Month: June 2025
    2025 GRA Legislative Scorecards Are Now Available!

    2025 GRA Legislative Scorecards Are Now Available!

    June 23, 2025 by Georgia Republican Assembly in /

    Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers, we have finally completed the 2025 GRA Legislative Scorecards! Special thanks to our team of volunteers who devoted a large amount of time to collecting, sorting, and reviewing the data, and publishing it on our site. We have been publishing these scorecards longer than any other conservative organization — since 2017.

    You can see the 2025 GRA Legislative Scores by clicking here. If you want to take a deep-dive into how the scores were earned on specific bills, you can also click here. Legislators in 2025 were evaluated by their votes on 66 substantive pieces of legislation (both House Bills & Senate Bills). That is far more bills than most other conservative organizations evaluate.

    Click to see this video on the shocking truth exposed by the scorecards.

    How We Evaluate

    The state legislators are evaluated based on principles and policies that are and have been pillars of the Republican Party for years: Policies such as small government, less regulation, parental rights, gun rights, equal protection for all human life, low taxes, fiscal responsibility, etc.

    One thing that makes our GRA Legislative Scorecards different, too, is that since last year we have started to include a 20% bonus credit for legislators who sponsored or co-sponsored excellent bills—whether they made it out of committee for a vote or not. This is because we have observed over the years how officials like the GA Speaker of the House or RINO committee chairs will often hold up good bills in committee and never allow them a hearing or vote, and we believed that our patriot legislators willing to promote good legislation, even when they are standing alone doing so, deserve credit for that courage.

    Even so, this year, we have separated out the proportion of the score that was from their votes in the chamber verses their sponsorships so you would be able to evaluate both. We did this because we significantly increased the number of bills legislators could earn bonus credit on for sponsorships, and we wanted to allow you to be able to attribute the weight to each in your own minds.

    The results of the scorecard evaluation are both encouraging and disturbing in different ways. On the positive side, we are pleased to report that the number of “A”-rated Republican legislators has continued to increase from four to five. Under our current system, a legislator who earns 80% or higher gets an “A” (following Ronald Reagan’s formula about 80 percenters). Over the years, very few state legislators have earned 80% or more.

    Rep. Noelle Kahaian

    The Best Performers

    We were particularly glad to see the newest addition to the GA Freedom Caucus, Noelle Kahaian (R-Henry), added to the plus 80% club! It was great to see her integrity and courage under pressure in the legislature this last session. She earned a 96% vote score and a 100% score with her sponsorships added to the equation. She came in third place only behind Rep. Charlice Byrd (R-Cherokee) with a 98% vote score, and Sen. Colton Moore (R-Dade) with a 100% vote score.

    In the GRA Bylaws, we have a rule that if a state legislator who is a GRA member scores lower than 80% for two years in a row, that person is “automatically” removed from GRA membership.

    The Problem

    On the more disturbing side of the evaluation, our review exposed that the most popular section for “Republican” legislators at the Georgia State Capitol was the “D” section (those who earn between 49% and 40%) with 68 “Republican” legislators belonging to that category. That is more than half (51%) of all the 133 “Republican” legislators at the state capitol!

    Add to that the “Republican” legislators in the “F” section (those earning 39% or lower), which was 22, and then you have 90 so-called “Republican” legislators of the 133 who more often vote for Democrat policies in the legislature than they do policies that match the Republican principles and platform. That means that only 33% of the Republican legislators at the state capitol vote for Republican policies over Democrat policies at least most of the time. That’s truly pathetic!

    Overall, the State Senate Republican Caucus did slightly better than the State House Republican Caucus. At least the Senate Republican Caucus had no members who fell into the “F” section this year.

    The Worst Performers

    Rep. Marcus Wiedower

    The worst RINO in the legislature in 2025 was Rep. Marcus Wiedower (R-Watkinsville) with an “F” score of 30 percent. There were seven Democrats who had better voting scores than he had!

    The best Democrat was Rep. Lynn Heffner (D-Augusta) who, with a score of 41%, performed better this year than 25 so-called “Republican” state legislators! This is demonstrable evidence that we have genuine “RINOs” in the state legislature.

    Creating awareness of the extent of the problem with RINO-ness (or what some call “the Uni-Party”) is the first step to fixing the problem. Many are still in denial that we have a RINO problem in the Republican legislative caucuses. We cannot coordinate to build accountability for our Republican legislators if our activists are not first aware of how bad the conditions are.

