Author:  Tim Becker

The Bentley vs. Lusk election comes down to Enthusiasm vs. Incumbency.  The advantages of incumbency are many and powerful.  In fact, many voters will merely vote for an incumbent based on the “I” next to his/her name and/or name recognition.  However, Bentley’s strong campaign has largely neutralized Mr. Lusk’s incumbency advantages.  Citizens, it is horse race right now.

I am sensing a huge enthusiasm gap between Bentley voters and Lusk voters.  Frankly, Bentley’s supporters are hugely excited about their candidate . . . Lusk voters, not very much.  A number of indicators highlight this enthusiasm gap:

• Ms. Bentley’s likes at her Facebook page are 3X the number at Mr. Lusk’s page.  And a Facebook page that is endorsing Ms. Bentley, We Call Milton Home now counts over 3,000 likes.  This is incredible given that the page was started only 16 months ago.  Following is a link to the We Call Milton Home website:  We Call Milton Home Facebook Page
• Many more people have hosted meet-the-candidate events for Ms. Bentley (than Mr. Lusk), and the crowds at these events are increasingly larger and more enthusiastic.
• Ms. Bentley has raised a ton of money for her campaign from ordinary citizens.
• Every Friday night, Ms. Bentley’s supporters have flooded the intersections around the CHS and MHS football games.  The honks and other demonstrations of support for Ms. Bentley have grown steadily over time.  Mr. Lusk originally worked the ballgames.  However, after a few Friday nights, outgunned by Ms. Bentley, Mr. Lusk abandoned his sign-waving campaign.  And recent mailers would indicate he is ceding the voting segment, voters with school-age children, to Ms. Bentley.
• Supporters are eagerly forwarding pro-Bentley emails advocating for Bentley.
• Ms. Bentley has many more signs planted in front of residences than Mr. Lusk.  The number of signs may seem even, but look closely.  Many of Mr. Lusk’s signs were planted illegally on empty lots, on property lines, in HOA-maintained areas on the periphery of subdivisions, etc.

Yesterday, my hunches about the enthusiasm gap were confirmed.  I reached out individually to many dozens of voters.  To my surprise, about 80% of contacted voters had already early voted!  This is a strong indicator of enthusiasm for Ms. Bentley.  When asked for the reasons, early voters stated they were so excited by Ms. Bentley’s candidacy they could not wait until election day to cast their ballots.  Early voters also stated they did not want to leave anything to chance (e.g., snarled traffic on GA 400) that might prevent them from voting for Ms. Bentley.

Does this high enthusiasm for Ms. Bentley mean she will win?  No.  Again, incumbency is a powerful advantage.  The race is currently too close to call.  The key to victory is for Bentley’s raving fans to infect other voters (through education) with Bentley enthusiasm.  Today until election day, Bentley’s supporters need to work their phones and computers for Laura Bentley.  Drain your email lists.  Text your friends while you are watching your favorite college and professional football teams.  Talk up Ms. Bentley in your circles of influence–e.g., sports tournaments and club meetings.  Go like Ms. Bentley’s Facebook page and share it on social media.  One enthusiastic Bentley supporter is even transporting seniors to the Milton Library to vote.  Every little bit counts.

At my blog, I have changed my settings so that you can easily share specific posts.  Just go to the share button at the bottom of your favorite post or email, choose your communications channels, and share away.

Lastly early voting ends November 3rd.  You can vote at ANY early voting location in Fulton County.  So you should be able to find a convenient location near your work.  Following is more information on early voting times and locations.

Early Voters are Bentley Voters!  Vote Bentley and Spread the Fever!