Category: Candidates
How To Recognize A Good Candidate (and Avoid the RINOs)

How To Recognize A Good Candidate (and Avoid the RINOs)

Not all Republicans are the same. What is the difference between a good Republican and a bad one?

One of the major distinctions between a GRA-endorsed candidate and a run-of-the-mill Republican is how the candidate would determine if a piece of legislation is good or bad.

(R to L) Former Congressman Paul Broun with his wife and former State Sen. Mike Crane

The esteemed former Congressman Dr. Paul Broun (GA-10) developed an excellent method of evaluating legislation that could serve as a model for any candidate. It was a simple four question test.

1) Is it Moral?
2) Is it Constitutional?
3) Do We Need it?
4) Can We Afford it?

Dr. Broun required the legislation to pass all four questions to receive his support. Using this grid, he earned the nickname “Dr. No” while serving in Congress because of the minuscule number of bills that passed his four question test and earned his “yes” vote.

Of course, all of these questions presuppose that the legislator has actually read the bill. In the event the legislative leadership places a large bill on your desk in the morning and expects you to vote on it by Noon, the default vote should be “No.”

In addition to Dr. Broun’s four question test, I imagine our founding fathers might ask these questions as well:

Does this legislation conform to the laws of nature?
Is this legislation in harmony with the Law of nature’s God?
Would this bill be just to all of my constituents?

The T-shirt most of the incumbent “Republicans” are handing out at their fundraisers this time of year. 😉

By contrast, the establishment RINO candidates have a strikingly different grid for evaluating legislation that goes something like this:

1) Does the Republican Leadership approve of this bill?
2) What would my large donors think about this bill?
3) Would this legislation advance my personal political career?
4) How is the mainstream media likely to characterize this bill?
5) Would I be criticized for supporting this bill?
6) Would I be marginalized by other legislators for supporting this bill?

Another factor to consider as we attend candidate forums this year is the character of the candidate. The Bible provides a divinely inspired list of qualifications for determining whether an elected official is worthy of being entrusted with authority. Exodus 18:21 says:

“Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:”

Following the Exodus of God’s people out of slavery in Egypt, Moses was tasked with implementing a system of government for adjudicating controversies among the 3 million former slaves of the fledgling nation. It was not a centralized government. It was decentralized. (See this article.) They established rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

This became the requirement for the rulers and judges over the people, at every level:

    ⁃    Able men (competence)
    ⁃    Fear God
    ⁃    Men of Truth
    ⁃    Hating Covetousness

Founding Father Noah Webster, who wrote the first American Dictionary, said:
“When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers, ‘just men who will rule in the fear of God.’ The preservation of government depends on the faithful discharge of this duty; if the citizens neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizens will be violated or disregarded. If a republican government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the divine commands, and elect bad men to make and administer the laws.”  
[Noah Webster, History of the United States (New Haven: Durrie & Peck, 1832), pp. 336-337.]

An inclination of magistrates to greed, corruption, accepting bribes or special interest lobbyists money has been a concern for more than 4,000 years. It crosses party lines and remains one of the major concerns among honest American voters today.

According to Exodus 18:21, one of the qualities you should look for in a civil magistrate is someone who has a righteous indignation and disgust for covetousness. Any candidate who truly hates covetousness is probably not, for example, going to be able to vote in good conscience for the Georgia budget next year without a massive overhaul to remove the corporate welfare handouts to Hollywood companies, among other things.

Similarly, lying politicians must have been a problem 4,000 years ago as well, because “men of truth” is another requirement. A commitment to the truth is vital among those leading in the civil realm. A man of truth keeps his campaign promises. A man of truth doesn’t tell constituents he is pro-life, then tell the feminists he supports abortion, and change his position a dozen times based on the audience present or the latest polling data.

These requirements, and the Law of God, became the foundation for the Hebrew Republic. Our founding fathers recognized the importance of these qualities as essential to the preservation of our constitutional republic. (See this article.)

So, as you attend candidate forums this year and consider which Republicans to support in the primary, try asking the candidates “If you were elected, how would you evaluate legislation?” And judge them by the Exodus 18:21 standard. What are some other questions that you have found useful? Please comment them below.

