A Republican operative is running for Congress in Georgia with Trump’s blessing. Will it be enough?
NEWNAN, Ga. — Brian Jack came home to Georgia with the support of former President Donald Trump and a stack of Washington contacts. Now all he has to do is close the sale with GOP primary voters in the safely Republican 3rd Congressional District as he runs for office for the first time.
On the tree stump, Jack emphasizes his close ties to Trump at every opportunity. He worked on his 2016 presidential campaign and served as White House political director for four years. Jack is the main fundraiser, and his television ads so far consist of Trump praising him. In one, there is a clip from an appearance in Atlanta in which Trump called Jack “a MAGA man.”
“I am so proud to not only have President Trump’s support, but to have worked for him for the past eight years.” Jack said during a performance in Columbus on April 23. “And I helped him build that America First agenda. I helped him campaign for it in 2016. I helped him carry it out during the four years I served at his side in the White House.”
Trump’s support has proven strong in Republican primaries across the country. But Trump’s nod is not a certainty in Georgia. Six candidates Trump backed for office in 2022 lost Republican primaries in the state, including former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, who faced incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp in his challenge.
His opponents are reluctant to attack Trump, but note Jack’s later work for then-Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, in which he suggested that the 36-year-old Peachtree City resident is more a creature of Washington than the Third Congressional District of Georgia.
“The Congress is sent there to represent the people; it was not sent there to represent any specific politician,” said Philip Singleton, a former state representative, at an April 8 forum in Fayetteville. “And so you have to understand that my establishment opponent in this race, his credentials are that he is Trump’s guy. and he has been politically active for 16 years. You don’t need people up there serving the political elite in Washington.”
The 3rd District hugs the Alabama state line from Carrollton south to Columbus and hooks east into the southern suburbs of Atlanta. It is represented for four terms by Drew Ferguson, who is stepping down after failing to make progress in Republican leadership in the House of Representatives. Ferguson has always been conservative, but not a right-wing rabble-rouser.
Jack has four Republican opponents in the May 21 primary: former Secretary of State Mike Crane and Mike Dugan, Republican activist Jim Bennett and Singleton, who is now congressional chief of staff. Dugan points to his achievements as a former Senate majority leader to suggest he can get things done, while the other three have taken positions in Jack’s favor on issues like abortion.
The race has been fairly civil so far, but a runoff on June 18, necessary if no one wins a majority, could see sharper attacks. The Republican candidate will face the winner of the Democratic primary, Val Almonord or Maura Keller.
Many voters are not paying attention to the elections, which are likely to have low turnout. Some who are tuned in, like Newnan resident Lisa Gunter, said Trump’s nod isn’t the only factor she’s considering.
“It carries a little bit of weight in terms of what he says,” Gunter, a freelance paralegal, said of Trump’s support of Jack.
More important, Gunter said, is someone who will deliver on promises to bring change to Washington, saying, “I’m so ready for the house to be cleaned.”
“They’re all basically saying the same thing,” Gunter said. “It’s just a matter of who goes out there and does what I want them to do.”
Candidates are trying to capitalize on the discontent among Republican primaries in various ways. Dugan, who takes a slightly more moderate path, argues that he can bring people together. He notes that while he was majority leader, the Senate cut taxes, imposed sharp restrictions on abortion and shortened the period to request an absentee ballot and limited ballot drop boxes.
Singleton, who was redistricted from the state House by Republican leaders after proving to be a thorn in their side, vows he is willing to fight to balance the budget and not compromise conservative principles. Singleton said if the legislation detracts from how he sees freedom and liberty, “I’m there to oppose and push back on those things.”
Crane has appealed to religious conservatives, underscoring his longstanding opposition to abortion and arguing that political reform can only come from a moral rebirth.
“The Lord called me to Washington, but I didn’t. He called you. He called us. He called himself to Washington,” Crane told the crowd in Fayetteville on April 8. “Washington will be fixed not only when we drain the swamp, but also when we fill it with justice.”
Bennett has been in the race the longest and says he was motivated to run because of his unhappiness with Ferguson. It is the least funded, having raised just $38,000 through March 31. Jack has raised the most, at $623,000, with major contributions from political committees led by McCarthy and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Crane has raised $505,000, while Dugan has raised $268,000 and Singleton $143,000.
But Jack entered the race late and it’s not clear whether his financial advantage is big enough to win the May 21 primary outright. The other candidates guess not and position themselves for a second round.
“I don’t need to convince people not to vote for Brian Jack,” Singleton said. “No one knows who Brian Jack is.”