NEWNAN, Georgia – Backed by Donald Trump, Republican Brian Jack is trying to pave the way for nomination to an open Georgia congressional seat based on his alignment with the former president and other national Republican Party figures.
But opponent Mike Dugan argues that Jack’s Washington status is a risk, saying voters should prefer his “Georgia values.”
Jack, 36, was born in Peachtree City and worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign and served for four years as White House political director. After that, he worked for the then-president of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy.
This experience brought Jack not only an endorsement from Trump, but also fundraising from McCarthy and other top congressional Republicans. Now, in the final week, he is bringing a parade of congressional notables to campaign for him, including Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan on Monday. Another of Jack’s former bosses, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, is scheduled to defend him on Thursday.
“In me, you have someone who has worked alongside President Trump for the last eight years, someone who President Trump has supported, someone who President Trump trusts to be an ally to America First,” Jack said Monday after a rally in Newnan with Jordan. “I think that’s what our congressional district wants.”
Dugan, the 60-year-old former state Senate majority leader, argued in a Sunday debate at the Atlanta Press Club that voters should prefer his experience as a decision-maker and coalition builder, noting that Jack only helped those who made decisions. Dugan also argues that Jack is a “D.C. insider” whose ties to Georgia have frayed since he moved away for college, noting that Jack’s donations have mostly come from out of state.
“So you want someone who has actually lived here in the district, who has worked in the district, whose family is here in the district?” Dugan told reporters after the debate. “Or do you want someone who came from D.C., has been there the whole time since they graduated college?
Both men are trying to get voters to the polls ahead of what could be a very low turnout in the June 18 runoff. The winner will be the favorite to succeed the Republican US Representative Drew Fergusonwho is leaving office after four terms.
The 3rd District spans the Alabama state line from Carrollton south to Columbus and runs east to the southern suburbs of Atlanta, with Republicans typically winning about two-thirds of the vote, according to the Princeton Gerrymandering Project .
Democrat Maura Keller is awaiting the Republican Party nomination in November after defeating Val Almonord in that party’s May 21 primary.
The second round was quite polite, with both men throwing some tentative attacks but not really putting pressure on them. On Sunday, for example, Jack criticized Dugan for voting in favor of a 2015 highway funding package pushed by Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, calling it “the biggest tax increase in Georgia history.”
Dugan defended himself by noting that lawmakers passed several tax cuts or rebates during his time in the state Senate.
“I’m very proud of reducing the tax burden on Georgians,” Dugan said.
The candidates have some differences. Jack expresses support for Trump’s plan for “the largest domestic deportation in American history” to remove immigrants who entered the country illegally. Dugan supports plans to “close” the border, but said Sunday the U.S. also needs to
“Once the border is closed, we’re going to need to take a good look at immigration reform, because we need to, because we need new people coming into the country,” Dugan said. “We need skill sets that we don’t have readily available in the numbers we need here in the US”
Jack won nearly 47% of the vote in the May primary, while Dugan won nearly 25%. The third- and fourth-place finishers, former state senator Mike Crane and former state representative Philip Singleton, supported Jack, cheering him on Monday. Dugan points to endorsements from several state senators with whom he served.
Dugan won only his home base, Carroll County, in the May 21 primary, but said Sunday he believes he can change the dynamics in the runoff.
“We’ve fallen further than this before,” Dugan said during the debate. “In my first race, I lost a bigger number and came back.”
