The Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal is surfacing as an issue in Georgia's GOP campaign for lieutenant governor.
Ralph Reed, a Christian activist, is facing questions over his ties to Abramoff. The two have been close friends since the 1980s when they worked with the College Republicans group.
Twenty years later, Reed and Abramoff worked together to shut down the Tigua Tribe's casino in Texas. Reed, an opponent of all forms of gambling, received $4.1 million from Abramoff -- money that came from the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, a gaming tribe.
Reed denies knowing the money came from the Coushattas but admits he knows Abramoff represented tribal clients. But State Sen. Casey Cagle, Reed's opponent for the GOP nomination in the lieutenant governor, doesn't buy that explanation and hopes to turn the scandal into an even bigger issue as the election approaches in 2006.
Get the Story:Investigation casts shadow on campaign (AP 5/8)
Reed helped others win, now hopes it's his turn (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 5/8)
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GOP meeting starts Reed, Cagle's battle (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 5/7)
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