10 Candidates Endorsed at Regional RA METRO Endorsement Convention!

10 Candidates Endorsed at Regional RA METRO Endorsement Convention!

Canton, GA — Three GRA local chapters joined together last Saturday for a combined Regional Metro Endorsement Convention. Our North Metro RA Chapter (which includes Cherokee & Pickens counties), our Cobb RA chapter, and the Fulton RA chapter combined to hold a regional endorsement for local races in three congressional districts, spanning ten counties. Many GRA Members have been working for months to recruit candidates to primary RINOs and on Saturday they came together and endorsed ten candidates at this local endorsement convention.

Most of these legislative candidates at the event pledged to join the Georgia Freedom Caucus, affirmed their support for government accountability and indicated they would pattern their time in the legislature after State Senator Colton Moore (R-Dade). State Rep. Charlice Byrd (R-Cherokee) also gave one of the keynote messages at the event, re-capping what happened during the recent legislative session, and called for more candidates to join the caucus.

GRA President Nathaniel Darnell, who presided over the regional endorsement convention, interviewed the candidates from the stage, and participating members took turns asking well-thought-out questions from the floor as well.

The GRA only endorsed candidates by a two-thirds majority of the voting members at a convention. Here below are the candidates endorsed at this regional convention:

GA State House

Charlice Byrd, HD 20 (Cherokee)
https://charlicebyrd.com

Paul Kettering, HD 22 (Cobb & Cherokee)
https://ketteringforgahouse.com

Gary Chafee, HD 35 (Acworth area).
https://chaffeeforga.com

Phoebe Eckhardt, HD 47, (Milton area, North Fulton).
http://phoebe4georgiarep.com

• Norine Cantor, HD 30 (Flowery Branch)
https://www.norinecantor.com

Michael Gordon, HD 49 (Fulton)
https://www.gordon4georgia.org

Gregg Kirkpatrick, HD 21 (Cherokee)
https://www.kirkpatrickforga.com

Judicial

Trey Goodwin, Cherokee Chief Magistrate

GA State Senate

Ben Paul Fremer, SD 32 (challenging incumbent Kay Kirkpatrick)
https://www.benpaulfremer.com

U.S Congress

Michael Pons for 11th Congressional District (Bartow, Cobb, Cherokee, Gordon, & Pickens)
https://www.mikepons.org

GRA Endorses Mike Crane for 3rd Congressional District Republican Primary Race!

GRA Endorses Mike Crane for 3rd Congressional District Republican Primary Race!

Congratulations to former State Senator Mike Crane for winning the GRA’s endorsement last night in the 3rd Congressional District Republican Primary at the West Georgia Republican Assembly Endorsement Convention! 👏 Mike had a stellar record as a state legislator and has served as the 3rd District GA GOP Chairman since leaving office.

We expect that Mike Crane will make a big improvement to current Congressman Drew Ferguson. In 2016, Mike made it into a close runoff with Drew in the Republican primary for the same seat. Last year Ferguson fell under criticism for backing former U.S. Speaker Kevin McCarthy and going back on his pledge on who he would support to elect as McCarthy’s replacement.

We would urge you to get to know Mike better and to support his campaign at https://www.craneforcongress.com/.

Chattooga County GOP Adopts Local Accountability Rule

Chattooga County GOP Adopts Local Accountability Rule

Summerville, GA – Chattooga GOP Chair and GRA Member Jennifer Tudor announced a new bylaw amendment adopted by the county party in early November that specified how the Chattooga County GOP could exercise their accountability power and prevent known RINOs from running on the Republican ballot. Notice of the bylaw change was posted in the local courthouse for all to see. This ruffled quite a few feathers and made front page news in the rural community despite the fact that the Democrat Party of Chattooga County had previously exercised this same power to prevent a candidate from running on the Democrat ballot.

Tudor issued a statement on behalf of the party:

“Republican voters deserve truth and transparency. The Chattooga County GOP believes that when a candidate is labeled a Republican, they ought to represent the principles of the Republican Party such as limited government, low taxes, the right to life, gun rights, etc. (See GAGOP Platform: https://gagop.org/resolutions/).

“Should we be forced to accept a candidate who claims to be Republican but supports abortion, gun control, big government and high taxes?

Struggling families in our community continue to be hurt by high taxes, inflation and wasteful government programs. Deceptive politicians should not be allowed to take advantage of poor, low information voters.

“With this bylaw in effect, the people of Chattooga county can rest confident knowing that, when a candidate runs on the Republican ballot, they will work to truly advance Republican policy.

