RE-ELECT JOE CAMPBELL, DISTRICT ATTORNEY-EXPERIENCE COUNTS!

CAMPBELL WINS FIFTH TERM AS DISTRICT ATTORNEY

2008-07-16T10:16:00.003-04:00

On July 15, dozens of Joe Campbell supporters gathered at the Wall Street Trading Company in Calhoun to watch the results of the Republican Primary, where voters gave Campbell a fifth term as District Attorney of the Cherokee Judicial Circuit. The race was called later than expected, just after 10 pm, but when all the numbers were in, Campbell carried the day with 52% of the total vote, including 60% of the votes in Gordon County.

In his victory speech, Campbell thanked his family, staff, friends and other volunteers for all the hard work and support they provided in the campaign. "I could not have done it without you all", he said. He also noted the excellent and overwhelming support he received from the Bar Associations of both counties as well as law enforcement in both counties as being a key to his success.

The vote totals were certified by Secretary of State Karen Handel shortly after the final precincts reported. Following his celebration speech, Mr. Campbell accepted a concession call from his opponent. Campbell faces no Democratic opposition in November, and by winning the primary he effectively won re-election as District Attorney.

Campbell Provides Substance on Important Issues in Bartow Debate

2008-06-26T21:29:00.003-04:00

District Attorney Joe Campbell repeatedly displayed his prosecutorial acumen, and demonstrated to most in attendance that he is the qualified candidate for District Attorney, in the debates hosted at the Grand Theatre in Cartersville on Tuesday night.

According to the Bartow Daily Tribune, Jerry Hargrove, a debate attendee, said "[I] just want to find out how they stand on the issues that are important, not the issues that are ancillary,I'm fairly well tired of hearing about things that aren't related to the races. I want to hear about things that are related to the job they are supposed to be doing on behalf of the citizens." By all accounts Mr Campbell did just that. Instead of focusing on "hot button" social issues irrelevant to the job of D.A., Mr. Campbell focused on the performance of the office under his leadership and his qualifications to be district attorney.

He pointed out that under his leadership, the Cherokee Judicial Circuit (Bartow and Gordon Counties) is the "most active trial circuit in the state of Georgia, based on cases per judge." He also noted that his office addresses recidivism by recommending stiff sentences, especially in negotiating guilty pleas.

Campbell pointed out that he has stayed within his budget during his tenure as district attorney since 1992, He also noted his innovative methods for funding office needs, such as using drug forfeiture and welfare fraud monies so that the burdens would not fall on the local taxpayer.

Overall, the debate established that Campbell is the candidate running in the July 15primary who is ready and able to serve as District Attorney, and the candidate that best understands the issues the office must actually deal with. All citizens of Gordon and Bartow counties are encouraged to exercise your right to vote in the upcoming primary July 15.

D.A.'s Office In The News

2008-06-22T18:35:00.002-04:00

While District Attorney Campbell has been on the campaign trail, the work of the District Attorney's Office has continued in aggressively representing the people of the Cherokee Judicial Circuit. The following are articles on some of the things that YOUR District Attorney's Office has been up to under the able supervision of District Attorney Joe Campbell:

The Daily Tribune

Jury: Man guilty of aggravated assault

Man pleads guilty to child porn charges

Area drug court to benefit drug abusers as well as community members

Jury: Woman guilty of battering Wal-Mart cashier

Jury issues verdict in third meth trial heard this week

Jury finds Bradshaw guilty of concealed weapon, drugs

Jury: Warren guilty of child molestation

Campbell in the News, Part II

2008-06-22T14:47:00.001-04:00

Bartow Daily Tribune

Campbell to Face Coomer in July District Attorney Primary
May 22, 2008

Cherokee Judicial Circuit District Attorney T. Joseph "Joe" Campbell, who has thrown his hat in the ring for another four-year term, will face a challenger in the July primary…

Campbell, who had before ran on the Democratic ticket, also registered as a Republican…

"This time, for the first time, I have qualified as a Republican," Campbell, a Vanderbilt University and University of Georgia School of Law graduate, said in a press release. "My decision began to evolve as the national discourse from the National Democratic Party and its presidential candidates escalated.

"It became clear to me that as a Vietnam veteran that the current service and sacrifice of our men and women stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan could again become abandoned and forgotten as the Korean and Vietnam veterans had. I could not support that position and actually took the first step in this change by voting in the Republican presidential primary earlier this year."

