Colton Moore
Georgia Libertarians and Ted Metz are making the race for Georgia governor one of the nation’s most contested elections. Brian Kemp and Stacey Abrams are in a dead-heat, according to the November 1 WSBTV polls. Kemp trails Abrams 46.7 percent to 46.9 percent and Georgia Libertarian, Ted Metz, is still in the mix at 1.6 percent.
A candidate must have 50.01 percent to win the governor’s race and, if the election was to happen today, it would likely trigger a runoff election that would occur on December 10, 2018.
This is a race that brought President Trump and Vice President Pence to Dalton and Chattanooga this week.
I applaud the effectiveness of Georgia Libertarians and Mr. Metz. They ran an impressive campaign with a $5,800 budget compared to the combined $35 million of Abrams and Kemp. It is truly a testament to your conservative principles that you can spend .02 percent of your opponents and likely push them into a runoff election.
These points hit home with me as my campaign was one of the most cost-effective state elections in Georgia and the entire country, according to WDEF in Chattanooga. I also express a large amount of concern towards Chairman Ted Metz, Vice Chairman Nathan Wilson, and Executive Director Ryan Graham. Each are executives at the Libertarian Party of Georgia.
Georgia Libertarians have a lot of power with their vote, they always have. Their 2-4% will be the deciding factor in this race and I hope they understand their candidate cannot and will not win or proceed to a runoff. I ask all Georgia Libertarians and independents to think strongly about their vote and to consider Brian Kemp if they want to avoid creeping socialism that is already taking over many states across our country.
Even though I agree Metz should concede to Republican Brian Kemp before election day, i recognize they share many of the same ideals when it comes to solving issues the state faces.
I share many of the same values as Mr. Metz. In fact, I strongly agree with him when it comes criminal justice reform and jury nullification, both of which I have planned legislation for. Interestingly, I also support decriminalizing marijuana to allow for Georgia medicinal research, statewide agriculture growth and to help provide legal access to families with ill family members who already qualify for THC and cannabis prescriptions. Overall, Mr. Metz and I both want the same thing; less government and more freedom,.
I would enjoy working with Metz after the general election to bring many of their aligned values to the Georgia General Assembly in January. By working directly with the Chairman of Georgia’s Libertarian Party, I believe they could accomplish difficult tasks together that would be impossible to do separately.
I encourage all citizens to get out and vote on November 6. Early voter turnout in District 1 was 185 percent higher than usual and to refer to the Northwest Georgia Voter and Election Guide for a pleasant election day in Dade, Walker and Catoosa County. District 1 is on track to receive the largest number of votes in district election history.