In yet another act of desperation, the Stephens Campaign is now relying on the Southern Voice as its credible news source to attack Karen Handel. For most Republicans, Southern Voice is little more than a tabloid that advocates a pro-gay, anti-Republican agenda.

“I don’t read Southern Voice and I really don’t pay attention to anything they write or say,” Karen Handel said. “But for them to claim that gay voters were responsible for my election is absurd. I won because of my message of balanced budgets, cutting taxes and exposing corruption, and the support of Governor Sonny Perdue, then-Congressman Johnny Isakson and dozens of other Republican elected officials,” Handel continued.

Handel Campaign Manager Marty Ryall said, “We put about as much stock and credibility in the Southern Voice as we do the National Inquirer. Maybe Bill Stephens should spend more time talking about the issues and less time reading the Southern Voice.”

“However, since Senator Stephens considers the Southern Voice his premier news source, he has some explaining to do,” Ryall added.

Flip-flopping on Gay Marriage Amendment Sponsorship

From the February 6, 2004 Southern Voice article titled “Marriage Amendment Sponsor Defends Divorce”:

“State Sen. Bill Stephens, sponsor of a proposed amendment to Georgia's constitution that would ban gay marriage, is in no position to defend the "sanctity of marriage," his former wife told Southern Voice this week. The woman, who asked that her name not be published, said she and Stephens were married for 15 years and had two sons before the couple split in 1991, in part because she heard persistent allegations that he was having an extramarital affair.”

“Bill Stephens expressed dismay over being so closely associated with the amendment…."I'm not even at the top of the list of sponsors," Stephens said Jan. 30, the same day the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a column by him outlining his support for the amendment and less than 10 days after his press conference announcing the amendment. Stephens also said he was a “mere placeholder” — introducing the amendment to make sure Republicans proposed the measure before Democrats had the opportunity to introduce similar legislation, according to the AJC column.”

On Meeting with the Leader of “Georgia Equality”

And from the May 6, 2005 Southern Voice article titled “Gay Marriage May Impact ‘06 Ballot in Georgia”.

“Another Republican candidate who may try to move toward the middle in the 2006 elections is State Senate Majority Leader Bill Stephens (R-Canton), according to Bowen from Georgia Equality.”

“I’ve met with Sen. Stephens and he had what I considered to be a conciliatory tone,” Bowen said. “I see him as wanting to play more to the moderates than to the right wing of his party.”

Fulton County Chairman Karen Handel is a life-long Republican having served in the Bush Quayle Administrations and as Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Sonny Perdue. Her campaign for Secretary of State has been endorsed by more than 150 locally elected officials, Republican Party leaders and activists. Karen Handel is also the only candidate for Secretary of State who has released a comprehensive plan for reform of Georgia’s Elections.

In 1992, Bill Stephens actively campaigned for Bill Clinton and raised money for the Democrat Party. To this date, he has yet to provide a reasonable or truthful response for why he was working against the incumbent Republican President George Bush.

Source: Georgians For Karen Handel, www.karenhandel.com