Clarkston’s millennial mayor exits Senate race

Terry instead will run for DeKalb Commission seat.

Democrat Ted Terry dropped out of the crowded race against U.S. Sen. David Perdue on Sunday to run for an open seat on the DeKalb County Commission, leaving three top rivals competing to challenge the Republican in the nationally watched contest.

The Clarkston mayor told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that his fundraising struggles — his latest disclosure showed him with roughly $60,000 in campaign cash — contributed to his decision to abandon a race expected to set spending records.

“The old saying that it takes coal to run a train, but it takes gold to run a campaign is more true in this age of politics than ever before,” Terry said in a letter to supporters. “And while the thousands of you who have pitched in has made a huge difference, it just isn’t enough to sustain us all the way to the May 19th primary.”

Terry is not yet endorsing any of his rivals, though he hasn’t ruled it out. Former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson, business executive Sarah Riggs Amico and former 6th Congressional District candidate Jon Ossoff are in the Senate race, plus lesser-known candidates.

Terry launched his campaign in July highlighting his efforts to push Clarkston, a town of about 13,000 people, to embrace liberal policies such as higher minimum wages, stricter clean energy standards and more welcoming immigration policies.

But Terry, known to supporters as the “millennial mayor,” failed to gain traction beyond a core group of liberals who admired his stewardship of a city so diverse it’s often described as the “Ellis Island of the South.”

Republicans, meanwhile, quickly branded Terry as a part of a “socialist sprint” trying to trip up Perdue, a former Fortune 500 chief executive with close ties to President Donald Trump.

It’s not immediately clear which Democrat is most helped by Terry’s decision, since there’s been limited polling of the race. At events, Terry took square aim at Perdue and not his Democratic rivals

Terry lagged far behind his rivals in fundraising with collections of roughly $90,000 through September 2019 — the most recent report available — for a shoestring campaign that relied on volunteers and social media to publicize his message.

Most of his contributors gave small-dollar donations, and some were drawn to his recent appearance on Netflix’s “Queer Eye” show, which featured stylists who had him shave an unruly “Resistance beard” he started after Trump’s victory.

Terry will take that donor list to his race for the seat held by longtime DeKalb Commissioner Kathie Gannon, who announced last week that she will not seek another term. She represents Super District 6, which covers the western half of the heavily Democratic county.

At least two other candidates are already in that contest: Democrat Robert Murphy, a real estate agent, has already filed paperwork. And community activist Emily Halevy announced her campaign last week with Gannon’s support.

Even as the field for Perdue’s seat winnows, the group vying for Georgia’s other U.S. Senate race is set to grow.

Two Democrats — Matt Lieberman and former federal prosecutor Ed Tarver — plan to challenge newly appointed Republican Kelly Loeffler. The Rev. Raphael Warnock is expected to enter the race, and Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Collins could soon jump in, too.

Terry said he’s ready to pivot to a County Commission contest focused on more local issues. He said he’s planning to resign as mayor in March to focus on the DeKalb race.