Columnist offers his thoughts on the candidates in the election
by Ben Baker
By request – My thoughts on the election and the candidates.
Some people have asked my opinion about who is running for office in the coming primary. Here ya go, but first a few things:
Early voting starts April 27 and goes through May 15. Election Day is May 19.
Local races are not covered here. Local races are people you know. Go, talk to them.
Now a disclaimer:
1) You do not have to read this, any of it. I am not telling you who you should vote for.
2) I was asked to do this by more than a few people.
3) This is my opinion – researched, thought-out and educated, but still my opinion.
4) You may have a different opinion. Good.
5) Vote.
6) Voters get the government they asked for. The problem is, most voters do not understand what they are asking for.
7) There is no 7.
*) How I state my voting preference for each person is indicated in how I type it. An all uppercase YES or NO is hard, solid, determined and as close to an endorsement or rejection as I’m gonna get. Spelled Yes or No, I’m certain of my decision, but not an endorsement. A Maybe or maybe means I need more information, which I could not find.
SOME GENERAL INFO
Every person running for governor, Lt. governor and the US Senate got a personal invite from me to come to Ashburn. We’d sit down, have a recorded interview and other newspaper reporters could come over and ask questions.
Only Jonathan McColumn showed up. Two others expressed an interest, but dropped it. The rest?
They. Do. Not. Care.
D PARTY
A general overview – Ds want to take our guns. They rarely meet a tax they do not like. They want more government spending. They like programs that promote people based on ancestry, gender and etc. v. promoting people based on ability. This promotion stuff leads to a watering down of the standards.
A great example of how this affects us is the international education rankings. We are sliding down. Why? An insistence that all children should be at the same level and if they are not, put ‘em there anyway. Whether they can perform or not is irrelevant. Talk to some teachers. They pass students who should fail. Why? The teachers would otherwise get fired.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/…/education-rankings…
For United States Senate
Jon Ossoff – Incumbent – No!
He is the only one running for US Senate on the D ballot. What has he done while in office? Driven up the national debt. Broke campaign promises.
https://www.thefp.com/p/the-democrats-who-attack-billionaires-but-take-their-money
https://giffords.org/candidates/jon-ossoff-2/
For Governor
Keisha Lance Bottoms – No!
Her idea of a better Georgia involves more taxes, for some. She has no real plans to rein in government spending. Her political association history shows her joining forces with people who want more government spending, which means more taxes.
She is a career politician and is out of touch with the average Georgian.
https://newrepublic.com/article/208516/inside-democrats-ambitious-controversial-new-tax-proposals
https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/politics-government/article315252715.html
Olu Brown – No.
He favors increasing socialized medicine. If you think government does a good job managing healthcare, speak to a few dozens vets about the VA.
He is a retired pastor – no issues with that. He is 47, which does make me wonder a lot. Why did he quit? The passion of Christ is “I will never leave nor forsake you.” Too many ministers are of the opinion, “I’m outta here!” The Atlanta church he founded with 25 members is now a MegaChurch. Jesus would not be in a MegaChurch.
He wants to dictate how businesses can run.
On the positive side, he’s never held an elected office.
Amanda Duffy – Probably no.
Not a lot of info about her. She is not being taken seriously by Georgia’s major media outlets. That counts in her favor.
She is an average Georgia mom, which greatly counts in her favor.
She is in favor of more taxes. I absolutely will not support that.
If I vote in the D primary for governor, I will vote for her.
https://www.duffyforgeorgia.com
Geoff Duncan – No.
Former Lt. governor. He had his time in office and needs to step back. We do not need career politicians. His website is mostly begging for money for his campaign.
He supports increasing government-run healthcare.
His announced plans will increase taxes. He has more details to his plans than many of the others, which translates into maybe more taxes than his D colleagues are willing to say they support.
https://www.macon.com/news/politics-government/article314575581.html
Jason Esteves – No.
Like the others, his plans will increase taxes. He wants more government involvement in health care. In the State Senate, he pushed for more government spending. He’s also had enough time in elected office.
https://www.jasonesteves.com/priorities/
https://senatepress.net/category/senate-press/jason-esteves
Derrick Jackson – No!
Another wanna be career politician. He wants to tell small businesses how they have to operate. He wants government to be more involved in healthcare. His website states, “We will prioritize justice, safety, and public health—not politics. Together, we’ll rewrite the laws to reflect the values and future Georgians truly deserve.” This is politician speak for “Bend over and you’re gonna be there for a while.” A $27 per hour minimum wage, as he proposes, will close small businesses everywhere. Those businesses that remain will quickly hike prices to cover Jackson’s wage and other business-killing policies.
https://www.votederrickjackson.org
Michael “Mike” Thurmond – No.
