When Brian Kemp led the polls last night with 66 percent in the runoff election in the race to become the next governor of the state of Georgia, Casey Cagle knew that he was at the end of the line; and he officially conceded.
Congratulations @BrianKempGA. You ran a great campaign & Georgia Republicans trust you to carry our mantle forward. To the #CagleLead supporters, Nita and I are truly touched by your dedication and commitment to our future!! We gave it our all & I’m proud of all we accomplished!
— Casey Cagle (@CaseyCagle) July 25, 2018
Candidate Who Threatened Delta Air Lines Loses Bid For Governor of Georgia
Back in February of 2018, the soon-to-be former Republican lieutenant governor of the state of Georgia had threatened to kill any tax legislation which benefits Delta Air Lines unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with the National Rifle Association…
I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA. Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.
— Casey Cagle (@CaseyCagle) February 26, 2018
…which caused a significant amount of backlash from voters; and proved to be one of the missteps which ultimately derailed his campaign.
The Senate Rules Committee of the state of Georgia voted to remove the jet fuel tax break slated for Delta Air Lines out of a comprehensive tax overhaul on Wednesday, February 28, 2018. As a result, lawmakers from other parts of the United States actively courted Delta Air Lines to move its headquarters to their cities or states.
Nathan Deal — who is the current governor of the state of Georgia — signed a $5 billion tax relief bill on Friday, March 2, 2018 even after the removal of the portion of the bill which would have eliminated the sales and use taxes levied on jet fuel for all airlines which purchase fuel in the state of Georgia.
Delta Air Lines became one of the many travel companies which had taken the stance of denouncing the National Rifle Association on its official position and subsequently cut the discounts and benefits of their products and services for members of that organization. This controversial action was in response to the wake of the mass murders of 17 innocent people which resulted from the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Wednesday, February 14, 2018 — which caused a major rift of factions who were sharply divided on the issue of gun control, which had widened significantly.
Summary
Although the controversy involving Delta Air Lines and the National Rifle Association was not the main reason for the failure of Casey Cagle to secure his bid for being the Republican candidate for governor of the state of Georgia, it was one of a series of missteps in which he undertook during his campaign.
By the way, I had been wondering if Casey Cagle and Ed Bastian — who is the current chief executive officer of Delta Air Lines — were “separated at birth”, as they seem to resemble each other, in my opinion…
The main campus of the world headquarters of Delta Air Lines in Atlanta. Photograph ©2009 by Brian Cohen.
