ATLANTA (Nov. 1, 2013) - The same day Michelle Nunn, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate, addressed a group of mainly Republic commercial Realtors, the national media highlighted her ability to raise money from supporters of the Grand Old Party.
And the names on Nunn's impressive list of donors include Atlanta real estate legends Tom Cousins and John Wieland, according to a story by Laura Litvan of Bloomberg. Nunn's centrist views are appealing to Republicans turned off by the Tea Party's hard-core stances.
“The vast majority of Americans say they don’t want the government to shut down, they want middle ground,” Wieland, founder of John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods Inc., tells Bloomberg. “Michelle understands that middle ground, and that’s why we wrote the checks."
On Thursday, Nunn addressed the Georgia chapeter of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors in Cobb County. She agreed not to use the speech as a campaign event, though she did acknowledge her candidacy.
"To be in real estate, you have to be optimistic - even when it's not warranted," Nunn told the real estate professionals. Her husband also is in real estate.
Bloomberg's story gauned steam just as Nunn spoke. Several online outlets picked up the Bloomberg story. The day after Bloomebrg's story appeared, Atlanta Business Chronicle featured a story (subscription only) about Nunn's fundraising ability.
Bloomberg says John and his wife Sue Wieland wrote Nunn's campaign checks totaling $10,400 in her effort to win the Democratic U.S. Senate bid. In contrast, John and Sue Wieland contributed $4,800 each to the Republican Senate candidate in 2010, Bloomberg states.
For his part, Cousins has contributed $5,200 to Nunn's campaign, according to Bloomberg. The real estate magnate gave $50,000 to the Rebublican National Committee and $5,000 to Mitt Romney when he ran for president, according to Bloomberg.
Cousins has a history of getting involved in politics. His early support for Shirley Franklin helped her win two terms and mayor of Atlanta. Cousins then tried to catapult Lisa Borders to the same position, but Kasim Reed emerged the winner and faces re-election next week.
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