Committee re-opens qualifying to keep Georgia house election from going uncontested

The race for Georgia’s District 3 state representative seat is getting more crowded.

An executive committee for the Georgia Republican Party voted Thursday night to re-open qualifying for the position. Had the committee not acted, DeWayne Hill, a former Catoosa County commissioner, would face no opponents in the May 24 GOP primary.

Tom Weldon, who had held the seat since 2009, qualified in March but said days after the qualifying deadline he was dropping out. That left Hill as the only other qualified candidate.

Weldon said his work in the Capitol too often kept him away from his family and his law firm. But some Catoosa County Republicans wondered whether Weldon and Hill struck a deal that would allow Hill to waltz into the House of Representatives unopposed.

Hill said he was not concerned he might have a primary opponent after all.

“I was willing to run against Tom. So running against a few more instead of Tom makes no difference to me. I’ve always had somebody to run against. That’s all I’ve ever expected.”

Nathan Smith, chairman of the party’s 14th Congressional District and a member of the executive committee, said reopening qualifying is the right thing to do.

“Voters should not be limited to a single choice after the incumbent decides to withdraw after qualifying ends,” he said in a statement Thursday.

Candidates for the 3rd District can qualify Wednesday and Thursday at Republican Party headquarters, 3110 Maple Drive in Atlanta. The qualifying fee is $400.

So far, Jeremy Jones, Jeff Holcomb and Zach Hubbs have announced plans to run.

Jones, the Catoosa County Republican Party chairman from 2013-15, said his life experience would make him a strong state representative. He plans to graduate from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School in May, which he said helps him understand the need for criminal justice reform. He wants to fight mandatory minimum sentences and the incarceration of nonviolent offenders.

Jones, who runs a DJ company, said his experience as a small business owner helps him understand how policies at the Capitol in Atlanta affect the local economy in Ringgold.

But Hill pointed out Jones was at the Capitol during the original week of qualifying and didn’t file to run against Weldon.

“He could have qualified then,” Hill said. “I don’t know why he didn’t. I guess he’s scared of Tom.”

Jones said he was in Atlanta that week to visit his daughter, a page for state Sen. Jeff Mullis. He said he wasn’t interested in running against Weldon.

“I respect Weldon as a representative and thought he was representing Catoosa County in a respectable manner,” Jones said.

Hubbs, too, said he didn’t plan to run because he thought Weldon was a successful incumbent. But with an open seat, Hubbs felt he was as strong a choice as any.

Hubbs said he has been involved in the Catoosa County Republican Party for about seven years, and that his time there will speak to his qualifications to be a state representative. Hubbs is also the CEO of Peachy Clean, a company that makes a silicone dish scrubber that is supposed to be immune to bacterial odors that affect most sponges.

“Knowing who I am from a business side and from being involved in the party, people will know what I believe,” Hubbs said. “Through that, I can gain their trust and ultimately gain their vote.”

Holcomb, a former police officer who was Fort Oglethorpe’s chief from 2013-14, said he is known as a staunch conservative. He said he has proved he can operate under budget, pointing out that once owned a tire service center.

Holcomb said he is enrolled part time at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, though he has also been eyeing politics. He said he considered running against Weldon but decided to wait until after he graduated.

“And then this happened,” he said. “I looked at the field. I thought it was a dirty trick that happened. That kind of flared me up somewhat. You can’t convince me [Weldon] didn’t know he wasn’t going to stay in this race. That’s not right. Anyone can see through that.”

Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at tjett@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6476.