For Immediate Release
July 11, 2010
Contact Rob Teilhet
(770) 514-0103 

Rob Teilhet Wins Debate for Attorney General Democratic Primary
Crime Rates Rose Under Opponent's Tenure as DA: Failure Doesn't Merit a Promotion

Atlanta, GA - Tonight State Representative and Attorney General Candidate Rob Teilhet handily won the televised debate against his opponent in the race for the Democratic nomination for Attorney General. Throughout tonight's debate Teilhet reiterated his broad experience as a leader on statewide issues that will immediately face the new Attorney General, such as water litigation, crime prevention, and consumer protection.

“For the last eight years as a member of the Georgia General Assembly, I've led on the issues that Georgia's next Attorney General will face—crime prevention and public safety, water, public transportation, voting rights, the Voting Rights Act and reapportionment,” said State Representative Rob Teilhet during the debate. “All of these issues come through the General Assembly and it's no accident that most of Georgia's Attorney Generals come through the General Assembly.”

Representative Teilhet said tonight that his first act as Attorney General will be to create Georgia's first Child Protection Unit. He reminded voters that while all the Attorney General candidates will be tough on crime, he also believes in forward-thinking crime prevention methods like expanding Georgia's DNA database.

Teilhet also questioned his opponent, a former district attorney of Dougherty County who is running solely on his tenure in that position, why crime went up during his tenure. Teilhet cited statistics from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) showing increases in violent crime in Dougherty County during his opponent's term as DA. According to the GBI , by the end of Hodges' tenure, the murder rate increased by 120 percent, robberies increased by 139 percent and assaults increased by 83 percent. Population, according to the US Census Bureau , went down.

“You've run exclusively on your record as a prosecutor, but your failure to make the people of Daugherty County safer does not merit a promotion,” stated Teilhet. “Georgia's next Attorney General should make the people safer.”

Teilhet unveiled more information about his opponent's record as district attorney. Teilhet explained during the debate that his opponent is currently a defendant in two federal lawsuits, one for violating civil rights by breaking into personal email accounts and a second for violating federal labor laws.

When Teilhet's opponent Ken Hodges was asked about how he handled the Kenneth Walker case—the same case that is featured on Teilhet's latest political ad (to view the ad click HERE )—Hodges stated, “We stand by the job that we did.”

Teilhet's campaign for Attorney General focuses on protecting Georgia's children, crime prevention, ethics in government, and consumer protection.  Teilhet is widely known as a champion in the General Assembly for protecting Georgians from rip-offs and con artists.  He has been a reliable supporter of law enforcement and crime victims as a member of the House Judiciary Committee.  Teilhet has also consistently fought for stronger ethics laws.

Teilhet's campaign boasts numerous endorsements including former prosecutor, Speaker of the House, Lt. Governor, appellate judge and Supreme Court Justice George T. Smith , the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys , the IBEW Local 613 , Marshal Greg Countryman of Muscogee County, former legislator and U.S. Senate candidate Jim Martin , DeKalb Solicitor General Robert James , Civil Rights Leaders Representative Tyrone Brooks and Elder Bill Harris , the Chairmen of the Legislative Black Caucus, Senator Emanuel Jones , and well over Democratic members of the state legislature.

Rob Teilhet (pronounced tuh-lay) has represented Smyrna and Marietta in the Georgia House of Representatives since his election in 2002 at the age of 28.  He is the Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus and serves on the Judiciary, Education, and Industrial Relations Committees.  He is a partner in the Marietta law firm of Rogers, Strimban & Teilhet.  More information about his campaign and other endorsements can be found at his website, www.robforgeorgia.com .

###

Visit www.robforgeorgia.com to sign up for email updates. 
Contact Campaign Headquarters at:
Teilhet for a Safer Georgia • PO Box 25 Marietta , GA 30061 • Phone: 770-514–0103