We believe, as members of the CCRP, we have a responsibility to the voters of Chattooga County to ensure the candidates on their Republican ballots are true Republicans that believe in the Republican platform. We strive to be worthy of this trust and believe this bylaw amendment will equip us to better serve the people of Chattooga County.”

The bylaw amendment establishes a “County Qualifying Committee” whose written approval is required before a candidate may be placed on the Republican ballot.

The statement from the Chattooga GOP also referenced the constitutional authority under which a political party may exercise this power – the First Amendment right to Freedom of Association. The statement included a quote from Justice William Brennan:

Jennifer Tudor and Charles Stoker

“There can be no clearer example of an intrusion into the internal structure or affairs of an association than a regulation that forces the group to accept members it does not desire. Such a regulation may impair the ability of the original members to express only those views that brought them together.”-Roberts v. U.S. Jaycees, 468 U.S. 609 (1984) U.S. Justice Brennan (also quoted by the late U.S. Chief Justice William Rehnquist in the case Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, 530 U.S. 640 (2000)).

“RINO policies hurt real people,” said Nathaniel Darnell from the GRA. “GOP leaders shouldn’t just stand by and watch families and communities be destroyed by harmful policies and politicians masquerading under the Republican label. This is a big win for the accountability movement in our state and we applaud Jennifer and her team for their courage.”

Chattooga County is one of several counties where local Republican Party leaders have indicated they will begin exercising their accountability power and serving as the gatekeeper for the low information voters in their County.

Support our GRA-Endorsed Candidates for GA GOP Executive Committee!

Support our GRA-Endorsed Candidates for GA GOP Executive Committee!

Last week our GRA-endorsed candidates for GA GOP Executive Committee were out in force campaigning around the state.

They broadcasted as a group on The John Fredricks Show Thursday, May 18th, and you can now watch the recording here.

If you’re serving as a delegate or alternate to the GA GOP State Convention in Columbus in June, be sure to support our GRA-endorsed candidates for GA GOP Executive Committee! You can see a list of them on this image here:

Announcing: Our Endorsed Candidates for GA GOP Officers

Announcing: Our Endorsed Candidates for GA GOP Officers

Smyrna, GA — Last Saturday GRA members from across the state gathered at a convention to hear speeches from candidates running for GA GOP officer positions, and then to vote on whether to endorse any of those candidates. The GRA always requires a minimum of a 2/3rds majority from the participating membership in a vote to earn the endorsement, and an option of “no endorsement” is always an option.

Our GRA President Alex Johnsonkicked off the meeting with an excellent “State of the GRA” message, delineating the many accomplishments of the movement so far this GA GOP convention cycle, and the video of that message is now available for you to see on our YouTube channel here:

These GRA accomplishments have gained so much attention even nation-wide that they managed to attract the ire of the ultra uber-liberal New York Times in this article today. We wear the Times‘ attacks as a badge of honor.

Our Vetting Committee reached out to each of the state party candidates in advance and compiled a Vetting Committee report, which is available on our web site here. The participating GRA members voted to hold most of the endorsement votes by secret ballot and to allow for multiple ballots, eliminating the last-place finisher in each round.

We want to thank two of the candidates for Georgia Republican Party State Chairman, Josh McKoon and Rebecca Yardley, for coming in person to the Georgia Republican Assembly Endorsement Convention and asking for the GRA endorsement. Rebecca Yardley’s commitment to use her chairmanship to pressure the General Assembly to get rid of the Dominion machines was very well received. However, the endorsement vote was 123 to 14 in favor of Josh McKoon.

It’s been a good week for former State Senator Josh McKoon’s campaign for Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party. On last Monday, he also won a straw poll of participants at the Cobb GOP Chairman’s Forum, 64%-35% over Rebecca Yardley.

We had many candidates travel from far and wide to participate in our Endorsement Convention, and we appreciate every one of them for coming and giving our members the chance and hear from them. Incumbent GA GOP Secretary Mike Welsh, for example, came with his wife all the way from Augusta, Georgia. Conservative Talk-Show host Brian Prichard from north Georgia also personally came and spoke, as did Brad Barnes from Rome.

Every single candidate who shared helped our members make a more informed decision on who to support in the up-coming GA GOP State Convention, and we thank them one and all.