    GRA Thrives While Establishment Lies!

    GRA Thrives While Establishment Lies!

    June 21, 2025 by Alex Johnson in

    As you know from a previous e-mail, the GAGOP State Convention voted that the Georgia Republican Party would not allow Brad Raffensperger to qualifying as a Republican in the future, censured House Speaker Jon Burns, and praised Sen. Colton Moore and backed his bill against corruption in Georgia government. 

    These resolutions, among others, were endorsed by the Georgia Republican Assembly (which is NOT the GAGOP), by its membership, and the GRA rallied with other principled grassroots conservatives to successfully have them passed by the GAGOP.

    VoterGA, a non-profit election integrity group, put out this report about Brad Raffensperger following the resolution at the Georgia Republican Party convention.

    Soon after this victory, a coordinated attack campaign was launched by those seemingly resembling the graphic at the top of this e-mail, making up lies about the Georgia Republican Assembly (GRA) and its members. The GRA is committed to ensuring members voices are heard and respected, and that GRA officers do not disregard the will of its members. While GRA members are always free to enact their conscience, GRA officers are required to practice what we preach: following the will of our membership (which is why people should feel comfortable joining). 

    At least one GRA officer, after being warned, decided not to do this at the GAGOP convention, and they were removed according to our rules, as per our last message. This led to a number of those aligned with such behavior removing themselves from the organization, before our internal investigatory processes likely recommended the removal of more.

    It has also been discovered that some people were not given complete and accurate information were being deceived into agreeing to resign and then that decision being twisted into the appearance of attacks on the GRA. This was being done by those more interested in harming the GRA and grassroots than fighting the Democrats in 2025 and 2026.

    Read More
    Etowah RAs Host Flag Day Event in Rome

    Etowah RAs Host Flag Day Event in Rome

    June 15, 2025 by Georgia Republican Assembly in

    Yesterday for Flag Day, the Etowah RA chapter organized a rally to oppose the “Gay Pride” Parade that is celebrated every year in the city of Rome. The Pride event has become an aggressive parade of transvestites, drag queens, and other perversion in the view children in the city parks and streets in the middle of the day.

    “It is not easy or comfortable to step up, but we must for our children,” said Etowah RA President Angela Rubino. “We all have our First Amendment rights but these displays do not need to be in a public park or streets with children. Forcing this in our government, our workplaces, and our children’s schools gives people a reason to resist.”

    Earlier in the day, the Etowah RA members attempted to also participate in the Floyd County GOP’s Flag Day event, but were rebuffed when they showed up wearing t-shirts with messages that opposed the mis-use of the rainbow to promote “Pride” perversion. The Bible tells us in Genesis 9 that God created the rainbow to remind the world of His judgment of sin through a catastrophic Flood and of His grace by preserving His creatures.

    Floyd County GOP Chairwoman Pam Peters asked two of them to to turn their t-shirts inside out so that their messages could not be seen. They refused and left. This hearkens back to the infamous 8th District GOP Fish Fry, where election integrity activist were turned away for the content of their t-shirts.

    The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Rules in Favor of Catoosa GOP’s Right of Association on the Primary Ballot

    The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Rules in Favor of Catoosa GOP’s Right of Association on the Primary Ballot

    June 13, 2025 by Nathaniel Darnell in /
    Judge Billy Ray

    Atlanta, GA — The federal 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed the trajectory of the Catoosa GOP’s case dealing with their right to refuse to allow four RINO past-serving commissioners to run again as Republicans in the primary. We felt confident this would eventually happen as the case made its way up the ladder in the federal appeals process because SCOTUS precedent on this subject is so clearly favorable to the Catoosa GOP’s position.

    The court also rebuked the lower court Judge Bill Ray in Rome for not recognizing the Catoosa GOP’s right to “freedom of speech” when the Board of Elections refused to publish the questions the Catoosa Republican Primary had submitted for the primary ballot last year.

