Democratic State Sen. Jason Carter released a new ad on Monday that seeks to remind Georgians about Republican Gov. Nathan Deal's handling of a January snowstorm that left thousands of Atlanta-area residents stranded and forced children to sleep overnight in schools or remain stuck on school buses.

The new ad quickly reminds viewers of the snowstorm -- and how many children were left stranded -- but then leads into another of Carter's leading attacks: That Deal has supported drastic cuts in public education funding that could jeopardize the state's schools.

"Remember? Thousands of children stranded on buses and sleeping overnight in schools. But Nathan Deal didn't just fail our children in the snowstorm, he's failing them everyday in our schools," the ad's announcer says. "Short-changing education by $4 billion. Nine thousand fewer teachers in the classroom. Eighty thousands fewer Hope [Scholarship] recipients. Nathan Deal's failure in the snowstorm is now a painful memory. But our children will be paying for his failures in education for a long time."

In recent weeks Carter has been coupling memories of the snowstorm with comments Deal recently madethat suggested that water could kill the Ebola virus in an attempt to cast the governor as ill-prepared to deal with major public emergencies.

Deal aides defended the governor's comments by noting that he left the campaign trail to ensure that the state had a plan in place to deal with the virus, and the state public health commissioner noted that World Health Organization guidelines say that washing hands with soap and water is one to avoid being contaminated by the disease and that if left in water, the virus can easily die.

The Georgia gubernatorial race remains one of the most competitive in the nation. Polls released in recent days give Carter, the grandson of former president Jimmy Carter, a slight edge, potentially giving Democrats one of just a few opportunities this year to knock off a GOP incumbent.