A new, litigious phase in Georgia’s race for governor

Georgia’s campaign for governor shifted into litigious territory Friday as boosters of Gov. Nathan Deal and his Democratic challenger, Jason Carter, traded complaints over timely fundraisers and politicized tweets in an effort to tar their opponent as unethical.

Republicans have socked Carter, an Atlanta state senator, and his supporters with a range of complaints in recent days as the governor vows to reinvigorate his last bid for public office. It’s ground Carter’s camp is happy to fight over, offering a fresh chance to revive ethics questions swirling around the governor’s 2010 campaign.

It’s also a sign that the ethics commission, vilified by both campaigns, will play an outsized role in this campaign as it vets this volley of complaints, as well as later rounds that are almost assured to come through November.

“Both campaigns are trying to get an upper hand on the ethics issue,” said Kerwin Swint, a Kennesaw State University political scientist. …