    The Catoosa County Republican Party issued this statement:

    Opponents to accountability on the primary ballot have argued that Georgia’s state law does not allow political parties to deny primary ballot access, but the 11th Circuit said any such restrictions in the state law would be in violation of the 1st Amendment’s protection of “freedom of association.” In addressing the Catoosa GOP’s standing to sue, one key part of the text of the federal court’s opinion said:

    “We respectfully disagree with the district court’s reasons for distinguishing our Duke cases. The court noted that this case in-volved a county-level political party, rather than a state or national party. But we see no reason why a county-level party, and its constituent members, would not also enjoy the right to freedom of association and the right to identify those who constitute the local party based on political beliefs. See id. The court also suggested that the Duke cases are different because they involved a presidential primary where the party ‘enjoyed substantial discretionary power’ to select candidates, but Georgia state law ‘provides no discretion for a county party to deny qualification to candidates based on substantive concerns.’ See O.C.G.A. § 21-2-153. That state law may prevent the Catoosa GOP from excluding primary candidates for ideological reasons, though, simply shows that its right to freedom of association has been burdened. It does not negate the right. After all, a political party’s constitutional right to exclude, ‘central to its freedom of association,’ is not derived from state law. Wash. State Grange v. Wash. State Republican Party, 552 U.S. 442, 445 (2008).” (Underlining added.)

    Joanna Hildreth

    In addition to addressing the standing to sue for “right of association,” the 11th Circuit also addressed the subject of the ballot questions that were not allowed to be published as a violation of the county GOP’s “freedom of speech.” This aspect of the controversy in the case often gets eclipsed by the other aspect dealing with the right of association. The court said that even though the ballots are published by the government, that medium does not take away from a private entity’s freedom of speech. Catoosa GOP Chairman Joanna Hildreth (who was re-elected this year) & her team submitted three primary ballot questions last year to be included on the county GOP primary ballot, as political parties often do, but the Board of Elections refused to publish them.

    The two primary ballot questions that the court included in their opinion were these:

    ”1. Do you think anti-Trump Democrats should be able to get a court order to force the elections board to qualify them as Republican candidates for office?

    “2. Did you know that [the four excluded candidates (listed by name)] were not approved to run as Repub-licans by the Republican Party?”

    The 11th Circuit Court remanded the case (sent the case back to the lower federal judge, presumably Judge Billy Ray in Rome) to take another stab at addressing the Catoosa GOP’s suit — this time on its merits.

    You can read the entire opinion of the 11th Circuit Court by clicking here.

    Mixed Messages from Chairman McKoon on Accountability Resolutions

    Mixed Messages from Chairman McKoon on Accountability Resolutions

    June 11, 2025 by Georgia Republican Assembly in
    Suzi Voyles

    We were very pleased that GA GOP Chairman Josh McKoon appointed the members of the convention Resolutions Committee who passed the resolutions censuring Speaker Jon Burns and instructing the GA GOP to not allow Brad Raffensperger to re-qualify in a Republican primary. In particular, Resolutions Committee Chairwoman Suzi Voyles and State Rep. Noelle Kahaian (R-Henry), GRA members on the committee, were instrumental in seeing these passed out of the committee and brought to the convention floor.

    State Rep. Noelle Kahaian

    The Raffensperger resolution passed the committee by a margin of 9 to 6. But the Burns censure resolution passed unanimously. We appreciate all of the support from the Resolutions Committee!

    The delegates on Saturday collectively said “enough is enough” and instructed the employees and agents of the GA GOP to protect the Republican brand by not allowing Georgia’s current Secretary of State Raffensperger to have a spot on our next primary ballot. 

    This resolution was a last resort after Republican activists had tried every possible way to express their concerns and work with the SOS to establish secure, transparent elections. The Republican Party has received intense opposition instead of assistance from the Secretary of State.

    Many GRA members voted for Josh McKoon’s re-election as the GA GOP Chairman this past Saturday because of his show of support for accountability through these resolutions passed by his appointed committee.

    However, since the state convention adjourned, Georgia Republicans have received some mixed messages from Chairman McKoon on this subject.

    Yesterday multiple news outlets reported that Chairman McKoon had made a statement suggesting he probably would not enforce the resolution the delegation passed, and would allow Raffensperger to qualify in spite of the delegates’ instructions.

    This is concerning since, according to the GA GOP Rules, the Chairman has no choice other than to obey the mandate of the delegation in the Raffensperger resolution. Section 5.1 of the GA GOP rules state clearly that the Chairman “shall perform the duties required … by the state convention.” This is one of those duties.

