Jekyll Island, GA—Congratulations to all of the GRA members participating in the GAGOP elections today, as candidates and delegates! We are excited to report that two of our leading endorsed candidates for state-wide party office have once again won election: David Shafer and Brant Frost V were both overwhelmingly re-elected for GA GOP Chairman and 2nd Vice Chairman, respectively. Each of them received a more than super-majority of the standing vote at the state convention in Jekyll Island.

Last Monday, the GRA membership met online via Zoom for an live electronic endorsement convention with members from across the state. Participants were able to pose questions to each of the candidates online. Using the online system Runkeeper, GRA members were able to cast ballots in favor of endorsing each of the contested GA GOP officer candidates, the Over 80,000 Chair candidates, and the Under 80,000 Chair candidates. The system enables users to pre-cast their initial ballot as well as any secondary or tertiary ballots in the case of a runoff between multiple candidates. As usual under the rules of the GRA, a candidate can only be endorsed if he or she receives at least a two-thirds majority vote of the participating GRA membership.

Brant Frost V (who also serves as the 1st Vice President of the GRA) was the only candidate endorsed on the first ballot. Pamela Rearden earned the endorsement for 1st Vice Chair of the GA GOP in her race on the third ballot; Shafer received the endorsement for GA GOP Chairman on the third ballot as well.

In a three-way contest this Saturday, endorsee Pamela Reardon ran a strong campaign for 1st Vice Chair and received the second-highest number of votes, but ultimately lost to Establishment-candidate B.J. Van Gundy. GRA member Surrea Ivy received a standing ovation at the state convention during her exceptional speech in the GA GOP Chairman’s race, ultimately coming in second. Jason Shepherd was another GRA member who has in many ways made some strides for improvement in Cobb County as the former county Chairman, but he came in third place in the race for GA GOP Chairman.

David Shafer and Brant Frost V were also endorsed by the GRA two years ago when they each first won election for state party office. Over the last two years Brant Frost’s hard work substantially increased his margin of victory from his more narrow win in 2019.

David Shafer ran in 2019 under a pledge to raise funds and cut spending to get the GA GOP out of debt—something GRA leaders on the state committee had been pushing for over six years! Shafer made good on his promise, having the debt paid off by March of 2020. Shafer also promised to do something else the GRA has been pushing for years: allow the GA GOP to establish its first ever state party platform. Not only did Shafer accomplish that, but he appointed prominent GRA members such as former State Senator Mike Crane, Kay Godwin, and GRA 3rd Vice President Nathaniel Darnell to the committee to draft the platform, and he appointed Brant Frost V to Chair that Resolutions Committee. He also appointed GRA President Alex Johnson to the GA GOP’s standing Rules Committee. In addition to this, Shafer helped to setup party organizations in all of Georgia’s 159 counties for the first time ever. This track record of working with the GRA to promote its objectives, rather than against the GRA as the two previous GA GOP Chairs have done, had a lot to do with why he earned their endorsement once again.

We appreciate all the GRA members who offered themselves as candidates at the state convention and were willing to serve. We look forward to continuing to elect the best candidates to positions of influence in the GA GOP who will prove themselves eager to work to help us promote Republican principles in Georgia.