Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle has scored 64 early endorsements from elected officials in Northwest Georgia in his campaign to be Georgia’s next governor. The current state legislators who endorsed Cagle include state Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga), state Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome), state Rep. John Deffenbaugh (R-Lookout Mountain) and state Rep. Dewayne Hill (R-Ringgold). The full list of sheriffs, county commissioners, mayors, and city councilmen who endorsed Cagle is below the fold.
Cagle’s chief rival in the Republican primary, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, rolled out a similar list in early May, announcing endorsements from 50 officials from rural counties in eastern and southern Georgia. Kemp’s campaign is trying to depict him as a champion of rural Georgia. This announcement from Cagle pushes back against that narrative.
Cagle had this to say about the endorsements:
Each of these elected officials have served Northwest Georgia and our state faithfully, and I am honored to have the support and trust of such an esteemed group of community leaders. I look forward to continuing to work with each one of them to promote the health, safety and welfare of the communities they represent, and I want to personally thank them for their diligent efforts to build a better Georgia.
Sheriffs:
Gary Sisk (Catoosa), Ray Cross (Dade), Steve Wilson (Walker), Tim Burkhalter (Floyd), and Mitch Ralston (Gordon)
County Commissioners:
Robert Goff (Dade), Scottie Pittman (Dade), Allan Bradford (Dade), Jason Winters (Sole Commissioner of Chattooga), Steven Henry (Catoosa), Jeff Long (Catoosa), Jim Cutler (Catoosa), Ray Johnson (Catoosa), Bobby Winters (Catoosa), Shannon Whitfield (Sole Commissioner of Walker), Scotty Hancock (Floyd), Larry Maxey (Floyd), and Wright Bagby (Floyd)
Mayors:
Ray Crowder (Chickamauga), Earl Gray (Fort Oglethorpe), Andy Arnold (Lafayette), Teddy Harris (Rossville), Alex Case (Trenton) and Larry Stansell (Trion).
City Councilmen:
Craig Crawford (Fort Oglethorpe), Derek Rogers (Fort Oglethorpe), Paula Stinnett (Fort Oglethorpe), Jim Childs (Fort Oglethorpe), Rhonda James (Fort Oglethorpe), Terry Crawford (Ringgold), Randall Franks (Ringgold), Larry Black (Ringgold), Jake Haynes (Ringgold), Lee Miller (Chickamauga), Damon Garrett (Chickamauga), Evitte Parrish (Chickamauga), Randal Dalton (Chickamauga), Don Martin (Chickamauga), Ben Bradford (Lafayette), Chris Davis (Lafayette), Beacher Germany (Lafayette), Judy Meeks (Lafayette), Wayne Swanson (Lafayette), Rick Buff (Rossville), Michael Hicks (Rossville), Sandra Gray (Trenton), Jerry Henegar (Trenton), Monda Wooten (Trenton), Mickey McGraw (Trion), Casey Brown (Trion), Becky McWhorter (Trion), Don Harris (Trion), and Craig McDaniel (Rome)