    The state convention instructed McKoon to “refuse to qualify or allow to be qualified Brad Raffensperger…”. Josh McKoon has no discretion to not follow the explicit instructions of the state convention because the rules explicitly say he must “perform the duties of the state convention.”

    Those who falsely believe that “Resolutions are not motions that are binding,” should read Roberts Rules of Order sections 59:67 and 10:13, which also governs the GA GOP. Indeed, since the mandate of the GA GOP Executive Committee to block Duncan was also made in the form of a resolution, Chairman McKoon already manifestly knows this is not true.

    For the last four years, the Establishment of the GA GOP has fought against the GRA passing this Raffensperger resolution. Why would they have worked so hard to prevent it from passing at a state convention if resolutions are of no effect? Answer: They wouldn’t.

    Chairman McKoon addressed the question of blocking wayward candidates from the primary ballot at our State Endorsement Convention, which you can see the video recording of here. He warned that attempting to block a candidate from running would require facing litigation from the candidate, but he never said he was unwilling to pursue that litigation. He has made similar statements on other occasions.

    If the GA GOP takes this bold stand for election integrity by blocking Brad Raffensperger, this would likely inspire many election integrity loving Trump supporters to donate in support of the legal battle.

    Grassroots Republicans love to see someone aggressively oppose corruption and the GA GOP would likely have no problem raising funds to pursue that litigation to defend the freedom of association. We predict Republicans will rally together just as we did to protect the alternate electors from 2020. We at the GRA pledge to back that effort.

    Does Chairman McKoon think that this kind of blocking of a candidate from qualifying in the primary would be illegal? Apparently not, because he also yesterday morning put out a statement expressing his support for the Catoosa County GOP’s lawsuit against their RINO county commissioners:

    We applaud Chairman McKoon for making this statement in support of the Catoosa GOP and their legal exercise of their First Amendment rights to “freedom of association,” but we encourage him to be consistent.

    Georgia’s state code cannot supersede constitutional law. The state law must be interpreted in light of constitutional law, and constitutional law vests private entities like political parties with a right of association that cannot be undermined by statutory code. The U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed this multiple times in recent decades.

    The text of the Raffensperger resolution

    However, this above statement from Chairman McKoon does seem to somewhat contradict his statement being broadcast yesterday morning by the news. If the Catoosa GOP’s legal position has merit, then so does a similar effort by the GA GOP to block Raffensperger from the primary ballot.

    We expect Chairman Josh McKoon to fulfill his duties as the GA GOP Chairman and to enforcethe expressed will of the GA GOP State Convention delegates.

    The GRA hereby calls on Chairman McKoon to protect the reputation of the Georgia Republican Party from an elected government official who lacks integrity and does not share our commitment to accurate elections. 

    We pledge to stand by him and support him in fulfilling that duty in every way possible when qualifying starts next March.

    Accountability Movement Advances Despite Some Setbacks

    Accountability Movement Advances Despite Some Setbacks

    June 10, 2025 by Georgia Republican Assembly in

    Dalton, GA — In spite of some frustrations delegates experienced at the GA GOP State Convention last Saturday, the grassroots patriot activists who teamed up with the GRA walked away with some landmark accomplishments! Some may not yet even realize the full significance of these accomplishments.

    “Based on my 16 years involved in the party,” said GRA Chairman Alex Johnson, “I don’t know if I have ever seen the people as organized to make the state party do anything. Until this year. So, that’s why this is important.” Not only did the grassroots/anti-Establishment/Georgia Republican Assembly (GRA) win overwhelmingly, but it also has put the Georgia GOP on course for renewed relevance!

    Not only was the GRA-endorsed State Senator Colton Moore (R-Dade) praised and Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) censured, but also the GA GOP was prohibited Brad Raffensperger from qualifying as a Republican! 

    While the GA GOP Executive Committee had previously used a resolution to ban former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan from qualifying in the future as a Republican, this past weekend the convention delegates overwhelmingly passed a resolution “Maintaining Republican Unity and Branding,” which prohibited the GA GOP from ever qualifying the current Secretary of State again as a Republican in the future!

    Unlike past resolutions of the party, which just state an opinion like “we oppose” or “we support” or “we send a letter,” this was a binding mandate for action by the GA GOP, which requires the GA GOP to enact the will of the party in not qualifying Raffensperger and also requires that the GA GOP fully defend against any lawsuits as a result of it.