Career politician, former Georgia Labor Commissioner. Wants government MORE involved in your life. Like those above, Thurmond is of the opinion you are not fully qualified to run your own life and make decisions for yourself.
https://www.facebook.com/mike.thurmond1/
For Lieutenant Governor
In Georgia, the Lt. Governor is pretty much a figurehead. Very little real responsibility, few duties. This office is seen as a stepping stone to higher offices.
No on all three, but not a hard no either. Not much difference in the three as they can’t do much good or bad.
Josh McLaurin
Nabilah Parkes
Richard N. Wright
For Secretary of State
The most important thing the Secretary of State does from the general public’s view is to handle the elections. In that regard, the Secretary of State does not do very much. The staff takes care of running things. The SOS shows up, stands around for pictures and takes credit for the accomplishments of others.
Anything of real impact and substance coming out of the SOS office requires an act of the General Assembly.
So, it doesn’t matter who you vote for here. Flip a coin.
Cam Ashling
Dana Barrett
Penny Brown Reynolds
Adrian Consonery, Jr.
For Attorney General
Georgia’s AG mostly takes credit for arrests made by law enforcement and convictions made by the court system. The AG does offer opinions from time to time, but opinions are only that.
The AG does have a hand in defending Georgia against various lawsuits. That’s it.
If you write to the AG for help with anything, no matter the party, one of 2 things will happen:
1) Nothing. This is what will happen when you request help.
2) The AG will fire up the law machine and go after whoever you have a problem with. This will happen if you are a very politically influential person in Atlanta, Macon, Columbus or Savannah. The only person south of Macon who could possibly get a Democrat AG to pay attention and do something is the late Eunice Mixon from Tifton. As she is gone, S. Georgia does not exist any more to the AG.
Doesn’t matter. Flip a coin.
Tanya Miller
Robert “Bob” Trammell
For Commissioner of Agriculture
Since Tommy Irvin is gone, the Commissioner of Ag’s office has lost a lot of its bite and power. Tommy held that power because he was there so long and was so politically connected. Some farmers will vehemently disagree with me on this. That is good. I stand by my opinion.
Doesn’t matter. Flip a coin.
Katherine E. Juhan-Arnold
Sedrick Kent Rowe, Jr.
For Commissioner of Insurance
Pretty much a carbon copy of the SOS, AG and etc. The Commissioner takes credit for other people’s work. The Insurance Office has some limited control over insurance companies. Again, major reforms require an act of the Legislature. You might, and I stress might, get some help in a fight with your insurance company.
Doesn’t matter Flip a coin.
Clarence Blalock
Thomas Dean
Ambuj “AJ” Jain
DeAndre Mathis
Keisha Sean Waites
For State School Superintendent
A state-level school superintendent. Bound to do what the Board directs, except at the state level, this person has even less power. Major reforms must be done by the state legislature.
Doesn’t matter. Flip a coin. If you must pick, watch which candidates are endorsed by the teachers’ unions. Then, pick someone else.
Anton Anthony
Lydia Powell
Otha Thornton
For Commissioner of Labor
Yet another case of a figurehead. See above. Grab that coin and throw it in the river and you will see how much your vote in this election matters.
Brett A. Hulme
Jason Moon
Nikki Porcher
Michelle Michi Sanchez
Christian Wise Smith
For Public Service Commissioner
NOW WE ARE GETTING SOMEWHERE! Woot! The PSC has real power (no pun intended).
The Public Service Commission, all Rs, voted to let Georgia Power hike power rates while still paying huge executive salaries. The Rs also let Ga Power build a nuke plant without putting in cost overrun safeguards. The PSC could have. They could have said, if the costs go over budget, we will cut Ga Power’s profits and executive salaries dollar for dollar with the overrun budget.
Now, ALL Ga Power customers are paying for this well-past-due and waaaaaay-over-budget nuclear plant, even though most of us will not ever use power from it.
District 3
Peter Hubbard – incumbent – NO!
But… Unfortunately, this post comes down to the R candidate and this guy. You have a Hobson’s Choice here. That said, I’d rather have Hubbard than a R.
He voted to keep stuff secret. In other words, he doesn’t want you to know what your power bill is gonna rise to.
https://www.nrdc.org/press-releases/georgia-psc-vote-keeps-public-dark-about-energy-rates
For Public Service Commissioner District 5
Pick one. In the last PSC election, we got rid of 2 of the Rs who voted for your Georgia Power rates to go up. Now we have a chance to get rid of another one.
