Mitch Skandalakis
Encyclopedia
Demetrios John "Mitch" Skandalakis is a former American Republican politician from Georgia
who rose quickly to national prominence in the early 1990s. He upset an established candidate to become chairman of a county board of commissioners, and in 1998 ran for lieutenant-governor, an election he lost in a landslide. Afterward, he became subjected to a federal corruption investigation and spent time in jail, and was disbarred as an attorney.
, and his two siblings followed in their father's footsteps. Mitch Skandalakis went to Emory, where he founded a chapter of Young Americans for Freedom
. He graduated from the University of Georgia's law school
in 1982 and joined the law firm of conservative Georgia congressman Pat Swindall
.
He ran for a state Senate seat in 1988 but lost, and in 1991 began to be active in Fulton County
, Georgia's most populous county, as an anti-tax activist, complaining about property taxes; in 1992 he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives
. He attracted national attention when he upset Martin Luther King III
in a 1993 special election for Chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.
Skandalakis was re-elected to a full term in 1994, running as a moderate Republican and openly courting gay voters. He made headlines again in 1995, when he proposed that all amateur athletes be required to disclose whether they had AIDS
. As a commissioner, he was most notable for cutting property taxes, even while Atlanta was expanding its budget for the 1996 Summer Olympics
.
as his campaign manager and ran for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia
as a right wing conservative. While earlier he had "good relations with Atlanta's gay and lesbian community," he needed stronger Christian credentials to win the primary; hiring Reed was thought to provide those credentials. Skandalakis placed first among five candidates in the Republican primary, then defeated conservative State Senator Clint Day
in a bitterly contested primary run-off. Skandalakis's campaign drew criticism for running "advertisements portraying one rival in racial stereotypes and another as a drug addict". The spots from the campaign were cited years later as examples of the "dirty tactics" of Ralph Reed:
Although successful with Reed's help in winning the Republican primary, Skandalakis's strategy of negative campaigning backfired in the general election. The ad that suggested that his opponent, Democratic candidate and State Senator Mark Taylor
, had ongoing drug problems and was being treated in a rehabilitation center, solicited a legal response from Taylor--a $1 million lawsuit for libel. In the end, Skandalakis lost in a landslide in part because he had alienated the Atlanta vote and had made a habit out of insulting Atlanta's (African American) mayor Bill Campbell
and other African American officials, "a classic example of racebaiting." These attacks "also offended many whites, who perceived them to be race baiting." He agreed to pay $50,000 to a charity to settle the lawsuit: "in hindsight, Skandalakis said, he regrets airing the ad." Later, Skandalakis's negative advertising was blamed for Republican losses, and he was viewed as "a drag on the [Republican] ticket."
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
who rose quickly to national prominence in the early 1990s. He upset an established candidate to become chairman of a county board of commissioners, and in 1998 ran for lieutenant-governor, an election he lost in a landslide. Afterward, he became subjected to a federal corruption investigation and spent time in jail, and was disbarred as an attorney.
Early career
Skandalakis is the son of a Greek immigrant. His father became a surgeon who taught at Emory UniversityEmory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
, and his two siblings followed in their father's footsteps. Mitch Skandalakis went to Emory, where he founded a chapter of Young Americans for Freedom
Young Americans for Freedom
Young Americans for Freedom is a 501 non-profit organization and is now a project of Young America's Foundation. YAF is an ideologically conservative youth activism organization that was founded in 1960, as a coalition between traditional conservatives and libertarians...
. He graduated from the University of Georgia's law school
University of Georgia School of Law
The University of Georgia School of Law is a graduate school of the University of Georgia. Founded in 1859 and located in Athens, Georgia, USA, Georgia Law was formerly known as the Lumpkin School of Law. The Law School is the second oldest of the University's schools and colleges. The University...
in 1982 and joined the law firm of conservative Georgia congressman Pat Swindall
Pat Swindall
Patrick Lynn Swindall Sr. is an American politician.Swindall was born in Gadsden, Alabama. He graduated from Briarcliff High School and with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Georgia in 1972 and also obtained his J.D...
.
