Gov. Eugene Talmadge: "Sure I stole, but I stole for you."

Tom Crawford of Capitol Impact writes in Georgia Trend:

It's been more than 70 years since Eugene Talmadge famously told his critics, "Sure I stole, but I stole for you." The voters kept re-electing him governor, too.

Perdue was blessed with a deeply flawed opponent, Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, whose operatives ran one of the most incompetent statewide campaigns in history. But give Perdue some credit as well. He maximized his financial resources, kept his explosive temper in check during the debates and helmed a tightly disciplined campaign organization that stayed on message all the way.