Take your pick. They cannot be worse than the one in office now.
Craig Cupid
Shelia Edwards
Angelia Pressley
For United States House of Representatives – District 8
Eh. Either one of these will be beholden to the D Agenda just as Austin Scott (R) is beholden to the R agenda. Aside from the issue of gun control which the D favor, not a lot of difference between the R & D on this one.
Pick one. They both want more government telling you how to run your life.
Kelly Esti
Justin M. Lucas
State Democratic Party Questions
These are non-binding and are only on the ballot to make voters think they can help guide the D party. These questions do not matter. Vote or not, it is all the same. Gonna leave ‘em out for brevity purposes.
You can read all the questions and a simple explanation of each one here.
OFFICIAL REPUBLICAN BALLOT
The right and left wing are on the same bird. The R&D agree far more often than they disagree. The biggest disagreements are often smoke screens to draw our attention away from things that truly matter AND from things we really want done.
For instance, why won’t Congress let Georgia go to 1 time year round? We want it. Yet the Rs in Congress will not approve it and make us change our clocks twice a year.
In Georgia, the Rs have made progress in cutting our tax burden. You need a magnifying glass to see it, but it is there. The Rs have also worked to make sure our gun rights are protected.
For United States Senate
Earl L. “Buddy” Carter – No.
Another career politician. He’s had his time in office and frankly, it has not been very impressive. He does not need to hold another elected office. We need to get rid of entrenched politicians.
https://www.facebook.com/CongressmanBuddyCarter/
Mike Collins – NO!
“After his election, Collins drew attention for hiring Brandon Phillips as his chief of staff. Phillips was arrested in November 2022 on a charge of animal cruelty for kicking a dog, and had previous criminal incidents, including pleading guilty to criminal trespassing and battery for a 2008 incident when he attacked a man and slashed his car’s tires, and threw a woman’s laptop, in addition to a separate incident of pulling his gun on a woman.” I really do not need to know any more.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Collins_(politician)
John F. Coyne III – No.
Honestly, I do not know if what follows is about him. I found a case where an Atlanta homeowner’s association sued a John F. Coyne III for “unpaid assessments, fines, and attorney fees.” Is this the person running for office? I think so as his name is very unusual and he is married to a Pam, also listed in the suit. I think homeowner associations are idiotic and too many times run by power-tripping boards worried about grass being a centimeter too high. That said, people are not forced to buy property ruled by an HOA and it does appear Coyne had some issues with dues, which he agreed to. His appeal was tossed.
When you give your word, stand by it.
https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/684fe28eb4f6ec7bf733f216
Derek Dooley – ?
Being Vince Dooley’s son is NOT a sufficient reason to do anything except be Vince’s son. It does NOT make a person qualified to hold elected office. Most of the stuff I find points to his football career. That also does not qualify a person for elected office. His campaign promises sound a bit weak.
https://www.dooleyforgeorgia.com
Jonathan “Jon” McColumn – Yes!
Retired General McColumn is well spoken, has a definite plan and speaks well to the values I hold – lower taxes, support for our veterans, no more gun control and less government regulation. I interviewed him for about 45 minutes in my office. He is the ONLY person to follow through for an interview.
https://jonathanmccolumn.com/jonathans-perspective/
For Governor
Chris Carr – NO!
As Attorney General, Carr ran on a platform of holding government accountable. He did NOT, unless the government was Atlanta, Columbus, Macon or Savannah and you were not his friend. Too many people contacted the AG to complain about how their local government was breaking the law. The most his office ever did was write a letter, almost an apology for even writing the letter, to Doughtery County calling them naughty (wink. Wink). Some of you may remember I took the Ashburn City Council to court and won. Carr? Had less than no interest in pursuing the case. He is ONLY interested in pursuing his career, not doing what is right for Georgia.
No links cause I have enough personal information and contact with him.
Clark Dean – Ehhh, maybe.
Of the R candidates, I like Dean the most. “Because here’s the thing, if we can reduce the cost of government by 25 to 30%, then that’s like $15 to $16 billion a year in value.”
I like what he says. He offers some good ideas. Follow-through remains to be seen.
Rick Jackson – NO!
NO! In 30-foot high flaming letters on the side of a mountain NO! We do not need a billionaire in the Governor’s office. We do not need someone who, despite how he grew up, has lost touch with the average Georgian and brags about his wealth and influence get him things. We do not need someone who cannot be bothered with the needs of rural South Georgia.
