The Catoosa County Republican Party got its first taste of the two candidates who have officially announced their candidacy for Georgia's 14th Congressional District on Monday night.
Marjorie Greene, a business owner in Alpharetta, and Clayton Fuller, a special assistant district attorney for Georgia's Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, both spoke at the local GOP meeting and pitched to voters and party leaders why they should replace U.S. Rep Tom Graves, R-Ranger.
Greene, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump and a social conservative, said she will rely heavily on her business experience as a congresswoman.
She said the country's estimated $23 trillion debt is something Americans should be talking about every day and that her experience during the 2008 recession will help her get Congress's spending habits in check.
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Marjorie Greene speaks during the Catoosa County Republican Party meeting on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020 in Ringgold, Ga. Greene is a candidate for Congress for Georgia's 14th District."I know how to solve problems. I know what sacrificing is like," Greene said. "I know what it's like to go without a paycheck for a very long time so I can pay my employees, pay my light bills, pay my material bills and do a good job with my company."
Greene said the country is at risk in the hands of Democrats such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the latter being the reason why "Medicare for All" is a household term that she doesn't believe in.
"The United States has the greatest health care in the world," Greene said. "Why on Earth would we want the government to to take it over and plunge us into a Venezuelan-style hell where our government is controlling our health care services?"
Greene said the 14th District needs a conservative Republican who will stand by their word when it comes to issues such as funding Trump's border wall, repealing Obamacare, defunding Planned Parenthood and committing fully to the Second Amendment.
Fuller said the 14th District needs someone who not only supports President Trump but one who has worked for him.
In 2018, Fuller was appointed by President Trump as a White House Fellow. The highly selective program is one of the nation's most prestigious programs for leadership and public service.
Fuller said his experience working alongside Trump's administration leaders and in Vice President Mike Pence's office have given him a perspective on how to get things done at the national level.
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Clayton Fuller speaks during the Catoosa County Republican Party meeting on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020 in Ringgold, Ga. Fuller is a candidate for Congress for Georgia's 14th District."What President Trump is doing was so important to me that I uprooted my entire family and moved them to Washington, D.C.," Fuller said. "I didn't just support President Trump, I went to work for him."
Fuller said his three main priorities in Congress will be the opioid and methamphetamine crisis, prosperity creation and national security.
Fuller, a cancer survivor, served in the Air Force as a judge advocate general and still holds an advising role in the Air National Guard.
Graves, the senior Republican in Georgia's House delegation, said in December he will not stand for re-election in 2020.
Georgia's 14th Congressional District includes Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Polk, Walker, Whitfield and parts of Pickens counties.
The primary election is May 19.
Contact Patrick Filbin at pfilbin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476.