By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist
“Georgia was a place in 2020 where we watched three statewide elected officials stand up and protect the vote, protect the will of the voters.” — Joanna Lydgate, CEO of States United Action.
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. | Brad Raffensperger is a consistent, true to his values, old school GOP conservative. He has articulated clear positions that are consistent with that fact.
Raffensperger is an Atlanta area business owner who served in local government and then as state representative. He is highly qualified, as opposed to candidate Rick Jackson, who has never served in government and is spending $50 million of his fortune to get elected.
But Raffensperger is best known for his commendable actions after the 2020 election. Along with Gov. Brian Kemp, another traditional conservative, he prevented the fraudulent attempt to steal the 2020 election by refusing to find Trump “11,780 votes.”
He ran in the GOP primary for Secretary of State in 2022 against Rep. Jody Hice, an extreme MAGA candidate and election denier. Trump, who has never accepted the free and fair Georgia 2020 election, strongly endorsed Hice. Raffensperger obtained 52 percent of the GOP vote and went on to win the general election.
So, what are Raffensperger’s conservative views on the issues? Unsurprisingly, he wants to cut property taxes, especially for seniors. He also wants to do away with the state’s income taxes while ending selected corporate tax breaks.
He also wants to expand the questionable private school tuition program, which primarily helps upper income people with kids in religiously affiliated schools. Under the existing program, parents can obtain $6,500 per child enrolled. That is about half of what tuition runs.
He pushes job creation in several ways. Raffensperger proposes to create a Georgia Jobs Fund to encourage businesses to relocate here.
His remaining policies are very consistent with the MAGA line. For example, he desires to end any vestiges of “woke” in schools. He also proposes strengthening law enforcement in schools, increasing School Resource Officers. However, Raffensperger desires to protect the rights of gun owners, although more children die of firearms than any other cause.Raffensperger also endorses the deportation of “criminal aliens.”
At the time of Raffensperger’s 2022 victory, Republican consultant Chip Lake stated: “This is the biggest political comeback I’ve seen in this state.” Looking at the issues and his strong conservative record, in normal times, Raffensperger would be the leading candidate for the GOP.
However, President Trump’s hostility to Raffensperger remains to this day. In the race for governor, the question is “Can Raffensperger pull off another primary upset?” With four people running for this nomination, there will most likely be a run-off. For Raffensperger, going up against the MAGA vote will be a tough haul.
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