We do not need someone who cheats the government either.
“According to the US Attorney’s Office, Salko was retained by a company called Nationwide through Jackson & Coker. Nationwide used telemarketers to contact people on Medicare, obtained personal information about them, and used that information to generate a physician order for medical equipment. Salko would then sign the order, after which they were billed to Medicare. Nationwide then paid Jackson & Coker, who paid Salko for each order he reviewed.”
https://www.wtoc.com/2026/04/13/fact-check-did-rick-jacksons-company-profit-medicare-scam/
It was his company. The buck stops at his desk.
I also have issues with statement’s he’s made and how much money he made off state contracts.
https://www.healthbeat.org/atlanta/2026/02/27/rick-jackson-georgia-governor-state-contracts/
Rick also made a ton of money during COVID. He actually said he did not make as much profit as he could have. Given what COVID did to families across the nation, he could have made even less profit, or non at all, if he was really willing to help. Many other companies made outright donations.
No. No. No. No.
Burt Jones – Ehhh, maybe.
He does say he wants to cut taxes and increase school choice. Both of which I hugely support. However. School choice is not a simple issue. If my tax dollars are going to that school, then that school must accept any student in that county. Period. That school has to figure a way to get the student to and from school. Wanna go to a school in another county? OK, but the parents pay for everything. Until I get more details on his school choice platform, I am hesitant.
https://burtjonesforga.com/meet-burt/
Gregg Kirkpatrick – Ehhh, Maybe.
Just can’t find a lot about him. He is not a politician, which is good, but that also means we don’t have a record of what he might do. I cannot find anything negative about the business(es) he runs.
Brad Raffensperger – no.
As Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad did nothing to impress me. He issued a bunch of press releases taking credit for stuff the people who work in his department did. But that is common with all these state-wide elected officials. He’s been in politics for more than a decade, 20 years about, and served in several posts. If he gets the Governor’s spot, that is it for his political career as far as I’m concerned.
My major issue with him is he thinks government can do a better job of running your life than you can in some areas. No thank you.
Tom Williams – Ehhh, maybe, almost a yes.
Tom is from Middle Georgia, Twiggs County, and a political outsider. He knows about rural Georgia. I like his campaign statements. I do have, as noted above, real questions about school choice.
https://tomwilliamsforga.com/issues.html
Ken Yasger – Yes.
I like his platforms. I like what he stands for. If I vote in the R primary (undecided as of yet), he will get my vote.
https://www.kenforgeorgia.com/ken-yasger
For Lieutenant Governor
In Georgia, the Lt. Governor is pretty much a figurehead. Very little real responsibility, few duties. This office is seen as a stepping stone to higher offices.
No on all, but not a hard no either. Not much difference in these as they can’t do much good or bad.
David Clark
Greg Dolezal
Steve Gooch
John F. Kennedy
Brenda Lynn Nelson-Porter
Takosha Swan
Blake Tiller
For Secretary of State
The most important thing the Secretary of State does from the general public’s view is to handle the elections. In that regard, the Secretary of State does not do very much. The staff takes care of running things. The SOS shows up, stands around for pictures and takes credit for the accomplishments of others.
Anything of real impact and substance coming out of the SOS office requires an act of the General Assembly.
So, it doesn’t matter who you vote for here. Flip a coin.
Tim Fleming
Vernon Jones
Kelvin King
Ted Metz
Gabriel “Gabe” Sterling
For Attorney General
Georgia’s AG mostly takes credit for arrests made by law enforcement and convictions made by the court system. The AG does offer opinions from time to time, but opinions are only that.
The AG does have a hand in defending Georgia against various lawsuits. That’s it.
If you write to the AG for help with anything, no matter the party, one of 2 things will happen:
1) Nothing. This is what will happen when you request help.
2) The AG will fire up the law machine and go after whoever you have a problem with. This will happen if you are a very politically influential person in Atlanta, Macon, Columbus or Savannah. I doubt anyone could get the next AG to pay attention to anything in South Georgia..
Doesn’t matter. Flip a coin.
Bill Cowsert
Brian Strickland
For Commissioner of Agriculture
Since Tommy Irvin is gone, the Commissioner of Ag’s office has lost a lot of its bite and power. Tommy held that power because he was there so long and was so politically connected. Some farmers will vehemently disagree with me on this. That is good. I stand by my opinion, based on several decades of direct experience with Tommy Irvin, some of that as a farmer.
