President pro tem of the state Senate David Shafer won a landslide victory in the straw poll at the 2017 Republican state convention over the weekend, swamping his likely primary opponents in an early barometer for the 2018 race.
Shafer received 54% of the total votes in the straw poll, which was overseen by the Chairman of the Georgia Association of Republican County Chairmen. Perennial candidate ‘undecided’ was second in the poll with 25%, followed by the other two announced GOP candidates in the race, state Rep. Geoff Duncan and state Sen. Rick Jeffares, who took 16% and 5% respectively.
The number two ranking man in the Senate, Shafer clearly remains popular among the GOP faithful from his time as executive director of the state Party. Since taking office in 2002 the Duluth Republican has championed legislation to require zero based budgeting of state spending, cap state income taxes at 6%, and force occupational regulations to be periodically re-justified. He also already boasts an impressive list of endorsements including state Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens and Home Depot Founder and political mega-donor Bernie Marcus.
Duncan, a Forsyth County Republican who bills himself as “the true conservative” in the race for Lieutenant Governor, struck a decidedly negative tone in his speech to the convention, bragging about his “no” votes and bashing the Senate body he hopes to lead for “putting politics ahead of good policy.”
Apparently unhappy with his 16%, Duncan immediately took to Facebook to dismiss the straw poll results and claim convention momentum for himself. “You do not count momentum,” Duncan wrote, “you feel momentum.”
A former minor league baseball player for the Kade County Cougars and Utica Blue Sox, Duncan was elected to the House in 2012, foiling the attempted comeback of ex-Rep. Tom Knox by a razor-thin 55 vote margin. The current CEO of Wellview Health has made healthcare a centerpiece of his campaign, with a particular emphasis on rural hospitals.
Finishing third in the straw poll with 5% of the vote was state Sen. Jeffares, a Henry County Republican. A former Locust Grove city manager, Jeffares won his Senate seat in 2010 after serving as a Henry County commissioner.
While no Democrats have formally thrown their hats into the ring for the state’s number two post, former state Rep. Ronnie Mabra and former state Sen. Doug Stoner are among those contemplating jumping into a race that looks likely to be an uphill battle for the party.
