David Pennington’s blunt debut in the GOP race for governor | Political Insider | www.ajc.com

David Pennington is 61 years old, thin, a little weathered and stubborn. Yes, he’s charging into uncharted territory — a sitting Georgia governor in search of re-election has never lost to a challenger within his own party.

But the mayor of Dalton knows more about carpets than windmills. So don’t refer to him as another Don Quixote. He doesn’t like it.

This week, Pennington formally announced his candidacy in the Republican race for governor. He sort of did that in July, but it turns out he wasn’t actually certain he would pull the trigger back then.

“I’m a practical businessman,” he said during a sit-down at the Varsity in downtown Atlanta. “Although we said our intention was to run for governor, I’m not going to lead my supporters into a brick wall.”

Pennington said he had to discover whether there is a Republican appetite for unseating Gov. Nathan Deal. “I can tell you, that groundswell is there,” he said.

The candidate also wanted to make sure there would be money for his efforts. People both willing to write checks and have their names become public. Pennington promises that by the end of this year, he’ll have raised “several hundred thousand dollars” for his gubernatorial campaign.

via David Pennington’s blunt debut in the GOP race for governor | Political Insider | www.ajc.com.