ROME, Ga. – It’s one of Hunter Hill’s favorite lines on the campaign trail: He came back from combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan convinced that Islamic terrorists are too weak to defeat America. The bigger battle may be at home.
“What will bring our country to its knees,” he tells crowds, “are weak career politicians.”
The former state senator plunged into the race for Georgia governor with a soldier’s zeal. And at every turn, he emphasizes his background as a hardened former U.S. Army Airborne Ranger with the grit to make painful decisions to rein in spending.
His campaign bus is emblazoned with pictures of him in combat gear. He laces his stump speeches with reminders of his service. And even the name of his 19-city campaign journey drove home that militaristic message: It was called the “Battle-tested Leadership Tour.”
At his events during an initial leg of the trip, a few dozen supporters crowded into chain restaurants to hear about his running war against liberals and who he terms as wishy-washy conservatives.