Chief Justice Tom Parker of the Alabama State Supreme Court
One of our county chapters is putting together a special event we think you may want to attend. The Cobb County Republican Assembly is pleased have a special guest speaker for their county convention on Thursday evening, August 18th at the Cobb County GOP Headquarters: Attorney Ben DuPré, Chief of Staff to the Republican Chief Justice Tom Parker of the Alabama State Supreme Court, will personally provide a message on what is being called “the U.S. Supreme Court’s best term in the history of America!” We will hear a summary and explanation on how the court has overturned major damaging precendent that egregiously deviated from the history and text of the U.S. Constitution to circumvent our elected representative system and imposed tyranny on Americans for decades. We will better understand how the series of court decisions were landmark for gun rights, the lives of the preborn, energy development, bureaucratic over-reach, freedom of religion, school choice, and more!
Attorney Ben DuPré, Chief of Staff for the last two elected Chief Justices of the State of Alabama
Ben DuPré is the husband of Jerusha DuPré and the father of seven children, who are educated at home through Ezekiel Academy. Ben is a constitutional law attorney licensed in Virginia and Alabama. Although born and raised in New York, Ben came south as soon as he could, attending Regent University Law School in Virginia, before moving to Montgomery in 2001 to work for Chief Justice Roy Moore at the Alabama Supreme Court on the same day the Ten Commandments monument was installed. In 2003 Ben left the Court to work with Chief Justice Moore at the Foundation for Moral Law for nine years, defending religious liberty and advocating for the pre-born in Georgia, Alabama, and across the country.
Since 2013, Ben served as Chief of Staff for both Chief Justice Moore and now Chief Justice Tom Parker. Ben serves as a deacon at Evangel Church in Montgomery, and is grateful to be saved by grace and to be a survivor of Roe v. Wade.
Registration for the event includes refreshments, dessert, and a time for Q&A with our guest speaker. Cobb RA season pass holders get $15 off this and future events we host this year!
Here is a summary of the location and times for the up-coming event: Cobb RA County Convention Held at the Cobb GOP Headquarters 799 Roswell Street NW, Marietta, GA 30060 $30 early-bird registration (refreshments & dessert included) $15 registration with season pass Thursday, August 18, 2022 7:00 PM EST (guest speaker)
We are pleased to report that we’ve formed a new regional chapter below the gnat line! The South-East Georgia Republican Assembly: SEGRA.
39 of Georgia’s 159 counties have now incorporated GRA local chapters either through individual county Republican Assembly organizations or by regional organizations.
SEGRA consists of six counties along the heart of Georgia’s small coastline: Chatham, Effingham, Bryan, Liberty, Long, and McIntosh, among the oldest counties in the state—dating back before the War for Independence in 1776. Organized originally by Dean Burnette, SEGRA is led by Brittany Brown and her local chapter’s executive committee with a vision on expanding GOP appeal and shaking up the Establishment to improve politics in the southeastern region. We invite you to learn more about them at their web site at https://segra.us/ or on their social media at their Facebook page..
Ringgold, GA—On Saturday, more than seventy-five pro-life activists gathered in front of the Catoosa County Courthouse to praise God for the overturn of the erroneous 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and call for a special legislative session to abolish abortion in Georgia with a Personhood Amendment to the state constitution.
“We are here today to rejoice in the overturn of Roe v Wade and to call on our elected officials to end the Holocaust of abortion once and for all,” said Abigail Darnell, Vice President of Georgia Right to Life & 3rd Vice President for the Georgia Republican Assembly.
“Part of the proper liberty restored in the Dobbs decision was the ability for individual states to enact laws that protect the unborn without artificial restrictions from Washington,”said Vaughn Hamilton, Elder of Brainerd Hills Presbyterian Church. “Let us give thanks for this opportunity and let us pray for moral clarity and boldness from voters, to legislators to the judiciary and to the Governor.”
The rally featured local church leaders, politicians and activists who have joined forces in an effort entitled Georgians Ending Abortion. They are urging Georgians to sign an online petition to Governor Kemp which states:
“Whereas, several thousand pre-born children may be legally murdered in our state before the beginning of the next regularly scheduled legislative session; and
“Whereas, innocent Georgians may be legally murdered even if the “Heartbeat” law goes into effect because of the broad exceptions it contains;
“Therefore, we urge you to immediately convene a special session of the Georgia General Assembly.”
