ATLANTA – Five Republicans running for Georgia’s open 3rd Congressional District seat took turns touting their conservative credentials Sunday during a televised debate sponsored by the Atlanta Press Club.
Former state Sens. Mike Crane and Mike Dugan, former state Rep. Philip Singleton, businessman Jim Bennett, and Brian Jack, who served as an aide in the Trump White House, are vying to succeed U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson, R-West Point, who is not seeking reelection.
The winner of the GOP nomination will face one of two Democrats competing for the seat in November in the heavily Republican district in west-central Georgia.
With no substantial differences on issues, the five Republican hopefuls sought to distinguish themselves by their accomplishments.
Jack, who served as political director in the Trump administration and has been endorsed by the former president, said he played a role in securing America’s southern border against illegal immigrants, cutting taxes, and appointing three conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court who helped overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.
“I don’t think anybody trusts Joe Biden to secure our border,” Jack said. “We’ve got to build more border wall and support the largest domestic deportation program in our nation’s history.”
Dugan, who served as state Senate majority leader for four years, cited a list of Republican successes in the General Assembly on his watch, including passage of the “heartbeat bill,” essentially a ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy and an overhaul of Georgia election laws. He said he wrote the “divisive concepts” bill prohibiting teaching U.S. history in a way that might make any student feel guilty or that they are superior or inferior to anyone else because of their race.
If elected to Congress, Dugan said his first priority would be to push for legislation prohibiting members of Congress from trading stocks.
Crane said the U.S. should close its southern border and criticized the Biden administration for failing to do so.
“We went from a secure border to an invasion within just a few years,” he said.
Singleton said he championed gun-rights legislation while serving in the Georgia House, including a bill allowing Georgians to carry concealed firearms without a permit. He said he also pushed for a ban on “sanctuary cities” that refuse to prosecute illegal immigrants.
Singleton rejected the idea that Congress is so divided it can’t get anything done.
“It’s about building relationships,” he said. “What you want is cooperation, not compromise, You never want to compromise your principles.”
Bennett said that as a businessman, he sees a need for government deregulation. He said he supports legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., requiring Congress to vote on any proposed regulation that would impact America’s economy by more than $100 million.
Bennett also criticized former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., for leaving Congress after being ousted from the speakership last fall.
“People need to stop quitting their jobs and finish the job they started,” Bennett said.
All five candidates raised their hands when asked if they believe Trump was the rightful winner in Georgia in the 2020 election. They also indicated with a unanimous show of hands that they support U.S. aid to help Israel wage its war in Gaza but oppose continued assistance to Ukraine.