President pro tem of the state Senate David Shafer swept two key Republican straw polls conducted over the 4th of July weekend, winning lopsided majorities in vote rich Cobb and Forsyth counties.
Shafer took 61% of the vote in the straw poll conducted by the Cobb County Republican Party at its annual 4th of July BBQ, the traditionally largest GOP gathering in the state. State Rep. Geoff Duncan, who spoke to attendees calling himself the “only true conservative” in the race, finished second with 28%. State Sen. Rick Jeffares, a sponsor of the BBQ, won 10% of the vote.
Shafer also won a major victory on Duncan’s home turf, taking 57% of the vote in a straw poll conducted by the Forsyth County Republican Party at its 3rd of July BBQ. Duncan, who lives in Forsyth and represents part of the county in the House of Representatives, finished second with 38%, trailed by Jeffares with 5%.
The number two ranking man in the Senate, Shafer boasts an impressive legislative record and long list of endorsements. He championed legislation requiring zero based budgeting of state spending and a constitutional amendment capping state income taxes. He has been endorsed by GOPAC, a national Republican group once led by Newt Gingrich, and a long list of business and political leaders, including philanthropist and Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus.
Duncan, who played minor league baseball for the Kade County Cougars and Utica Blue Sox, has been banking on his “celebrity status” as a former professional athlete to attract disaffected voters to the process. Among Republicans, however, his pitch has been decidedly negative, bashing Shafer and Jeffares for not being conservative enough.
Jeffares, a Henry County Republican, has been touting his business success bidding on state contracts. He has won millions of dollars in contracts from the state Department of Corrections since his election to the Senate. The bids are lawful because legislators are considered “part time” state employees. Jeffares says he has saved the state money from his contracting activities.
No Democrats have formally thrown their hats into the ring for the state’s number two post.
