Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President George H.W. Bush is featured in a Democrat's campaign commercial, but he plans to endorse the eventual Republican nominee in Georgia's Senate race, his spokesman said Thursday.
Likely Democratic nominee Michelle Nunn, a former executive at the Bush-inspired Points of Light Foundation, uses images of the former president in her first campaign ads that try to paint her as a bipartisan leader.
"While leading President Bush's Points of Light Foundation, we grew it into the world's largest organization dedicated to volunteer service," Nunn says in the ad.
Hoping to head off confusion, Bush spokesman Jim McGrath on Thursday tweeted that "TV ads notwithstanding, @GeorgeHWBush looking forward to endorsing GOP nominee in #gasenate race." He added that it is "critical that @GOP retake the Senate."
Republicans are in the middle of a seven-way primary race in Georgia, with no clear front-runner emerging as voters start paying attention ahead of the May 20 primary.
Republican Reps. Paul Broun, Jack Kingston and Phil Gingrey are facing former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel and attorney Art Gardner. Conservative activist Derrick Grayson and businessman David Perdue are also in the race to replace Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss, who is retiring.
The messy race lacks a clear favorite in polls, among activists in Georgia or Washington insiders.
On the Democratic side, Nunn is favored over rivals Steen Miles, Branko "Rad" Radulovacki and Todd Anthony Robinson.
Republicans need to hold all of their current seats and pick up six more to become the Senate majority. Democrats are eyeing Georgia as one of the few places where they could wrest a seat from the Republicans' column.
___
Follow Philip Elliott on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/philip\_elliott
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
