The next Georgia governor’s election is a little over a year away. Already, two Republican candidates have visited Coffee County and one Democratic candidate, former Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, is scheduled to visit town later this week.
Late last month, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who has declared for the election, made a stop in Douglas. Raffensperger spoke to a group at South Georgia State College and took time to mention several initiatives regarding licensing and election security at the SOS office.
Of course, he also took the opportunity to stump for the governor’s office. Raffensperger entered the national discourse during the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election when he defied a request from then-President Donald Trump to find enough votes to give him a victory in Georgia. Raffensperger’s decision to challenge the president drew Trump’s wrath and enmity between the two persist to this day. Trump has thrown his support behind Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who revels in Trump’s endorsement.
Raffensperger seems to equally revel in Trump’s disdain, declaring that the president’s request was unlawful and threatened the integrity of Georgia’s elections. While in Douglas, Raffensperger touted the trust that Georgians have in their elections, citing the Trump incident as evidence that the security of the election process is more important to him than any pressure he might feel from others, including the President of the United States. “The University of Georgia did a poll after the 2024 election and 94 percent of all Georgians trust in elections. Georgia and Florida run the best elections in the entire country,” he said. Raffensperger added that when people vote in Georgia, officials verify citizenship three times. “If only Americans are on the voter rolls, only Americans can vote,” added Raffensperger.
Raffensperger also mentioned a few other talking points: border security, ensuring that public safety agencies have the funds and training they need to keep the streets of Georgia safe, job growth and creation, the importance of education – and not just college education but also technical/vocational education, and the importance of faith and accountability in daily life.
“I’m a conservative. I’ve been a conservative all my life. I have not changed. I just believe in the things that conservatives believe in. I believe in Republican principles, the principles of economic opportunity, and the rule of law in America. This is the greatest country in the world,” he said.