Nathan Deal
|
|
John Nathan Deal (born August 25 1942), American politician, has been a member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993, representing the 10th District of Georgia (map (http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/ga10_109.gif)), numbered the 9th District until 2003. The district takes up the entire border with Tennessee and North Carolina, and extends into part of the Atlanta suburbs.
He was born in Millen, Georgia, educated at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia and served in the United States Army. He later worked as a lawyer, assistant district attorney, judge and member of the Georgia Senate from 1981-93, serving as president pro tem in his last term.
Deal served his first congressional term and the first four months of his second term as a Democrat. However, he switched to the Republicans in April 1995 term after stating he felt uncomfortable being the most conservative Democrat in the Georgia delegation. He was reelected as a Republican in 1996 by a large margin, the first time his district had elected a Republican since Reconstruction.
Deal's voting record had been relatively moderate in his first term, but veered sharply to the right after his party switch. Originally pro-choice on abortion, he altered his stance to pro-life. His final conversion to conservative Republicanism occurred in 1998, when he voted for all four articles of impeachment against Bill Clinton. Since 1998, he has been reelected without opposition every two years.
Deal's party switch meant that no white Democrat represented Georgia in the House until the election of Jim Marshall in 2003.
Deal's most famous constituent is former governor and senator Zell Miller.
External links
- official website (http://www.house.gov/deal/)
- Campaign Finance (http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.asp?CID=N00002610&cycle=2004)