Georgia state Sen. Jeff Mullis announced his support for Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush last week.
“[Former] Gov. Bush has a proven track record of bringing people together to get results without compromising his conservative principles,” Mullis, R-Chickamauga, said in a news release. “Gov. Bush has tremendous experience as a successful governor of Florida, and I am confident he is the leader our country needs.”
Mullis, who is chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, did not return a call seeking comment Monday. But he joins a collection of other Georgia politicians to back Bush, including Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Attorney General Sam Olens.
Seen as a moderate in a state where further-right candidates Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich won the 2008 and 2012 primaries, Bush has pressed hard in Georgia this year. In March, he met with Gov. Nathan Deal and spoke before the House and Senate chambers.
“I’m the most conservative governor in Florida’s history,” he said at the time. “I cut taxes every year. I reduced the state government workforce by 13,000. We took on the trial bar, the teachers’ unions – all the groups that wanted to protect the status quo.”