We were also honored to have a surprise visit from the current GA GOP Chairman David Shaferfrom Gwinnett. Both he and our GRA-endorsed State Senator Colton Moore (Dade) shared messages with our members, which you can watch here:

Click here to watch the message from our current GA GOP Chairman David Shafer.
Click to watch the message from our GRA-endorsed State Senator Colton Moore.

In some of the races, multiple ballots had to be taken before the convention could settle on a winner. Three people are running for GA GOP 1st Vice Chair. So on the third ballot in that race, DeKalb GOP Chairwoman Marci McCarthy received the two-thirds necessary to win the endorsement. She is challenging incumbent B.J. Van Gundy.

In the race for 2nd Vice Chair of the GA GOP, the results were more decisive early on. Even though four candidates are running for that position, incumbent Brant Frost Vwon the endorsement by a ratio of more than 4-to-1 on the first ballot.

When it was all said and done, the GRA members voted for a full slate of endorsed candidates for every GA GOP Executive Committee position and even for the Over 80K and Under 80K Chairs. You can see the full list of our endorsed candidate below:

  • GA GOP Chair: Josh McKoon (former State Senator)
  • 1st Vice Chair: Marci McCarthy (DeKalb GOP Chair)
  • 2nd Vice Chair: Brant Frost V (Incumbent)
  • Secretary: Caroline Jeffords (Fulton GOP Vice Chair)
  • Assistant Secretary: Suzi Voyles (Sandy Springs)
  • TreasurerVikki Consiglio (current GA GOP Assistant Treasurer)
  • Assistant Treasurer: Alton Russell (Columbus)
  • Over 80K Chair: Salleigh Grubbs (Cobb GOP Chair)
  • Under 80K Chair: Chris Mora (Pickens GOP Chair)

We hope that each of these candidates will be successful at bringing the reform so needed in our party: Returning to the principles, making the GOP an organization that opposes socialism in our camp, that confronts bad public policy, and confronts corrupt politicians even if they wear an “R” label. We need the Republican Party to stand up for election integrity, for medical freedom, for the vulnerable lives of the pre-born in the womb, for shielding our citizens from government stealing of our money and liberties, and for many other American principles.

The delegates who will vote on these races to determine if these candidates win election were already chosen at the Georgia Republican county conventions in early March of this year. Many of them are GRA members. They will gather in Columbus, Georgia for the GA GOP State Convention on Friday and Saturday, June 9th & 10th. Early registration for this state convention will be $110 per person. If you are a delegate or alternate to the GA GOP State Convention, and you have not yet pre-registered for the event, you can register at this link.

Beyond these Endorsement Convention results, today the GRA released the first public poll of delegates and alternates to the 2023 GAGOP convention, suggesting that our endorsed candidates have a strong chance of winning. The poll showed McKoon at 43% to 27% for Rebecca Yardley and 4% for Dennis Futch with 26% undecided. 

GRA endorsed GAGOP Second Vice Chairman Brant Frost leads in the poll with 46% to 18% for Ken Carroll and 36% undecided. 

GRA-endorsed candidates Marci McCarthy, Vikki Consiglio, Suzi Voyles, Alton Russell also lead in their races. 

GRA Member Mike Welsh leads fellow GRA Member Caroline Jeffords by 29-18% with a massive 43% undecided.

See the full results of the poll here.

11th & 6th District RA Endorsement Convention Results!

11th & 6th District RA Endorsement Convention Results!

Last Saturday, Republican Assembly members from Cobb, Cherokee, Pickens, Gwinnett, and Fulton counties met to hear speeches and interviews with candidates for District Party office in the 11th and the 6th—and to vote on endorsing many of these candidates!

Videos with the Congressional District GOP Chair & 1st Vice Chair candidates are available to view here and here, respectively. All Chair candidates who were not able to attend in person were also invited to submit a video presentation. Donna Watson, candidate for 6th District GOP Chairwoman, submitted a video on her candidacy, however Dr. Lisa Adkins, who is running for re-election as 11th District Chairwoman did not submit a video. Adkins is being challenged by attorney David Oles who attended. Watson has competition from Jerry Marrinich.

Click to watch the District Chairman Candidate panel.
Attorney David Oles wins the endorsement for 11th District GOP Chairman!

David Oles won the endorsement for 11th District GOP Chairman, but no candidate was able to get the two-thirds votes necessary to win endorsement in the 6th District GOP Chairman’s race.

