Democrats helped by HOPE's success

Web posted September 11, 1999

By James Salzer
Morris News Service

ATLANTA - Zell Miller successfully bet the governor's race in 1990 on his lottery and HOPE college scholarships, but the political payoff for Georgia Democrats apparently didn't end there.

New research suggests Democrats got a bump of up to 4 to 6 percentage points in critical parts of the state during recent elections because Georgians identified the party with HOPE.

In many Georgia races, that has been enough to swing elections, particularly in 1994, when Democratic candidates narrowly held on to some statewide and legislative posts.

State officials say that because thousands of Georgians are HOPE beneficiaries between each election cycle, Democrats could continue to get a boost from the program Mr. Miller created.

``Every year you've got a new crowd of families who experience it for the first time. That's the reason it stays on the front burner,'' said Democratic Secretary of State Cathy Cox, a former Bainbridge legislator who long ago got used to constituents stopping her to ask about HOPE.

By contrast, Republicans might continue to be hurt by the perception they oppose the lottery and HOPE, which Democrats gleefully reinforce.

``I think Republicans by and large stood up and said this is gambling, it's morally wrong,'' said Republican School Superintendent Linda Schrenko. ``Now they are reaping the consequences.

``We are reaping the downside of being opposed to something that has worked out very well so far.''

Under lottery-funded HOPE, Georgia public college students with a B average can attend school tuition-free. Plus, they get money for fees and books.

Technical school students also attend for free, while students at private colleges get a grant.

Since HOPE was instituted in 1993, more than 391,000 students have received $780 million worth of scholarships.

Gary Henry, director of Georgia State University's Applied Research Center, released a study recently that backed up what many politicians, political scientists and party officials suspected -- that the popularity of HOPE may have helped keep Democratic majorities in the state House and Senate, factored into Mr. Miller's re-election in 1994 and aided Gov. Roy Barnes' campaign last year.

Mr. Henry found the greatest impact in suburban areas that traditionally have been fertile ground for Republicans.

The problem for Republicans is that schools in suburban counties like Cobb, Gwinnett and Columbia also produce lots of HOPE scholars whose parents don't have to pay college tuition.

Mr. Miller barely held off Republican Guy Millner for re-election in the 1994 governor's race. During that campaign, Mr. Miller warned that Mr. Millner would endanger the HOPE program.