Athens-Clarke County District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez was a top target of Republicans long before the slaying of a nursing student brought new scrutiny of her criminal justice approach.
Now she’s facing a well-financed initiative to oust her from her job in November.
A group called Safer Georgia said Wednesday that it plans to spend more than $100,000 to unseat the Democratic prosecutor. It launched a minute-long ad painting her as more concerned about “partisan politics than she is about protecting families.”
The ad features Oconee County Sheriff James Hale Jr. saying that victims are “not seeing justice because of the lack of prosecution.”
And it includes an emotional interview with the father of Ariana Zarse, a University of Georgia student who was killed in a hit-and-run in 2021.
“I had to trust the DA to get justice, and had they been prosecuted in a timely fashion, he wouldn’t have been behind the wheel,” Jeff Zarse said of the driver. Zarse blamed Gonzalez’s office for the suspect’s acquittal.
The ad doesn’t mention Gonzalez’s opponent, Kalki Yalamanchili, a defense attorney who is running against her as an independent. But officials say the initiative is backed, at least in part, by Athens-area conservative voters who have warmed to his campaign.
“Safer Georgia Inc.’s campaign is focused on holding Deborah Gonzalez accountable for her horrible prosecutorial record and ensuring citizens of Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties finally have a district attorney who will keep our community safe,” said Eric Eberhardt, a local attorney who is the group’s spokesman.
The criticism is not new for Gonzalez, who has for years faced questions over her handling of high-profile charges, her decision not to prosecute certain low-level offenses and her approach to immigration cases.
When Gov. Brian Kemp pushed for a new state commission to punish “rogue” prosecutors, it was Gonzalez he invoked as an example of a district attorney in need of reprimand. A revamped version of that law is now waiting for Kemp’s signature.
Gonzalez has said she’s a target of Republicans seeking to circumvent the will of the people. In a statement Wednesday, she said she supports “participation in the democratic process.”
“Four years ago, I fought hard for over 150,000 voters to have their voices heard and exercise their right to vote,” Gonzalez said. “As of now, I will continue to be present in the courtroom every day, prioritizing the safety of our community.”
It is Gonzalez’s job to bring justice to the killer of Laken Riley, the nursing student slain two weeks ago on the University of Georgia’s campus. Jose Antonio Ibarra, who authorities say entered the country illegally in 2022, is charged with her killing.
Days after Ibarra was charged, Gonzalez picked veteran prosecutor Sheila Ross to handle the case, drawing muted praise even from some of her skeptics.
Kemp, though, made his frustration clear when asked in Athens whether he was confident in her office’s ability to try the case.
“She’d best do that, I can tell you,” he said, “because the whole country and the world is watching this case.”
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