The Governors of South Dakota and Indiana have already announced their intention to convene special sessions in their states to strengthen legal protection for the pre-born, and activists are calling on Governor Brian Kemp to follow suit. Organizers of the event contend that abortion is both a sin and a crime and therefore both the church and the state have a duty to take bold, decisive action immediately.
“Why are we meeting at the Courthouse? Because God ordained civil government to administer justice. Not individuals, not the family, not the church,” said Keith Cochran, President of Northwest Georgia Right to Life. “What is our grievance? Pre-born children are being legally murdered by their mother and her doctor without any punishment at all.”
The rally commended Chattooga County Commissioner Blake Elsberry who last week signed a Resolution for Life affirming his desire to protect all human life in his jurisdiction. Chattooga GRA-member & activist Jennifer Tudor read the Resolution. It reads:
“Be it further resolved, that the Office of the Sole Commissioner of Chattooga County hereby resolves to use all means within its power to support the sanctity of human life in accordance with its God-given responsibilities as the people’s elected governing body.”
“This is something I have felt convicted about getting done since first taking office and I feel a heavy burden of sadness that we even have to have this debate in America. Nevertheless, now with this issue coming back to the states, I felt that it was important that our state leadership know that this office supports the right to life for the born and unborn alike,” wrote Elsberry in a statement.
“We are hoping in Catoosa County the Board of Commissioners will step up and do the right thing and sign that resolution as well,” said Ray Blankenship an activist in the Catoosa GOP and leader in the second amendment sanctuary movement.
Activist Charlie Wysong who led an effort to shut down the Chattanooga abortion facility which closed in 1994 said “How does it feel to have a fifty year prayer answered?”
The rally featured State Representative-elect Mitchell Horner of House District 3 (R-Ringgold) who likened the pro-life cause to the abolition of slavery. “On March 20th 1854, the Republican Party formed over the issue of abolition. Once again we must form a Republican Party around the notion of abolition – an abolition of killing children…It’s time for Republicans in the state house to have courage and act, said Horner.
State Rep.-elect Mitchell Horner
“Republicans have had the majority in the House and Senate for twenty years. Why do we still kill babies?” Said Jackie Harling a Walker County activist and former candidate for House District 1.
The Georgians Ending Abortion petition is co-sponsored by many Republican organizations that point to the GAGOP platform which states: “We believe in the right to life from conception, beginning at fertilization, to natural death.”
“We are calling on Republicans to advance the platform they say they believe in,” said Nathaniel Darnell, the senior NFRA Director for the Georgia Republican Assembly.
State Senator-elect Colton Moore of Senate District 53 (R-Trenton) also spoke out in favor of the effort and described the intense antagonism that was displayed against the ‘Heartbeat Bill’. “I wish each of you could’ve heard the hisses and the growls from the gallery as that piece of legislation finally passed by one vote.”
State Senator-elect Colton Moore
Georgia’s ‘Heartbeat’ law has been challenged in court since 2019 and has not yet been enforced or saved a single life. Currently in Georgia, all babies may be legally murdered up until 20 weeks, before the stage in which it has been demonstrated that babies feel pain. However babies believed to have Down’s Syndrome or other ‘fetal abnormalities’ may currently be killed by abortion after 20 weeks despite the excruciating pain they may experience. This double standard is replicated and expanded in the Heartbeat bill which treats children conceived in rape or incest to a different standard of justice than consensually-conceived children, a concept that hearkens back to the eugenics of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany and Planned Parenthood’s founder Margaret Sanger.
“We as an American society, we believe that we have equal justice under the law – each and every member of society. And when that fertilized egg becomes a new person, it too has equal justice under the law and we Americans must continue to fight for it,” said Moore.
“The Dobbs decision is not the end of our work, it is the beginning,” said Pastor Dan Hocker of Christian Fellowship Assembly in Tunnel Hill.
Dan Hocker referenced the pro-life work of early Christians. “We started this work on the hills of Rome. Back then there wasn’t a pill, there wasn’t even a coat hanger, back then there weren’t doctors that would ‘end a pregnancy’. Back then there were only wolves on the hills to eat those babies. But Christians would watch as they would take those babies to the hills and they would rescue those babies and raise them to have faith in the Lord that we serve.”
What about Rape?
Dan Hocker: “Is it right to take that babies little life because a sin was committed? “There’s no doubt that rape and incest are wrong. But it is still God-breathed life.”