    GRA Candidate Winners

    Furthermore, out of the nine candidates elected at the GA GOP convention to the GA GOP Executive Committee, seven are either GRA members or GRA endorsed! GRA-endorsed candidate James Dvorak from Cherokee County won election as the Over 80K Chairman Friday evening, and GRA-endorsed Laurie McClain from Gwinnett won re-election as the GA GOP Treasurer Saturday afternoon.

    Many of the other candidates who won election were also GRA members, including Josh McKoon (GA GOP Chairman), Salleigh Grubbs (1st Vice Chairman), Seanie Zappendorf (2nd Vice Chairman), Suzi Voyles (Secretary), and Jenny Eckman(Assistant Treasurer).

    GRA members banded together specifically to block candidates considered Establishment oriented who would be opposed to accountability such as Betsy Kramer and Alice O’Lenick, and the GRA succeeded.

    This is a testament to how principled, grassroots citizens can work together to ensure that the GA GOP actually works for the people and accountability, not for politicians.

    Things Turn Ugly

    Regretfully, parliamentary procedure rules were broken in various ways at the state convention.

    The effort to consider voting with paper ballots was thwarted by a series of unjustified misconduct at the convention. There was a large and well-advertised effort to potentially use paper ballots, instead of electronic voting devices, for the party officer elections. This was in part to illustrate the GOP’s commitment to replacing Dominion voting machines with paper ballots for public office elections, and also to demonstrate a method showing how a local precinct might efficiently count paper ballots. To be successful, delegates had to amend the proposed convention rules. To prevent that from happening, the four microphones on the convention floor were blocked by other delegates.

    Delegates were outraged when a motion to “call the question” (to vote on approving the proposed convention rules) occurred before there was any debate! It was obvious that the body wanted to debate the subject, since there were 3-4 people waiting in line at each microphone. 

    It is important that when people spend their time and money to go to a convention and want to persuade people or debate an issue, that they are given the opportunity to do so. Voting to “call the question” without hearing any debate will often lead to disappointed and angry participants, as was the case this past Saturday.

    To make things worse, the convention chairman moved forward as if the vote to call the question was the vote on adoption of the rules. This was a glaring mistake on the part of the Chairman, and further frustrated the delegates.

    The GRA condemns these flagrant violations of Roberts’s Rules and the absence of neutrality exhibited by those on stage. Our GRA members should not imitate the techniques nor the “end justifies the means” philosophy of the Establishment, no matter how eager they might be for a specific outcome. We look forward to hosting more mock conventions and Robert’s Rules trainings in the future.

    Did you attend the GA GOP State Convention? What was your experience like? Send us your feedback on this survey!

    GAGOP Delegates Oust Brad Raffensperger Protecting Republican Brand

    GAGOP Delegates Oust Brad Raffensperger Protecting Republican Brand

    June 9, 2025 by Abigail Darnell in /

    Dalton, GA – On Saturday, an overwhelming majority of delegates at the Georgia Republican Party state convention approved a resolution prohibiting Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger from being allowed to run in a future Republican primary.

    The resolution states:

     “It is resolved that the Georgia Republican Party shall not qualify, allow to be qualified, or take any action to allow Brad Raffensperger to qualify as a Republican or run for any elected office unless and until a GAGOP Convention removes this restriction; and,

Be it further resolved that the Georgia Republican Party shall fully defend against any future litigation or legal action taken by Brad Raffensperger or others that in any way claims that the Georgia Republican Party is or can be required to allow Brad Raffensperger to run for public office as a Republican.”

    This comes after the Secretary of State has repeatedly opposed and obstructed Republican efforts to establish secure and transparent elections. In addition to the well known Curling v. Raffensperger case which exposed and uncovered massive vulnerabilities in Georgia’s elections, the Dekalb GOP filed a lawsuit against Brad Raffensperger in regard to the encryption keys which were stored in the database in plain text. When this password became public knowledge election integrity activists made t-shirts featuring the password in order to expose the absurd vulnerability of the Dominion voting systems.

    “The system is obviously not secure if the system admin password is so readily available,” said Field Searcy leader of Georgians for Truth and GRA Board member.