For the 1st Vice Chairman’s race, attendees heard from Richard Jordan from Cherokee (running for 1st Vice Chairman in the 6th), Chris Mora from Pickens (running for re-election as 1st Vice Chairman in the 11th), and John Beville from Cobb (running for 1st Vice Chairman in the 6th). Absent was Joel Allen from Cobb who has also declared his candidacy in this race. You can watch the video of that candidate panel here.

Richard Jordan won the endorsement for 6th District GOP 1st Vice Chair and Chris Mora won the endorsement for 11th District GOP 1st Vice Chair.

Click to watch the District 1st Vice Chairman Candidate panel.
Attendees listening to the candidates at the
GRA District Endorsement Convention

In addition to these candidates, attendees got to hear stump speeches from candidates for various officer positions in these two District organizations and from candidates for state committee. YouTube initially removed the video of these messages (for violating their “community guidelines” by making reference to election fraud) but it has been restored on our GRA YouTube channel, which you can currently watch here.

Click to see the stump speeches from the other candidates.

Below is a preliminary list of candidates who won endorsement at this Republican Assembly District Endorsement Convention for particular positions.

We hope this list will serve as a helpful guide for strong conservative Republican delegates wanting to get the best GOP leaders elected at the 6th & 11th GOP Congressional District Conventions this coming Saturday, April 22nd.

Endorsed District Candidates:

  • 11th District GOP Chair: David Oles
  • 11th District GOP 1st Vice Chair: Chris Mora
  • 11th District GOP Vice Chairman of Communications: James Dvorak
  • 11th District GOP Vice Chair of Events: No Endorsement
  • 11th District GOP Vice Chair of Fundraising: Kelly Sirios 
  • 11th District GOP Treasurer: Ann Marie Cosway
  • 11th District GOP State Committee from Cherokee: Marcia Cox
  • 11th District GOP State Committee from Cherokee: Sandy Docherty
  • 11th District GOP State Committee from Cherokee: Todd Smith
  • 11th District GOP State Committee from Cherokee: Andy Reprieto
  • 11th District GOP State Committee from Cherokee: James Dvorak
  • 11th District GOP State Committee from Cobb: Alicia Adams
  • 11th District GOP State Committee from Pickens: Carolyn Childers
  • 6th District GOP Chair: No Endorsement
  • 6th District GOP 1st Vice Chair: Richard Jordan
  • 6th District GOP Assistant Secretary: Katie Perry
  • 6th District GOP Vice Chair: Siegfried Jucknies
  • 6th District GOP State Committee from Cobb: Michael Optiz
  • 6th District GOP State Committee from Cobb: Tess Redding
  • 6th District GOP State Committee from Cherokee: Honey Burfield
Josh McKoon Speaks at GRA 11th & 6th District Endorsement Convention

Josh McKoon Speaks at GRA 11th & 6th District Endorsement Convention

Former State Senator Josh McKoon (R-Columbus) dropped by the GRA’s 11th & 6th District Endorsement Convention in Canton on Saturday to stump as a candidate for GA GOP Chairman. GRA members from Cobb County, Cherokee County, Pickens County, Gwinnett County, and Fulton County were gathered there to listen to candidates for 11th and 6th District GA GOP office.

The GRA has not yet endorsed any candidate for state GA GOP Chairman. A state GRA Endorsement Convention has been scheduled for April 29th in Smyrna, Georgia, and all three candidates for GA GOP Chairman have been invited to speak. GRA members may vote to endorse one of them by a two-thirds majority vote. The other two candidates running are Rebecca Yardley (retiring 9th District GA GOP Chairwoman) and Dennis Futch (Colquitt County GOP Chairman), and both of them have been invited to come and share.

You can now see McKoon’s speech at the District Endorsement Convention on the Cobb RA’s YouTube Channel here:

State House Republican Caucus Delivers Surprise Speaker Election Results

State House Republican Caucus Delivers Surprise Speaker Election Results

The Georgia State House Republican Caucus came back to Atlanta a little bit smaller Monday morning. Before last week’s election, the Republican Caucus had been 103 members. But at least two seats (maybe three) were projected to have been lost last week, bringing the size down to no more than 101. One of those lost was GRA-endorsed State Representative Philip Singleton (R-Coweta), whom Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) had vengefully and deliberately thrown under the bus by arranging to redistrict him out of his district, apparently because Ralston would rather give more seats to the Democrats than allow a strong conservative to stay in office.