“The only people that really have choices and options, are the people that breathe and walk among us. The unborn they don’t have that option… That female or that male in the womb, they don’t have the option to plead with their mother not to kill them. They don’t have an option or a choice to ask their father to fight for them,” said Blankenship.
Georgians who favor abortion vehemently reject the involvement of Christians in abortion law-making. Some Ringgold residents voiced their opposition from their vehicles yelling “My body, my choice” or profanity as the drive by. They often oppose Christian involvement on the claim that it violates the separation of church and state. However, activists at the rally clearly delineated the separate, distinct role of those two institutions.
“We believe in the institutional separation of church and state, but there is no separation between God and government,” said Nathaniel Darnell.
“There is no authority except that which is given of God – received from God with the intent of reflecting the character of God,” said Reagan Marsh, Pastor of Reformation Baptist Church in Dalton as he spoke to Romans 13.
“Government when it positions itself above scripture has no authority… “Government is a restricted authority… they are not to execute or fulfill their own will nor that of the electorate. They are to serve God alone and they will answer to God as surely as you and I will. Just as surely as I will as an elder and as a pastor. God’s word alone determines good from evil, right from wrong, not mere populace or consensus or what is trending on Twitter.”
“We have a duty to see to it and to call our elected officials to the obedience that God’s word requires of them. Because how they govern reflects how people see Him,” said Marsh.
“I’m asking Governor Kemp to stand up and take a stand, as we put these petitions before him… What happens here in the state of Georgia is going to affect America and what happens in America affects the world,” said Edward Torres a Missionary with Amazon for Christ Medical Missions.
Monday morning Georgia Right to Life (GRTL) held a press conference announcing that the GRA and dozens of other pro-life organizations have joined to present a petition. We are calling on Governor Brian Kemp and Republican legislators to act now! They need to call a special session to pass a Personhood state constitutional amendment (or at the very least a statute) that will protect the lives of all the preborn!It’s time for Equal Protection under the law for all our children in the womb.
Click the video above to watch the Georgians Ending Abortion Press Conference.
Since that bill was passed, however, as a part of Speaker Ralston and other Atlanta Establishment Republican’s efforts to insulate themselves from accountability and consolidate power, they have helped to create a number of pseudo-conservative organizations with a presence at the state capitol— to serve as their “controlled opposition.” These organizations work to provide cover for Republicans to make them look more conservative to the voters back home even when they vote like Democrats.
But perhaps the worst part about the Heartbeat Bill is that it asserts that the baby is a human person from the moment of conception, while simultaneously asserting it is okay for someone to murder that child under various circumstances before a doctor admits he heard the child’s heartbeat. One cannot win hearts and minds over to our cause with such a hypocritical—such an internally inconsistent position.
Preborn human baby in a mother’s uterus
The Heartbeat Bill has not been enforced for even one single day over the last nearly four years!
We’ve given them plenty of time to do something with the bill, but not a single baby’s life has been saved by this highly-touted bill. It’s time for Republicans to prove that they really believe life begins “at fertilization”—as is spelled out in the Georgia Republican Party Platform!
We need to provide Equal Protection under the law for every child from the moment of conception without exception. Once again in Georgia it should be a crime. Criminal investigations would still be conducted in accordance with all Due Process addressed in the Bill of Rights, such as the 4th Amendment privacy protections against warrantless searches and seizures not supported by probable cause, and such as the right to a trial by jury. But murder is murder.
Last Friday, June 24 served as the cap-stone on a week of landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions dealing with issues of School Choice, Gun Rights, and finally the Lives of the Preborn. As an encore, this week they gave us another win for Religious Freedom. For countless pro-lifers, gun rights activists, educators, Christians, conservatives, and just constitutional textualists, these victories have been a long time coming! In fact, many who started these efforts 50 or more years ago have long since passed. It reminds us that the effort to stand for our principles and promote life and freedom in America is a long-game. But by the grace of God it does pay off.
President Ronald Reagan with a much younger Clarence Thomas in 1986
By at least the 1940s conservatives had started to notice a problem with a growing tyranny within the United States Supreme Court. Yet it wasn’t until the late 1970s that an organized effort began to build to counter-act that trend, to raise up a new generation of jurists to fight back, and to get the Republican Party to help. With the election of Ronald Reagan as President in 1980, for the first time Republicans seemed ready to work to turn things around.
