One year ago, a flood of cash and endorsements made a Ralph Reed victory in the Republican race for lieutenant governor seem inevitable. But that was then.

Ralph, the former head of the Christian Coalition, is suffering the roughest period of his success-studded political career. His longtime associate and friend, Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff, pleaded guilty to bribing public officials. Polls show Ralph trailing a Democrat — any Democrat. A recent Zogby International poll showed Reed trailing an unnamed Democrat 36 percent to 33 percent.

Campaign finance reports showed Reed had been out-raised over the past six months by state Sen. Casey Cagle, his virtually unknown Republican rival in the race. Half of Ralph's $404,000 came from out of state. In Georgia, many elected officials Ralph helped to power while he was state GOP chairman are apparently giving him the cold shoulder.

Ralph himself remains relentlessly upbeat. At a North Georgia forum, Ralph denied that he was a possible target of the continuing Abramoff probe — then declared himself "a happy warrior."

Over several years, Ralph worked with Abramoff and his partner, Michael Scanlon, on a series of anti-gambling campaigns across the South, conducted at the behest of casino-owning Indian tribes out to thwart any competition. Religious conservatives rallied by Ralph provided the muscle.

Ralph, a longtime opponent of gambling, says he didn't know the true source of more than $5 million that fueled his efforts — although e-mail conversations between Ralph and Abramoff cast doubt on that contention.

In Alabama, Ralph helped Abramoff arrange money from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians to be funneled through two organizations before arriving at his firm. During work for the Louisiana Coushattas, Abramoff wrote to Ralph: "Not sure I understand what this bill is all about....Please let me know so I can discuss with the tribe."

Abramoff and Scanlon allegedly cheated several tribes of tens of millions of dollars. Both have struck plea deals with federal investigators, confessing to attempts to bribe members of Congress.

Since December, Ralph has tried to put distance between Abramoff and himself. "If I had known then what I know now, I would not have done that work," Ralph told a Dawson County audience, according to the Gainesville Times.

Last spring, the cream of Georgia's Republican ranks wrote checks to Ralph's campaign. But in the past six months, since the Abramoff scandal has exploded, only one elected Georgia Republican has made a donation. Of 133 Republican lawmakers in the Capitol, whose hometown networks could become essential in the July primary, 63 have pledged themselves to Cagle. Only five have endorsed Ralph.