Four Republican Candidates For Two Open State House Seats Introduced Themselves To Oconee County Republicans

The four Republican candidates for Georgia House District 117 and District 119 used the opportunity presented them at the Oconee County Republican Party meeting last week to introduce themselves and take similar stands on a number of issues.

All spoke about the need for improvements to roads, in support of education, and in favor of campus carry, though some were open to changes in the campus carry law passed by the legislature last year–without the support of then 117 Rep. Regina Quick or then 119 Rep. Chuck Williams, both Republicans.

Three of those candidates–Tom Lord, Steven Strickland and Marcus Wiedower--are running against each other as well as against a Democrat in a Special Election on Nov. 7 for House District 119. The district is split roughly equally between Oconee County and Clarke County.

The fourth–Houston Gaines--has only one opponent–a Democrat–in the Special Election for House District 117–consisting of three of Oconee County’s 13 precincts as well as parts of Barrow, Clarke and Jackson counties.

Democrats Deborah Gonzalez in the 117th and Jonathan Wallace in the 119th were not invited to the GOP meeting, but they have been invited to three other candidate forums, including one scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. on Monday at the Community Center in Veterans Park.

All six have indicated they will attend the Monday evening forum.

For more on this story, with a video of the GOP meeting, please go to Oconee County Observations.

Pictured: Wiedower, Strickland, Lord, Gaines, Gilland.