However, the initial results proved mixed at best. Are you old enough to remember? Working with the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate up until 1987, President Reagan successfully got two excellent Justices installed onto the Supreme Court: Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. They were eager to reverse most of the worst court decisions that had contributed to America’s decline in the twentieth century. But the other two appointed under Reagan proved quite the disappointment: Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Anthony Kennedy. These last two would work to ensure that the court’s tyrannical trend would grow and entrench, often pairing with the liberal justices to thwart one conservative effort after another for the next 20 years.
Former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
We could give Reagan a mulligan for Kennedy. After all, Republicans had just lost control of the U.S. Senate in the 1986 election, and Reagan had previously offered two exceptional judicial nominees in Robert Bork and Doug Ginsberg that the Democrat Senate had turned down before Kennedy was offered as a compromise candidate. But there was no excuse for Sandra Day O’Connor. Republicans in control simply failed to properly vet her just because she was a woman, and they wanted to make good on the promise to appoint the first woman to the Supreme Court. It was an early example of the folly of identity politics.
That mixed trend continued under President George H.W. Bush, who appointed another stellar conservative in Justice Clarence Thomas, but an awful disappointment in Justice David Souter. Thankfully, Thomas has endured on the court while O’Connor, Kennedy, and Souter (finally!) retired.
Under Democrat Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama the liberals got nothing but consistent liberal Justices appointed to the court. They weren’t playing games. “Liberal” didn’t mean pro-liberty; “liberal” meant more liberal intrusion of the federal government, and a more liberally “fast and loose” interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.
Demonstrators during D.C. v. Heller
President George W. Bush continued the mixed success for Republicans, though, in appointing the terrific Justice Samuel Alito and the quite disappointing Chief Justice John Roberts. Again, there was no excuse for this mistake since Republicans controlled all of Capitol Hill at this time. President Bush even originally was going to appoint Harriet Miers instead of Alito, but the outcry from conservatives was so strong that Bush had to relent. Then a shift started to happen.
In 2008 for the first time SCOTUS reversed itself on a series of repeatedly encroaching decisions that involved gun rights with D.C. v. Heller. Prior to graduating from law school, I had the opportunity to personally witness the oral arguments before the Supreme Court in Heller. It was a momentous occasion. A bright glimmer of hope. It wasn’t just the first major reversal for gun rights, but virtually the first major reversal for conservatives of any kind for the court in decades.
Then when Justice Antonin Scalia unfortuitously died in 2016, most of us thought that was the end of any hope of fully reversing the court’s tyranny in our lifetime. Thankfully, U.S. Senate Republicans had enough fortitude to prevent out-going President Obama from appointing Scalia’s replacement.
Next, do you remember the 2016 presidential elections? For many of us who had been paying close attention to what had been going on in the United States Supreme Court for decades, we trusted that despite whatever other weaknesses U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) might have, he as a conservative attorney at least knew very well what was going on with jurisprudence in D.C. and what kind of Justice the next President would need to appoint to help turn things around. We didn’t have the same confidence in presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Businessman Donald Trump and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz during the 2016 presidential Republican Primary
Cruz pressed Trump on the question of who he would appoint to the U.S. Supreme Court, and Trump agreed with Cruz on the type of Justices that needed to be appointed—a key point that helped Cruz supporters feel more comfortable getting behind Trump for the Republican nomination.
And President Trump made good on his word. Working with the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate, and listening closely to conservatives, President Trump appointed three conservative Justices to the court that provided a cushion for when Chief Justice Roberts acted up. It is very likely President Trump’s federal judicial appointments will be the most lasting positive legacy of his presidency.
Trump’s three appointments: Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, & Barrett
Yet until this previous week, all of those three appointed Justices had not yet been fully field tested. After so many previous disappointments, we were still holding our breath in suspense waiting for another possible letdown.
They didn’t let us down. This time Republicans delivered. They delivered because conservatives hounded them relentlessly. And when Republicans deliver, it makes us want to get out and vote for them again!
We don’t mean to suggest that these Justices are perfect either individually or collectively, but they do represent a major course correction in the federal court that has been a long time coming.
Pro-life activists Saturday
So while many statists and liberals took to the street this weekend to complain and protest about the decisions, many of us were celebrating. I was grateful for the opportunity to speak on behalf of pro-life activists like many of you to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Over the last 40 years, there have been so many opportunities for them to do this and … they haven’t had the courage to do it, they’ve missed opportunities, and then all of a sudden, they finally did it! We’re just so excited. Can’t believe we lived to see this day.”