Campbell spent 11 months in Vietnam, having last served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army infantry. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Commendation Medal.

"I have carefully studied the positions and beliefs of the state Republican Party and determined that my service of over 15 years as your district attorney can aptly be labeled as 'conservative.'

"What with the tireless effort to keep the public and our communities safe from dangerous criminals, the support for the death penalty by making it a viable sentencing option in our circuit because the last actual trial occurred in the early 1980s, and by maintaining a responsible and fiscally accountable office with the resource provided by our supportive county governments, you can see that I have been a conservative elected official."

Campbell, who served as the circuit's first assistant district attorney from 1976 to 1980, is currently serving his fourth term as district attorney….

Campbell, a resident of Calhoun since 1974, was an attorney in Calhoun from 1980 to 1992, served as a city of Calhoun attorney for eight years and a Gordon County Board of Education attorney for six years.

He said he has tried more than 110 jury trials, including 31 murder cases; prosecuted more than 55 homicide incidents and five death penalty cases; advised more than 120 grand juries; and served as counsel for the state in more than 40 appellate cases.

Campbell, 61, said he is an experienced candidate and wants to continue to serve as district attorney.

"Probably almost 20 years of my 34 years in practicing law has been in prosecution and serving the public. It is a very rewarding and fulfilling experience.

"I don't feel that I am ready to go out to pasture. I mean, I feel like I have plenty more to give and [I'm] looking forward to doing that. Because I feel like I have the experience, maturity and have performed admirably for the public over these 16 years. It's not like I just want to retire."…

"I got the judges to agree to a case assignment system that works well. Prior to getting their approval, we had a case assignment system that we had to wait until after indictment to know who had what case. Of course we had to work them up, but we were in trial week swapping cases," he said. "I convinced the judges to do it from arrest so that our folks had a case, what we call a vertical assignment system, starting from the very beginning, building the case file and going forward."

In addition to teaming with the Child Advocacy Center, working to build a new drug court and operating in a circuit for which the case load Campbell said could support a fifth judge, he said he would like to see a state misdemeanor court.

"One of the most important things, as I see, and it's not that it would be a change for my office per se, but I've been advocating for a good while to the judges a state court to handle misdemeanors. Of course that's totally funded by the county. Well, in these economic times, you can't do that. Then you have to adapt to the case load," he said. "One of the things is that the misdemeanor case load that we have in Bartow is probably as big if not bigger than the total case load in Gordon County. So it's a difficult thing. You want to be responsive to misdemeanors as well as felonies, that's a lot of cases you have to deal with."

Calhoun Times

Candidates pitch 'open government' at forum
June 20, 2008
By Susan Kirkland

An open, efficient government was the central message among incumbents and opponents alike at the Gordon County 2008 General Primary Election Political Forum Thursday night.
Seventeen local candidates for eight offices were on hand to field questions from a media panel. About 250 people attended the event at the Calhoun Civic Auditorium….
Two candidates for District Attorney, incumbent Republican T. Joseph Campbell and Republican challenger Christian Coomer talked about experience and making the D.A.’s office more efficient.
Campbell cited his proven record at District Attorney where he has developed a pretrial diver-sion program for domestic violence offenders and those who commit misdemeanors.
“I’d like to see a small state court handle misdemeanors, especially in Bartow County,” Campbell said…
Democrat and Republican primaries will be Tuesday, July 15.
The forum is sponsored by WJTH, WEBS, Comcast, the Calhoun Times and the Gordon County Chamber of Commerce.
DVDs will be available for free checkout at the Gordon County Library, the Gordon County Chamber of Commerce, and the Fairmount Library.
Replays can be seen on Comcast CATV channel 44 on June 26 at 7 p.m., July 3 at 7 p.m. and July 7 at 7 p.m.
Last day to register to vote in the General Primary Election is June 16. Advance voting begins July 7-11 and absentee voting is currently available through July 11.