Tyler Harper – Incumbent
No choice if you vote R
Insurance Commissioner
Pretty much a carbon copy of the SOS, AG and etc. The Commissioner takes credit for other people’s work. The Insurance Office has some limited control over insurance companies. Again, major reforms require an act of the Legislature. You might, and I stress might, get some help in a fight with your insurance company.
When I had an insurance issue – workman’s comp – I got no help. This was about 15 years ado, so I cannot fault the current Commissioner for that.
Still, doesn’t matter.
John King – Incumbent
For State School Superintendent
A state-level school superintendent. Bound to do what the Board directs, except at the state level, this person has even less power. Major reforms must be done by the state legislature.
Doesn’t matter, except get rid of Richard Woods. Past that, if you must pick, watch which candidates are endorsed by the teachers’ unions. Then, pick someone else.
Nelva Lee
Fred “Bubba” Longgrear
Mesha Mainor
Randell E. Trammell
Richard Woods – Incumbent – No.
For Commissioner of Labor
Yet another case of a figurehead. See above. Grab that coin and throw it in the river and you will see how much your vote in this election matters.
Bárbara Rivera Holmes – Incumbent
No choice if you vote R.
For Public Service Commissioner
NOW WE ARE GETTING SOMEWHERE! Woot! The PSC has real power (no pun intended).
The Public Service Commission, all Rs, voted to let Georgia Power hike power rates while still paying huge executive salaries. The Rs also let Ga Power build a nuke plant without putting in cost overrun safeguards. The PSC could have. They could have said, if the costs go over budget, we will cut Ga Power’s profits and executive salaries dollar for dollar with the overrun budget.
Now, ALL Ga Power customers are paying for this well-past-due and waaaaaay-over-budget nuclear plant, even though most of us will not ever use power from it.
If you have to vote R because of your ballot choice, it does not matter. Come November’s general election, vote for the D because the Rs have proven they don’t care how much you pay for electricity.
District 3
Fitz Johnson
Brandon Martin
District 5
Bobby Mehan
Carolyn Tatum Roddy
Josh Tolbert
For United States House of Representatives – District 8
Austin Scott – Incumbent
Austin is a friend of mine. We agree on many things. I also think he’s been in Washington long enough in the House. I’ll support him over the D candidates.
For State Senate District 13
Carden H. Summers – Incumbent
No choice.
For State House of Representatives – District 169
Angie O’Steen – Incumbent
No choice.
State Republican Party Questions
These are non-binding and are only on the ballot to make voters think they can help guide the R party. These questions do not matter. Vote or not, it is all the same. Gonna leave ‘em out for brevity purposes.
You can read all the questions and a simple explanation of each one here.
Nonpartisan General Election
These are on all ballots. These are no partisan elections
I don’t have a huge disagreement with the Georgia Supremes one way or another. I do think we need to treat our elected officials like diapers. Change ‘em often.
The Supreme Court has 3 elections, 2 are contested. The Court of Appeals has 5 elections, 2 being contested.
For Justice Supreme Court of Georgia
Charles “Charlie” Bethel – Incumbent – No.
Miracle Rankin – Yes.
For Justice Supreme Court of Georgia
Ben Land – Incumbent – No choice.
For Justice Supreme Court of Georgia
Jen Auer Jordan – Yes.
Sarah Hawkins Warren – Incumbent – No.
Court of Appeals
Same as expressed in the Supreme Court vote
For Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia
Trenton “Trent” Brown – Incumbent – No.
Will Wooten – Yes.
For Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia
Sara Doyle – Incumbent – No choice
For Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia
Fatima Harris Felton – Yes
Elizabeth D. Gobeil – Incumbent – No.
For Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia
David Todd Markle – Incumbent – No choice
For Judge Court of Appeals of Georgia
J. Wade Padgett – Incumbent – No choice.
For Judge – Superior Court Tifton Judicial Circuit
This election only applies to Turner, Tift, Irwin and Worth counties. Also, no choice.
Ralph Powell – Incumbent – No choice.
For Judge – Superior Court Tifton Judicial Circuit
Bill Reinhardt – Incumbent. No choice.
That said, I do like Bill. He will call me back when I call him on behalf of the newspapers.
NOVEMBER ELECTION
I want less taxes, less government and more control over my life. Come November, these are the people I will vote for. These people are not on the primary ballots because the Reboobicans and Damnocrats do not want you know about these people or vote for them.
Governor – Chase Oliver
US Senate – Allen Buckley
Insurance Commissioner – Colin McKinney
PSC District 5 – Tom Blooming