Some Establishment people are really biting on sour grapes.
Blogger Elliot Pierce posted a hit piece a few days ago that appeared on various online forums and printed local newspapers in the Northwest Georgia community. In it, he complains about some of the GRA’s officers, and GRA-endorsed GA GOP Chairman David Shafer. He decries how some GOP officers, who also happen to be GRA members and GRA officers, worked personally to help certain Republicans in contested primaries win the Republican nomination. While he complains about “bias,” he neglects to mention his own biases and preference for Democrats over conservative Republicans. (See more on that below.)
Screenshot taken from Pierce’s social media.
Elliot Pierce published Joanna Hildreth’s conversation about promoting a group of candidates—which is not against GOP rules. However, Mr. Pierce failed to share with readers in the piece his threat to vote for Stacey Abrams, and his efforts to stand against candidates like Marjorie Taylor Greene—who has high support from the voters in her district and the GRA. He was actually even encouraging Democrats to mobilize against the Republican Congresswoman Greene!
Post from Elliot Pierce on social media
The Georgia Republican Assembly’s (GRA) primary goal is to live up to its reputation as “the Conscience of the Republican Party.” To do this, we must be involved in selecting and supporting honorable candidates who align with the GRA’s Principles and Goals. Thankfully, contrary to Pierce’s misleading reporting, the GA GOP rules do not prohibit GOP officers from personally supporting candidates in contested primaries.
The “sour grapes” piece in particular complains about our GRA Secretary Joanna Hildreth, who is also the local Catoosa County GOP Chair, and our GRA Assistant Secretary Denise Burns, who is also the 14th Congressional District GOP Chair. Pierce doesn’t like that they worked behind-the-scenes (not using their titles in the GOP) to help stellar candidates such as Colton Moore, Mitchell Horner, and Marjorie Taylor Greene to win their Republican nominations in their races.
In fact, Joanna Hildreth and Denise Burns were already known to be officers of the GRA when they were elected officers of the GOP. While Mr. Pierce has suggested that these GOP officers are biased and lack impartiality, the fact is, we must vet all candidates, sifting their background against our principles and values—selecting the best, most qualified candidates for the good of our Republic.
The GRA is calling on all GOP officials to guard our party from Democrat infiltration. We do not want Democrats in Republican clothing pushing policies that hurt our Georgian families.
Many of the challenges facing Georgians require courageous leaders who are unafraid to stand for issues such as the sanctity of life, election integrity, and the trouble in our schools. One such courageous leader is David Shafer, who was twice the GRA’s endorsed candidate for GA GOP Chairman, and has twice been elected. He has improved the state party, fulfilling his promise to get the party organization out of debt, establish a state party platform and support efforts to improve the problems within Georgia’s election systems. While his call for accountability among some incumbents has been met with pushback, he and other GRA members who serve as officers of the GOP all agree—we must align with our principles—which means holding fellow Republicans accountable for actions that are not in the best interest of Georgians.
There is a high standard among GRA members—and it’s our Republican Principles and Goals. The GRA will continue to do everything within its power to live up to what makes us the Conscience of the Republican Party. It’s what our constituents deserve, value and expect. For more information about GRA, go to: https://georgiara.com/about-us/
Tuesday was a big night for many of the GRA’s endorsed candidates! In spite of some disappointing outcomes and strange anamolies in certain high-profile primary races, there was much success to be excited about in Georgia politics when the tallies were reported. We are pleased to report the following highlights:
In the U.S. Congress, we have 2 primary winners (Marjorie Taylor Greene & Caesar Gonzales)
In the State-wide races, we have 3 primary winners (Burt Jones, Tim Echols, & Bruce Thompson)
The GRA website has been updated on the 2022 Endorsements page to note which of our endorsed candidates have won their primaries.
Northwest Georgia in particular pulled off several notable wins. A tough race was fought between GRA-endorsed former State Rep. Colton Moore (Dade) and a County Commission Chairman Steve Henry (Catoosa) to see who would replace retiring State Senator Jeff Mullis (Chickamauga), Chairman of the State Senate’s powerful Rules Committee. Mullis had made Steve Henry his “heir apparent” for the seat.