DA faces first challenge in 12 years
May 29, 2008

Gordon County voters will have a chance to vote in the first contested district attorney’s race in the Cherokee Judicial Circuit in 12 years.
Incumbent Joseph Campbell, who is seeking his fifth term as district attorney, is facing a challenge from Cartersville attorney Christian Coomer in the July 15 Republican primary.
Campbell, who has served as district attorney in the two-county circuit for more than 15 years, switched from the Democratic Party and qualified as a Republican this year.
Campbell said his decision to change parties began during the Democratic presidential primaries, when, he said, ”It became clear to me as a Vietnam veteran that the current service and sacrifice of our men and women stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan could again be abandoned and forgotten as the Korean and Vietnam veterans had.
“I could not support that position and actually took the first step in this change by voting in the Republican presidential primary earlier this year.”
Campbell has tried more than 100 cases as DA and 70 as assistant district attorney.
“This includes 30 murder trials, and we have brought the death penalty back to this circuit,” Campbell, who lives in Calhoun, told Gordon County Republicans.
“To administer justice fairly and impartially as I have done and which I pledge to continue to do does not require one to be a Democrat or Republican, but a professional prosecutor, which is why I seek each citizen’s vote regardless of your partisan or independent political beliefs,” Campbell said in a statement. “Remember, this election is not about who is the staunchest partisan, but who is the best qualified through experience, performance and maturity to lead your District Attorney’s office…
Campbell and Coomer are scheduled to meet during a political forum sponsored by the Gordon County Chamber of Commerce Community Development Committee Thursday, June 19 at 7 p.m. at the Calhoun Civic Auditorium.

Campbell Impresses at Gordon County Debate

2008-06-20T11:07:00.004-04:00

District Attorney Joe Campbell faced his July 15 Republican Primary opposition in a debate hosted on May 20, as a part of a candidates forum hosted at the Calhoun Civic Auditorium. By the end of the debate it is estimated that between 70 and 80% of audience members sported Campbell T-shirts, buttons, or stickers, and the performance in the debate itself was a clear victory for Mr. Campbell and his campaign.

The debate questions focused primarily on the experience and qualifications of the candidates for the office, methods for dealing with the growing Gordon County population, and how to deal with the inevitable rise in crime rates associated with such a population boom.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Campbell stated "The choice in this election is clear and it is stark": you can keep a proven "warhorse" of a prosecutor, who is experienced, aggressive and fair, or you can gamble future of the office on an unproven, undistinguished opponent. This closing statement was met with thunderous applause throughout the auditorium.

The debate will be replayed on Comcast channel 44 in Gordon County, at 7:00pm on June 26, July 3, and July 7.

Campbell Campaign Attends Republican Headquarters Ribbon Cutting

2008-06-14T14:56:00.002-04:00

The Bartow County GOP hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for their new headquarters located at 162 W. Main St. in Cartersville. Although Mr. Campbell could not attend the ceremony due to prior commitments, he was represented at the ribbon cutting by his wife Sherry, his daughter and son-in-law McCall and George Govignon, and Chief Assistant D.A. Mickey Thacker. Representatives met and spoke with voters, and left literature for voters who will be attending the headquarters.

Campbell Serves as Judge at Georgia BBQ Classic

2008-06-08T11:05:00.003-04:00

Saturday June 7, Joe Campbell served as a judge of the Georgia Barbeque Classic, held at Milam Farm in Cartersville. While Campbell judged, supporters, including "Josie the Pig"- an ardent Campbell supporter-handed out balloons to children and met with voters. District Attorney Campbell is running for re-election in the Republican Primary on July 15.

Busy Memorial Day for Campbell

2008-05-28T21:37:00.004-04:00

District Attorney Campbell gave a featured speech to the Bartow County American Legion on Memorial Day, 2008. Campbell is a Vietnam Veteran, having served in the U.S. Army where he was awarded a Bronze Star, Army Commendation medal for Valor.

After his speech, Mr. Campbell attended the Bluegrass Festival at Oakman, in Gordon County. Later, he attended the family fun day in Calhoun, which was held at Salacoa State Park.

Campbell Speaks at Bartow GOP Meeting

2008-05-24T14:27:00.003-04:00

Joe Campbell spoke at the meeting of the Bartow County Republican Party held on May 24 at Ryan's Steakhouse in Cartersville. Mr. Campbell spoke before a crowd of about fifty people, and emphasized his experience and success as District Attorney. "Many people think that being a prosecutor is just about getting convictions", Campbell said, "but our job is actually to administer fair and impartial justice on a case-by-case basis".

Campbell Attends Calhoun High School Graduation

2008-05-24T14:24:00.002-04:00

District Attorney Joe Campbell attended graduation ceremonies at Calhoun High School on Friday May 23, 2008. CHS graduated over 160 students at the ceremony. Mr. Campbell would like to congratulate all the graduating seniors from the various high schools in Gordon and Bartow counties and to wish them the best of luck in their futures.

