax beyond its scheduled June end. Deal announced 3 percent cuts in most departments except K-12 education and increased funding for Pre-K classes. The governor asserted that state per-capita spending decreased by 17 percent over the previous decade and that the Georgia government employs 9,000 fewer people than it did five years ago.[5]

Presidential preference

2012

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

Nathan Deal endorsed Newt Gingrich in the 2012 presidential election. [6]

First budget cuts

During his inaugural address, Deal pledged, “We must justify every cent that government extracts from our society.”

In his first State of the State address, Deal announced 14,000 state government jobs will be eliminated and state employment will be frozen at current levels. In addition, the governor’s first budget revealed that many programs will be curtailed and some will be entirely gone.

“Many politicians have long talked about reducing the size of government,” Deal said. “My friends, we are doing it.” The governor told agencies to reduce current spending by 4% and to expect 7% average budget cuts in the fiscal year that starts July 1.

Governor Deal proposed no new taxes or increases to existing taxes.

Deal presented the General Assembly with an $18.162 billion fiscal 2012 budget proposal that is 3.75% and $273 million more than fiscal 2011. The governor said teacher furloughs should end and HOPE scholarship grants cannot exceed funding available from the Georgia lottery.

“We must act now to maintain the Georgia jewel known as HOPE,” Deal said.[7]

U.S. House of Representatives (1992-2010)

Deal was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992 as a Democrat, though he changed his political affiliation to the GOP in April of 1995. He publicly stated the the decision was motivated by discomfort in being the most conservative Democrat in Georgia's delegation; however, rumors persisted that the real motivation was the Democrats' wholesale drubbing in the 1994 midterm elections.

In 1996, Deal's first election as a Republican, he won with a large margin and went to Washington as the first Republican his district had elected since Reconstruction. From 1998 to 2006, he only faced a contest for re-election twice, in 2000 and 2006.

Shortly after the healthcare vote, Deal submitted his resignation to Congress in order to commit all his time to running for governor. He had already been announced candidate for nearly a year. At the time, he was under investigation for ethical violations in Congress and a Federal grand journey had handed down a subpoena. His resignation was tendered before any charges could be brought and he has since been cleared.

Controversies

On April 27, 2011, Deal signed legislation giving Delta Air Lines a partial exemption from the fuel sales tax. The exemption was valued at $30 million. Two weeks later, the company gave Deal and his wife Diamond medallion status - a perk worth almost $8,000.[8]

Former governor Sonny Perdue, when he was in office, set a policy "that generally banned state officials from accepting gifts worth more than $25 from anyone with whom they conduct state business."[9] Deal reaffirmed the governor's position and extended the policy when he assumed office. A spokesman for the governor explained the gesture as an effort to promote economic development rather than a personal gift. He emphasized, "any time [the Diamond medallion status] will be used, it will be used for state business."[9]

State Senate (1980-1992)

Beginning in 1980, Deal began the first of seven terms in the Georgia Senate. In 1992, he ran for an won a Congressional election; he would represent the 9th District, in north of the state, for nine terms.

Elections

2014

See also: Georgia gubernatorial election, 2014

Deal is considering running for re-election as governor in 2014.[10]

2010

See also: Georgia gubernatorial election, 2010 and Gubernatorial elections, 2010

In the July 20 primary Deal came in second to Karen Handel, receiving 22.9% of the vote to her 34.1%. The two met in a runoff election held August 10, with Deal winning 50.2% to 49.8%.

Deal faced Democrat Roy E. Barnes and Libertarian John H. Monds in the general election on November 2, 2010, defeating them.[1]

  • General election[11]
Governor of Georgia, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Roy E. Barnes 43% 1,107,011
     Republican Green check mark.jpgNathan Deal 53% 1,365,832
     Libertarian John H. Monds 4% 103,194
     NA Write-in 0% 124
Total Votes 2,576,161

Campaign donors

Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. The following table offers a breakdown of Nathan Deal's donors each year.[12] Click [show] for more information.


Personal

Deal teaches Sunday school and is a deacon at First Baptist Church of Gainesville. He and his wife, Sandra, a teacher, have four children and six grandchildren.

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term "Nathan + Deal + Georgia + Governor"

All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.

Nathan Deal News Feed


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See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Incoming Georgia Governor Deal Names Rogers Wade to Lead Transition Team," Georgia Public Policy Foundation, November 03, 2010
  2. ↑ Project Vote Smart biographical profile of Nathan Deal
  3. ↑ Governor Deal's State of the State Address, January 10, 2013
  4. ↑ The Governor's Budget Report Fiscal 2014 (PDF), Office of Planning and Budget, accessed January 29, 2013
  5. ↑ Mike Klein, Georgia Public Policy Foundation, "Governor Deal Pushes Medicaid Fix; Proposes $19.8 billion budget," January 17, 2013
  6. ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Perdue will back Gingrich for president in 2012," March 21, 2011
  7. ↑ "Georgia Governor Eliminates 14,000 Jobs; First Budget Makes Big Cuts," Georgia Public Policy Foundation, January 13, 2011
  8. ↑ News Channel 9.com "Nathan Deal gets perks after tax breaks," June 19, 2011
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Business Week.com "Delta gives Ga. gov perks after getting tax break," June 19, 2011
  10. ↑ Public Policy Polling, "Georgia Miscellany," December 7, 2012
  11. ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "2010 General Election Results:Governor," accessed January 18, 2013
  12. ↑ Follow the Money.org
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Preceded by
Sonny Perdue 		Governor of Georgia
2011 - present 		Succeeded by
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