Sen. Rick Jeffares, riding the windfall of his major legislative accomplishments the…uh…we’ll get back to you on that… and presumably ready to reach a decision on how to avoid a massive conflict of interest as Lieutenant Governor is leaving the state senate so he can campaign full time for Lite Gov.
Now, usually when you have to resign your seat after you’ve started running it’s a sign that you’re in over your head or you’ve got a tougher road to hoe than you thought. I won’t pretend to guess here. And it’s also a little puzzling why Jeffares should be Georgia’s second-highest elected official. In fairness to him, in 2006 we all wondered why an extra-tall state senator from Gainesville thought he should be Lite Gov and it worked out OK for him so who knows.
Anyway, Jeffares statement is below.
Jeffares to Resign From State Senate – “All-In” for Lt. Governor Race
— Big Challenges Require a Big Commitment From Next Lt. Governor —
McDonough, GA – State Senator and candidate for Lt. Governor Rick Jeffares today announced his resignation from the state senate seat to focus 100% on his campaign for Lt. Governor.
“Georgia faces big challenges in cutting tuition costs, expanding technical education and getting value out of our taxpayer dollars and I am going to focus 100% on addressing these challenges as Lt. Governor and as a candidate,” Jeffares said. “This campaign has taken off more quickly than I expected and there are so many requests to hear our message and exchange ideas that I can’t imagine being able to do this while still representing my district the way my constituents deserve.”
“I’m excited about Georgia’s future and believe that our citizens deserve a full-time candidate for the full-time job of Lt. Governor,” Rick added. “The 17th district also deserves full-time representation, and Brian Strickland has my full faith and endorsement.”