    Some would go so far as to say that the Secretary of State’s actions do not represent incompetence, but rather malfeasance of office. Either way, it is clear Raffensperger did not meet the minimum standard the Republican Party expects from a Republican elected official.

    Long Awaited Victory

    Back in 2021, at the state convention in Jekyl Island, (the year Brad Raffensperger had been denied election as a Republican delegate in his own precinct) Alex Johnson (then GRA President) proposed a resolution censoring and blocking Brad Raffensperger. The idea was debated on the convention floor where the establishment along with chairman, Randy Evans argued that such an action was not legal, would lead to an expensive lawsuit, and the effort was ultimately not successful.

    “After 16 years of Republican Party conventions, this was the most meaningful one in party history,” said Alex Johnson GRA Chairman and President of the NFRA.

    While most resolutions merely express the views of the party and educate the public on issues, they usually have no teeth. This resolution was unique in that it gives direction to the party leadership and requires them to abide by it, and even take action to defend the decision from legal challenges. It is important to remember that political parties control ballot access for their primary. The Republican primary ballot doesn’t belong to the government or to the general public, it belongs to the Republican party.

    The negative reputation of Georgia’s Secretary of State is well known, and Trump supporting patriots across the country recognize the name Brad Raffensperger due to the nationwide attention Georgia received as a result of the 2020 and 2021 elections.

    Raffensperger has been known to threaten local county elections superintendent’s and boards if they feel inclined to change their system to comply with certain election laws. 

    “Georgia counties don’t follow the election laws because of Raffensperger and his staff,” said Field Searcy.

    In Dekalb County, Michelle Long Spears, a Democrat candidate for Commissioner and was shocked to see the election results that showed she received zero votes in her own precinct. She knew she voted for herself, and believed her husband also voted for her. When this concern about the accuracy of the Dekalb election was raised, and election integrity advocates called for a hand recount, the Secretary of State’s office opposed them. They conducted a hand recount anyway, and it completely altered the winner in the race! After the hand recount, instead of being in 3rd place Spears came in first. Advocates of election integrity have not forgotten that Brad Raffensperger attempted to block them from conducting that hand recount.

    GA GOP Responsive to Republican Voters

    The results of the non-binding ballot questions on the 2024 Republican primary ballot voters made it clear that election integrity is a major concern for Republican voters. 64% of Republican primary voters wanted hand marked paper ballots, and 80% wanted clean voter rolls requiring registered voters to renew their registration every four years. The Georgia Republican Party delegates responded.

    This Resolution was a last resort after Republican activists have tried every possible way to express their concerns and work with the SOS to establish secure, transparent elections, and have received intense opposition instead of assistance.

    The delegates on Saturday collectively said “enough is enough” and cut all ties with Georgia’s current Secretary of State. Raffensperger remains free to run for office as a Democrat or an Independent or join a third party, if they will have him. They concluded that we need to protect the reputation of the Georgia Republican party from an elected official who doesn’t share our commitment to election integrity. 

    There were 1,713 Republican delegates in attendance Saturday not counting the alternates and guests observing in the back. The Raffensperger resolution was one of several included in a package that was submitted to the body by the resolutions committee under the leadership of Suzi Voyles and with strong support from state Rep. Noel Kahaian.

    Getting the party to implement a minimum standard, requiring candidates to share a minimum level of adherence to the GOP platform has been a goal of the GRA for several years. Delegates visiting the GRA vendor table at the convention were eager to sign the GRA petition to block Raffensperger, who is arguably the most distrusted Republican politician in the state.

    GRA members and supporters are excited about this massive victory and believe the GAGOP will be stronger and better able to engage and recruit new party members as a result of this action protecting the GOP brand.

    This is an example of the GAGOP exercising their constitutional right to the freedom of association.

    “The government cannot force a Baptist church to ordain a Hindu or a Muslim as their minister,” said Nathaniel Darnell, GRA President, “and they can’t force the Republican Party to associate with Brad Raffensperger when he relentlessly acts contrary to Republican beliefs and objectives.”

    This resolution has the same effect as the Accountability Rule the GRA proposed at the 2023 GOP Convention, and the same effect as the actions taken by the Catoosa GOP in 2024.

    While some argue that anyone and everyone should be allowed to claim the label “Republican” regardless of what they believe or how they act, we believe the Republican primary should be reserved for only those candidates who embrace at least a minimum number of the Republican principles outlined in our platform.