Henry had distinguished himself as a the Chairman of the Catoosa County Commission by having a citizen thrown out when exercising his 1st Amendment right to bring his concerns before the county commission, and Henry is being sued for this action. In another video interview, Henry told a caller to “shut up.” Perhaps even more concerning, Henry had said in a video that citizens could have medical freedom conditioned upon whether they took a mandated vaccine.
State Senator-elect Colton Moore
Meanwhile, Colton Moore stands for real medical freedom without the government being able to coerce us into putting things into our bodies against our will. He said repeatedly on the campaign trail that “our natural rights are given to us from God and cannot be taken away by government!” Colton was an early proponent of Constitutional Carry in the legislature as a State Representative, and the first to call for a special session to investigate the allegations of voter fraud in 2020. Colton had earned a solid “A” rating from the GRA during his term in the State House, coming in second place only to former State Rep. Matt Gurtler(Tiger), and so we expect big things from him in the State Senate next year!
State Rep.-elect Mitchell Horner (right) with GRA 3rd Vice President Abigail Darnell and her baby Patience Darnell
Mitchell Horner also easily won his race for State House District 3 in the Ringgold area. Mitchell is a homeschool graduate who works entrepreneurially as a pontoon boat maker, and has formerly done mission work with his family. He was endorsed by the Georgia Republican Assembly as well as Georgia Right to Life.
Mitchell has led the Catoosa Committee on Taxation, a liberty-watchdog that aided in the defeat of several proposed Tax Allocation Districts (TADs) in the area. He campaigned on school choice and eliminating the state income tax.
Of course, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s big win Tuesday night put a lot of wind in the sails of conservative stalwarts.
Greene blew her array of opponents out of the water with a huge margin of victory (69.54%) that affirms her constituency’s loyalty to her in spite of all the attacks from Democrats, RINOs, and the “fake news” media. Greene had been the only candidate in Georgia to earn the GRA endorsement by an unanimous vote of all of the delegates from across the state. She’s taking the fight to the Democrats, and we love her for it! Would that more of our Republican men would man up and fight with as much zeal.
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene with her family on stage at her Victory Party Tuesday night
State Rep. Charlice Byrd
In Cherokee County, our endorsed State Rep. Charlice Byrd successfully defended her seat with the help of the GRA-PAC in spite of much antagonism from the Atlanta Establishment. Byrd is one of only three state representatives this year who voted against the original terrible version of Speaker David Ralston‘s H.B. 1013 (aka “The Everyone is Crazy Bill”). Byrd was endorsed by the GRA as well as Georgia Right to Life PAC, and at a GRTL event a few weeks ago on camerashe reinforced her commitment to join with other Republicans in the State House in voting against re-electing David Ralston as Speaker in Georgia next year. She won her primary against two opponents by an overwhelming vote of 66.5 percent!
Also at the behest of Ralston, Rich’s committee had redrawn the maps during redistricting to put Clark in the same district with her, thinking Clark would be sure to lose. She also put State Rep. Philip Singleton (Coweta), another GRA-endorsed legislator, into a Democrat-controlled district to make Singleton lose. Now Rich is the one soon to be out of a legislative job. Clark beat her 59.4% to 40.76% Tuesday night.
State Rep. Sheri Gilligan
Yet another legislator willing to stand up to Speaker Ralston is our endorsed State Rep. Sheri Gilligan (Forsyth), who came in first place in her primary out of three candidates, and will have to continue in a runoff this summer. Gilligan was another one of the only three State House members willing to vote against the original version of Ralston’s awful H.B. 1013. We would encourage you to throw any support you can offer to help her win that runoff over the next couple of months.
With Republicans holding a slim majority in the State House already, these new wins there ensure that the Atlanta Establishment will not be able to easily ignore our GRA-endorsed candidates pushing for Republican policies implementing our stated principles. Ralston may even be in danger of losing his Speakership.
State Senator Burt Jones with his family
Yet another remarkable win came for State Senator Burt Jones (Jackson), our endorsed candidate for Lt. Governor, who successfully won the primary election against three other candidates. Jones had been persecuted by current Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan last year for promoting efforts within the legislature to investigate the allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election. Duncan had Jones stripped of his Chairmanship Insurance and Labor Committee, and took away chairmanships from two other senators as well. Jones’ election without a runoff provides him with some vindication, and we trust he will bring better leadership to the State Senate.
We wish to thank all of our endorsed candidates who were willing to run and improve Georgia’s politics—win or lose! 2022 will long serve as a significant milestone of advancement in Georgia because of your effort.
