U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-GA, has had a stronghold on Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District for many years – serving as the Congressman for the Southwest Georgia district for the past three decades. But with new district lines and a strong challenge by Republican Chris West, many believe this could be the “Deep South’s Only Competitive U.S. House Race,” as pointed out recently by U.S. News and World Report.
The 2nd District covers Georgia’s southwestern corner, including Albany and parts of Macon, Columbus and Warner Robins, but also miles of peanut fields, pine forests and pecan groves sprawling across 30 counties.
West, an Air Force veteran and lawyer with deep roots around Thomasville, won an upset GOP runoff victory against Jeremy Hunt, a Black military veteran and Yale University law student. And going into tomorrow’s General Election against Bishop, West has been touting two polls that show him “within striking distance of winning this race—and the momentum for our campaign is growing every day thanks to the support of folks across this district.”
One of those polls was performed by InsiderAdvantage and showed Bishop with 47 percent of the vote and West with 43.7 percent. The other poll, by the Trafalger Group, showed Bishop with 50.2 percent of the vote and West with 46.3 percent.
West has said he believes that people feel the impact of higher prices more acutely than they appreciate the achievements of a Democratic-controlled Congress. He argues that if Bishop was ever a moderate, that’s no longer true, pointing to factors including a National Rifle Association rating that has fallen from A to F over time.
West is also pushing the Bishop ties with the current Democratic administration in Washington. In several social media posts, West has said, “Sanford Bishop has voted with Biden and Pelosi 100% of the time for policies that are crushing our agriculture industry and putting our farmers behind. As your next Congressman, I’ll always fight for our farmers and producers in Southwest and Middle Georgia and champion our #1 industry!”
Another recent post by West said: “The momentum for our campaign is growing every day because folks across the district—Republicans, Independents, and even some Democrats—recognize that Sanford Bishop has voted with Biden 100 percent of the time.”
U.S. News and World Report stated that “Bishop says he has been trying to help farmers get higher prices for their crops and reduce input costs. Even Republicans acknowledge Bishop has helped them with some past issues. Freddie Powell Sims, a Democratic state senator from Dawson whose 13-county district is within Bishop’s territory, said the incumbent has proved his worth.”
Bishop was first elected to Congress in 1992 and hasn’t faced much competition in the past. But in the redrawing of the congressional lines, the percentage of Democratic and Black voters were reduced, making it slightly more favorable for a Republican to win the seat. Although the district is still rated as ‘likely Democrat.’
In Congress, Bishop serves on the House Committees on Agriculture and Appropriations and chairs the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee.