    “This resolution serves as a warning to all Republican elected officials in Georgia who like to utilize the resources and volunteers in the Republican Party, while simultaneously stomping all over our platform and dismissing the legitimate policy concerns of party activists. We are grateful to all the delegates who voted in favor of the resolution and look forward to assisting the party in implementing other accountability measures to protect the Republican brand and protect Georgians who are being harmed by RINO public policy,” said Darnell.

    The Only Qualified Candidate for GaGOP Treasurer

    The Only Qualified Candidate for GaGOP Treasurer

    June 4, 2025 by Georgia Republican Assembly in

    This a guest post from GRA-endorsed candidate for Treasurer Laurie McClain.

    As we draw closer to the 2025 Georgia Republicans State Convention, I would like to share a few things about my candidacy that you may not know and correct a few things that you may think you know.

    If you haven’t heard, the rules of the Georgia Republican Party require that the Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer be a CPA, Accountant, Bookkeeper or Financial Advisor.  There is only one candidate in this race that meets this minimum basic requirement.  Here are my credentials: 

    • BBA from Georgia State University in Accounting
    • Certified Public Accountant
    • Certified Forensic Accountant
    • Master of Taxation from Georgia State University
    • Member, Taxation Advisory Council, Georgia Society of CPAs
    • Currently a College Accounting Instructor
    • Currently pursuing a Master of Legal Studies at Texas A & M
    • 39 years’ experience in the financial and accounting field

    This alone disqualifies my opponent.  There’s more to being a Treasurer than being a rubber stamp.

    Let’s move on and look at my experience:

    – Current Treasurer of the Georgia Republican Party – elected 2023
    – Current Treasurer of the 9th District Republican Party – elected 2025
    – Current Vice Chair Gwinnett Transit Advisory Board – appointed 2024
    – Former First Vice Chairman – Gwinnett GOP – elected 2023
    – Former Treasurer – Gwinnett GOP – elected 2021
    – Candidate for Gwinnett County Commission – 2012 and 2020
    – Former Chairman’s Budget Review Committee (Gwinnett) – appointed 2012, 2013
    – Former Chairman Gwinnett County Transit Review Committee – appointed 2019 
    – Former Member of Engage Gwinnett – appointed 2009
    – Former member Citizens Project Selection Committee for Gwinnett SPLOST – 2014, 2017

    Clearly, I am respected by many and sought after for my financial abilities.  And I obviously have a heart for service since these are all volunteer positions!

    Then, there are my accomplishments.  I hate to brag, but I must….

    1. As Treasurer of Gwinnett GOP, the chairman and I brought transparency back to the party.  This allowed us to raise tens of thousands of dollars over the four years I was on the executive committee that we used to help our local candidates.
    2. I created an accounting system for Gwinnett that previously did not exist.
    3. I took the GaGOP County Treasurer Training Manual and updated and enhanced it.  I used this as the basis for many zoom-based training courses for county treasurers to assist them in their financial compliance requirements.  

    Finally, let’s talk about me, personally.

    I’m a Georgia native, a 51-year resident of Gwinnett County, and life-long Republican.  I’m married to a wonderful man, a retired Dekalb County firefighter who saved my life in 2018, when I had a near fatal heart attack.  I have three grown children and one precious granddaughter.  I put myself through college and worked as a legal secretary for a small law firm in Atlanta while I was in school.  I guess I was around 20 years old and guess what…..I managed their finances!!  Just maybe I have found my calling!

    Seriously, though as an accountant for almost 40 years, my integrity and character are as important as my tax and accounting skills.  I have been as transparent with the party’s financial standing as my ethical responsibilities will allow.  I’ve answered every single question that I’ve ever been asked, even if the answer was, “I can’t tell you that.”  I believe in transparency.  I have worked hard to give the party just that and I will continue to make it a priority as your next Treasurer.

     I have tried to run an honest and positive campaign because I believe we are better together.  While discourse is good, discussion is better.  Got a problem?  Let’s talk about it!  Have a question?  Ask!  Let’s all make sure we are rowing the boat in the same direction.  That is the only way we can kick Ossoff’s butt in 2026!  Vote for Laurie McClain as Treasurer of the Georgia Republican Party on June 7, 2025 in Dalton!