NEWNAN, Ga. (AP) — Backed by Donald Trump, Republican Brian Jack is trying to muscle his way to the nomination for an open congressional seat in Georgia based on his alignment with the former president and other national GOP figures.
But opponent Mike Dugan argues that Jack’s Washington insider status is a liability, saying voters should favor his “Georgian values” instead.
Jack, 36, is from Peachtree City and worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign and served as White House political director for four years. He then worked for then-Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy.
That experience not only earned Jack support from Trump, but also a fundraiser from McCarthy and other leading Republicans in Congress. Now, in the final week, a parade of congressional notables are coming 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, will start working for him on Thursday.
“In me you have someone who has worked alongside President Trump for the last eight years, someone who has supported President Trump, someone who trusts President Trump as an ally of America First,” Jack said Monday after a meeting in Newnan with Jordan . “I think this is what our congressional district wants.”
Dugan, the 60-year-old former Senate majority leader, argued in a debate at the Atlanta Press Club on Sunday that voters should favor his experience as a decision-maker and coalition builder, noting that Jack has only helped those who made decisions. Dugan also claims that Jack is a “DC insider” whose ties to Georgia have deteriorated since he moved to college, noting that Jack’s donations primarily come from out of state.
“So, do you want someone who has 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’s from DC, have you been there the whole time since they graduated?
Both men are trying to push 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 Republican U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson, who is stepping down after four terms.
The 3rd District hugs the Alabama state line, from Carrollton south to Columbus, and borders the southern suburbs of Atlanta eastward, with Republicans typically winning about two-thirds of the vote, according to the Princeton Gerrymandering Project.
Democrat Maura Keller is waiting to be the Republican Party’s nominee in November after defeating Val Almonord in that party’s May 21 primary.
The second round remained mostly civil, with both men launching some tentative attacks but not really putting any pressure on them. On Sunday, for example, Jack knocked Dugan for voting for a 2015 road funding package under pressure from Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, calling it “the largest tax increase in Georgia history.”
Dugan countered by noting that lawmakers had passed multiple tax cuts or rebates during his time in the Senate.
“I’m quite proud of reducing the tax burden on Georgians,” Dugan said.
There are some differences between the candidates. Jack expresses support for Trump’s plan for “the largest domestic deportation in America’s history” to remove immigrants who entered the country illegally. Dugan supports plans to “close” the border, but said Sunday that the U.S. should do so too
“Once that border is closed, we need to look long and hard at immigration reform because we need new people coming into the country,” Dugan said. “We need skills that we don’t have. readily available in the quantities 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, both endorsed Jack and came out ahead of him on Monday. Dugan points to the endorsements of a number of senators he served with.
Dugan won only his home base of Carroll County in the May 21 primary, but said Sunday he believes he can reverse the momentum in the runoff.
“We’ve seen more than this before,” Dugan said during the debate. “In my first race I was behind by a bigger number and came back.”
