By John Fredericks / Staff

Talk about the real Dixie Chicks.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Karen Handel didn’t raise the cash her three top tier Republican opponents did in the most recent financial disclosure statements, but she has one thing they don’t have: star drawing power with the ladies.

The former Sec. of State, in her bid to become the state’s first female chief executive, inspired over 600 Georgia women to turn out for her on the first day back to school after the holiday break at two Atlanta locations in a sort of day-night fundraising double-header. Her supporters braved 17-degree weather for the privilege, to boot.

In so doing, Handel proved why is she is a force to be reckoned with in the governor’s race. She’s got a base of women who revere her and she’s revving them up for the stretch run.

When asked about the fact that she had less money on hand at this point in the contest than her three primary GOP challengers—Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, Congressman Nathan Deal and former state senator Eric Johnson—Handel answered flatly: “When you can get 600 woman out in the first week in January in sub-freezing temperatures you don’t need as much money as they do.”

I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR

Attempting to capitalize on GOP voters angst on what she has coined the Georgia Republican statehouse culture of "sex, lies and lobbyists," Handel did not mince words at her gathering. She called for an end to the "decades-old culture of abuse and corruption in Georgia politics and the beginning of a new era of new leadership and ethical governance."

Handel opened fire on what she said was a good old boy network gone terribly bad. "We’ve all heard or read the stories of sex, lies and lobbyists at our State Capitol where legislation passes or fails based on the size of contributions or the elegance of a dinner or trip. This is not public service. It’s not what we elect our leaders to do. We need to clean it up and refocus our energies and efforts on putting the business of the people of Georgia first."

Likening Republican control of the State Capitol to the Navy scandal at Tailhook twenty years ago, Handel promised to clean things up if elected. "The group in charge begins to see itself as all-powerful with no real sense of accountability to anyone other than themselves. The group’s focus on staying in power overshadows the power of the mission."

Handel said it wouldn’t necessarily take a woman to fix it. "But it will take this woman," she claimed. 

JAN JONES AND HER LEADERSHIP TEAM FIRE BACK

Powerful incoming House Speaker pro-tem Jan Jones (R-Milton) took exception to Handel’s remarks, saying that the former Sec. of State is attempting to impugn an entire delegation for the regretful actions of one misguided leader.

Jones termed Handel’s words as nothing more than "campaign rhetoric for personal gain."

Another Republican legislator, a committee chair who preferred not to be identified, went further. "Handel’s sound bites might play well, but they are as silly as they are sad. We have mostly dedicated, hard working people here who give up four months of their life, leaving their businesses and their families, to try and make a difference," the representative said. "This is an indication of a hollow campaign (Handel’s) in desperate search of a viable message."