In fact, the House Republican Caucus has been slowly diminishing under Ralston’s leadership for the last six years. In 2020, Republicans lost five seats in the State House. In 2018, Republicans under David Ralston’s leadership lost nine seats. Not since the election of 2016, when President Donald Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton, have Republicans in the State House not lost seats in their caucus. That year they gained a modest two seats.

How the Republican control of the State House under Ralston has diminished over the last three elections.

During the wave of the T.E.A. Party movement in the first half of the 2010s, Republicans saw steady gains in Georgia and across the country. But as Republicans have failed to live up to the promises of reform made under that movement, Republican voters have become increasingly disillusioned.

Barry Fleming speaks to the caucus

97 of the House Republican Caucus members gathered in Atlanta to vote on who they would support to replace Ralston as Speaker of the Georgia State House. Both State Rep. Jon Burns (R-Newington) and Rep. Barry Fleming (R-Harlem) claimed they had been promised sufficient support by their fellow Republicans to win the election. But the vote was conducted by secret ballot without any way of knowing if someone would violate their pledge.

When the results were announced, members say it was reported that Jon Burns won the vote. However, both candidates agreed not to announce the final tally.

Jon Burns celebrates

Rep. Burns has served as the Majority Leader in the State House since 2015, and he was reported to be Ralston’s pick for his replacement. We hope that Rep. Burns will learn from the errors of his predecessor and allow legislation promoting Republican principles and possessing grassroots support to freely reach the House floor for a debate and vote. Continuing to go to war with conservatives in his own party will only lead to political suicide.

The errors of Mr. Ralston that we hope Mr. Burns learns to avoid are voluminous. Yet last week, the sycophants for Big Government Corporate Cronyism at Peach Pundit attacked us for celebrating Ralston stepping down as Speaker of the House, even accusing us of somehow being “jealous” of him for being so “successful.” That was funny.

Comic of Benedict Arnold,
traitor of patriots in the
War for Independence

To set the record straight: We’re as “jealous” of Ralston as George Washington was jealous of Benedict Arnold in the middle of the War for Independence. Ralston’s been the best player on the Democrat team. Think about it. No Democrat in the state legislature has blocked more Republican principle-led legislation over the last thirteen years than Ralston. No Democrat has passed more Big Government expansions than Ralston. No one in the GRA is jealous of Ralston’s success at promoting the Democrat agenda.

Time would fail us to recount all the things Ralston has done over the last decade to antagonize heroes within the Republican Party and block the advancement of Republican principles from our platform. Earlier this year he attacked our endorsed Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene publicly on the House floor, and Greene really has been a heroine for our principles.

For years Speaker Ralston prevented the Constitutional Carry bill from reaching the floor for a vote, and he attacked former Republican State House Rep. Charles Gregory (R-Cobb) and then later Rep. Matt Gurtler (R-Tiger) and Rep. Colton Moore (R-Dade)(now elected to State Senate) for trying to advance that bill. (He recruited Burt Reeves to run against Gregory, and now Reeves’ district has flipped Democrat.) Only this year when Governor Brian Kemp thew his weight behind Constitutional Carry did Ralston finally relent and allow the bill to come forward for a vote. 

During the pandemic, Ralston harassed fellow Republicans such as Rep. David Clark (R-Suwanee) to get tested, be contact traced, and wear a mask just to be able to perform the role they were elected to do on the House floor, even when they had no symptoms of any illness—the folly of which measures are only now being fully realized. 

Herschel Walker

Speaker Ralston shoved down our throats legislation that many Republicans and conservatives had great alarms over (e.g., the recent “Mental Health Parity” bill). Meanwhile, he blocked legislation to enact real election integrity reform to prevent cheating, making it hard for those of us who have been volunteering at the polls to be able to catch all the ways Democrats may attempt to cheat in these elections. As a result, it is possible that because of David Ralston’s actions Herschel Walker could have been cheated out of a win in the U.S. Senate race. How can we motivate activists to push for a runoff when so many have doubts about election integrity?

But perhaps the worst of all, although Speaker David Ralston had promised before he was elected Speaker that he would allow one pro-life bill per year, for most of the thirteen years he was Speaker he blocked legislation that would have saved the lives of tens of thousands of preborn babies!