Campbell Campaign Attends Adairsville Bluegrass Festival

2008-05-19T22:24:00.002-04:00

On May 17, approximately 12 Joe Campbell supporters attended the Adairsville Bluegrass Festival held in historic Adairsville. While Mr. Campbell was unable to attend due to a prior commitment to attend a friend's wedding, the campaign was well represented and a good time was had by all.

Recent News Stories Mentioning District Attorney Campbell

2008-05-18T22:45:00.002-04:00

The following are a few representative news articles discussing the work of District Attorney Joe Campbell. Many other stories from other sources are omitted that refer to essentially the same subject matter as those below:

The Daily-Tribune (Cartersville)

BCSO offers Law Enforcement Academy

The Calhoun Times

>JURY GIVES DEATH PENALTY TO JONES

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

>Quadruple murderer gets death penalty

>Killer's life or death up to jury

Jones due no mercy, prosecutors argue

WSB Radio

Jones Sentenced to Death

Campbell Attends Duck Derby

2008-05-18T16:07:00.004-04:00

On May 17, 2008 District Attorney Joe Campbell attended the Duck Derby in Bartow County held to benefit Advocates for Bartow's Children. Campbell and his supporters manned a tent at the event, where they gave out rubber ducks and balloons to children, and collected donations for Bartow Advocates. Advocates for Bartow's Children is a public service group dedicated to the protection of children from child abuse, and Mr. Campbell has expressed nothing but the highest praise for the work of that organization. For more information on Advocates for Bartow's Children, including how to donate to this worthy cause, please visit their website.

Joe Campbell attends Calhoun Primary's 1st Grade Author's Picnic

2008-05-17T21:47:00.002-04:00

May 16th- District Attorney Joe Campbell attends Calhoun Primary's 1st Grade Author's Picnic. He attended with his wife Sherry and daughter and son-in law and granddaughter Catherine. His oldest Granddaughter Cambpell Govignon- shared a book that she had written herself.

Campbell Attends Cartersville Lions Club Bar-B-Q

2008-05-14T22:57:00.002-04:00

District Attorney Joe Campbell, accompanied by his wife and several supporters, attended the annual Cartersville Lions Club Bar-B-Q hosted at Gatewood Park in Bartow County Wednesday. The Cartersville Lions Club, a part of Lions Clubs International, is a volunteer organization dedicated to public service for the benefit of local, state, national, and international communities.

Title: Big Day For District Attorney Joe Campbell

2008-05-14T16:27:00.002-04:00

Saturday May 12th proved to be a busy day for District Attorney Joe Campbell. The day began with Mr. Campbell participating in the Bartow County Duck Derby Parade. The parade, held annually the week prior to the Duck Derby, is a fundraising event held to benefit the Advocates for Bartow's Children organization.
Following the parade, Mr. Campbell attended, and delivered at speech, at the Gordon County Republican Party roundup held at Fox Farm in Calhoun. Mr. Campbell's speech, which was delivered immediately after the speech of U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss, was interrupted by applause from supporters on more than one occasion. The speech emphasized his prior experience and performance as District Attorney. Campbell pointed out that he has tried over 100 jury trials, including over 50 homicide incidents, as well as the fact that under his administration, the death penalty has been restored as a viable sentencing option in the Cherokee Judicial Circuit.
The day concluded with Mr. Campbell, accompanied by his wife Sherry, attending the annual party of the Bartow County Bar Association, held at Stonewall Manor in Cartersville. Mr. Campbell is seeking re-election as District Attorney for the Cherokee Judicial Circuit in the Republican Primary to be Held July 15, 2008.

Cancer Survivor Campbell Participates in Relay for Life

2008-05-14T16:25:00.002-04:00

May 2nd- District Attorney Joe Campbell participated in Gordon County's Relay for Life at the Northwest Georgia Fairgrounds. Mr. Campbell participated for the first time as a survivor of cancer himself. He walked the survivor's lap first and then was accompanied by his wife, daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughters in the care-givers lap. It was a wonderful evening to help celebrate his fight against cancer.

Welcome to our Blog!

2008-05-12T22:55:00.003-04:00

Welcome to the Re-Elect Joe Campbell blog. Here you will be able to keep up with the latest events and news from the Campbell campaign, including Mr. Campbell's public appearances, speeches, and press releases. Please check back often, as this blog will be updated frequently. Thank you for your support and please remember to vote July 15.