He ran for a state Senate seat in 1988 but lost, and in 1991 began to be active in Fulton County
Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta, the state capital since 1868 and the principal county of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
, Georgia's most populous county, as an anti-tax activist, complaining about property taxes; in 1992 he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives
Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly of the U.S. state of Georgia.-Composition:...
. He attracted national attention when he upset Martin Luther King III
Martin Luther King III
Martin Luther King III is an American human rights advocate and community activist. He is the eldest son and oldest living child of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. His siblings are Dexter Scott King, Rev. Bernice Albertine King, and the late Yolanda Denise...
in a 1993 special election for Chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.
Skandalakis was re-elected to a full term in 1994, running as a moderate Republican and openly courting gay voters. He made headlines again in 1995, when he proposed that all amateur athletes be required to disclose whether they had AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. As a commissioner, he was most notable for cutting property taxes, even while Atlanta was expanding its budget for the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
.
1998 campaign for Lieutenant Governor
In 1998, he hired former Christian Coalition executive director Ralph ReedRalph E. Reed, Jr.
Ralph Eugene Reed, Jr., is a conservative American political activist, best known as the first executive director of the Christian Coalition during the early 1990s. He sought the Republican nomination for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Georgia but lost the primary election on July 18, 2006,...
as his campaign manager and ran for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia
Lieutenant Governor of Georgia
The Lieutenant Governor of Georgia is a constitutional officer of the state, elected to a 4-year term by popular vote. Unlike some states, the lieutenant governor is elected on a separate ticket from the state Governor....
as a right wing conservative. While earlier he had "good relations with Atlanta's gay and lesbian community," he needed stronger Christian credentials to win the primary; hiring Reed was thought to provide those credentials. Skandalakis placed first among five candidates in the Republican primary, then defeated conservative State Senator Clint Day
Clint Day
Clint Day, one of the heirs to the Days Inn fortune, served in the Georgia State Senate from 1993 to 1997 before mounting unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate and Lieutenant Governor. He was considered a social and fiscal conservative Republican, and is not the insurance agent Clint Day,...
in a bitterly contested primary run-off. Skandalakis's campaign drew criticism for running "advertisements portraying one rival in racial stereotypes and another as a drug addict". The spots from the campaign were cited years later as examples of the "dirty tactics" of Ralph Reed:
In the autumn of 1998, Georgians were jolted from their armchairs by television ads run by a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor with the nicely onomatopoeic name of Mitch Skandalakis. One commercial played what political writer Josh Marshall later described as "the DW Griffith card," charging gross incompetence on the part of Atlanta's predominantly black political leadership. Another featured an actor who resembled Skandalakis's opponent, state senator Mark Taylor, shuffling down a hallway at a well-known psychiatric and drug treatment facility near Atlanta. The ads were arresting, but they backfired. Skandalakis got stomped by Taylor, while a surprisingly high turnout among African Americans helped produce a victory for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes and other Democrats running statewide.
Although successful with Reed's help in winning the Republican primary, Skandalakis's strategy of negative campaigning backfired in the general election. The ad that suggested that his opponent, Democratic candidate and State Senator Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor (politician)
Mark Fletcher Taylor is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. He served two terms between 1999 to 2007 as the tenth Lieutenant Governor of Georgia...
, had ongoing drug problems and was being treated in a rehabilitation center, solicited a legal response from Taylor--a $1 million lawsuit for libel. In the end, Skandalakis lost in a landslide in part because he had alienated the Atlanta vote and had made a habit out of insulting Atlanta's (African American) mayor Bill Campbell
Bill Campbell (mayor)
Bill Campbell , is a former American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and served as the 57th Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., from 1994 to 2002. Campbell was the fifty-seventh mayor in the city's history and the third African American to hold the office...
and other African American officials, "a classic example of racebaiting." These attacks "also offended many whites, who perceived them to be race baiting." He agreed to pay $50,000 to a charity to settle the lawsuit: "in hindsight, Skandalakis said, he regrets airing the ad." Later, Skandalakis's negative advertising was blamed for Republican losses, and he was viewed as "a drag on the [Republican] ticket."