Former State Senator Mike Crane

Beyond that, he also twice blocked legislation that would have simply said we don’t have to pay for abortion murder with our tax dollars. For these alone, Ralston has blood on his hands before God. He has made himself an enemy of God, an enemy of the helpless (and God has harsh words in the Bible for those who pervert justice for the helpless), and an obstacle of heroes such as former State Senator Mike Crane (R-Coweta) (now 3rd Congressional District GA GOP Chairman) who bravely brought forward the legislation in 2012 and 2013 that would have permanently ended that tax subsidizing of abortion. (Governor Nathan Deal provided only a temporary solution.)

As Proverbs 29:2 says, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” Ralston’s sickness ought to be a warning to others who act as he does that God is just, and just as the Scriptures tell us that God providentially brought sickness upon King Asa and King Herod of old, God sometimes even today brings sickness upon His enemies to stop them from furthering harm.

And we haven’t even brought up the criminal victims who never got their day in court because of the endless case postponements Ralston was able to get as an attorney for his clients while Speaker. As the AJC reported, “Ralston has tied up cases for clients charged with child molestation, child cruelty, assault, terroristic threats, drunk driving and other crimes.”

In short, David Ralston has been the worst thing in Georgia Republican politics over the last thirteen years. Let the newly elected Speaker Jon Burns take note and not repeat his evils.

Key Wins Vindicate Stalwart Republican Fighters!

Key Wins Vindicate Stalwart Republican Fighters!

Although several races are still unresolved, true conservatives had some prominent victories to celebrate after last night’s election.

The biggest win was Governor Ron DeSantis‘ sweeping a 59.4% win in Florida over Democrat Charlie Crist. If you watched the gubernatorial debate between DeSantis and Crist, you saw how vicious and numerous Crist’s attacks were against DeSantis on every issue near to the heart of liberals. For example, Crist accused DeSantis of wanting to take away women’s “choice in healthcare” for abortion while simultaneously saying he believed “in science” and thus in keeping the state in lockdown and forcing vaccine mandates and mask mandates. Crist said he unlike DeSantis believed in exposing children to drag queens and indoctrinating children in trans nonsense which encourages them to mutilate their bodies before they can appreciate the long-term impact. Yadayadayada.

But the Democrat’s agenda at war with reality was resoundingly rejected in the person of Ron DeSantis last night. DeSantis is not a Republican afraid of controversy and of advancing the GOP platform principles. He is not afraid to fight the culture war. He won the Hispanic vote, he won Miami Dade County for the first time for the GOP in virtually two decades, and he effectively made Florida no longer a swing state but a solid red state with the trickle-down impact of his candidacy’s coat-tails for other Republican races in the state.

Abrams & Kemp

In Georgia, our incumbent Governor Brian Kemp, who hasn’t been as strident as DeSantis, but who was at least courageous enough to also re-open our state at the height of the COVID lockdowns and pass Constitutional Carry, also won a firm victory of 53.4% to 45.8% against radical liberal Stacey Abrams. Sadly, however, Kemp’s win did not help down-ballot races in Georgia the same way DeSantis did in Florida. As a result, Herschel Walker is headed to a runoff with Democrat Raphael Warnock on December 6th.

The GRA saw many wins for our endorsed candidates across the ballot. Among the victories, our endorsed candidate for 14th Congressional District Marjorie Taylor Greene won with 65.88% of the vote, and our endorsed candidate Bruce Thompson won his race for Labor Commissioner with 52.11 percent. In the State House, our endorsed candidates Mitchell Horner (District 3), Charlice Byrd (District 20), Jordan Ridley (District 22), and David Clarke (District 100) had strong wins. Although our endorsed candidate and attorney Catherine Bernard did not win in her race in the liberal heart of DeKalb County, she ran an admirable campaign that forced the Democrats to sweat and spend resources in a district that many other Republicans would write-off.

Burt Jones & family

In the State Senate, our three endorsed candidates won their races, including Colton Moore (District 53). State Senator Burt Jones won election with over 2 million votes as the new Lieutenant Governor, replacing the lousy Geoff Duncan.

These developments, combined with Speaker David Ralston‘s announced resignation as Speaker of the State House, means that the Georgia General Assembly could be moving in a much more conservative direction next year, more friendly to advancing the concerns of the grassroots.