One man’s opinion: Carr’s best victory lane

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is term-limited and cannot seek re-election The coming open seat has attracted a strong field of candidates four Republicans and seven Democrats thus far Though both fields appear somewhat set we are still just over a year from that General Voting process Day which is a lifetime in politics Having been a part of multiple statewide campaigns that span four decades I have also often seen them run and won by nominees who were not the initial front-runner The first Kemp campaign comes easily to mind then Secretary of State Brian Kemp was trailing a popular Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle who won the GOP Primary by a plurality but during the runoff with Kemp and following a series of campaign missteps by Cagle Kemp trounced the LG in the second electoral contest with Cagle only carrying two of counties I am starting my candidate reviews with Carr who also leads by alphabet on the GOP side and will thus have first ballot position with an acknowledgment of his strong resume Though still a young man Carr has the longest and greater part established track record in state and federal governing body organization By the time of the fall ballot Carr will have spent a decade as Attorney General the state s de facto Chief Legal Officer Prior to that Carr served in the administration of Governor Nathan Deal as Georgia s Commissioner of Economic Maturation During his tenure there Georgia received the recognition of being the Best State for Business a designation which has now held for a dozen consecutive years and while honors and recognition matter it is the results by which you are measured when growing an market system During Carr s three years at the wheel of GDEcD the state agency worked with other local and regional partners to land projects across the state representing an approximate total funding of billion and the creation of more than jobs Carr learned how to drive teams to deliver results And he has learned from the best Carr served a half-dozen years as Chief of Staff for U S Senator Johnny Isakson and along with another mentor Brian Kemp Carr learned to listen to build strong teams taking their counsel as well as from outside subject-matter experts and to make approach decisions and then move the ball forward and down the field Not entirely surprising coming from a graduate of the renowned Marist School in Brookhaven Georgia nor his later successes in Athens as a double-Dawg at the University of Georgia first with his undergraduate degree from the Terry College of Business and later receiving his Juris Doctorate of Law in from UGA s Lumpkin School of Law During Carr created a Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit which has since assisted and rescued more tan children who were being trafficked as well as securing convictions and lengthy prison sentences for their traffickers The work to eradicate sex trafficking in Georgia is also a passion and ongoing effort of Georgia s popular First Lady Marty Kemp In Carr created Georgia s first statewide Gang Prosecution unit which has obtained more than convictions across our state thus far Additionally Carr began a Statewide Opoid Task Force to deal with the ongoing epidemic consumption and sale of the illegal drugs and while involving more than citizens private and nonprofit entities in this work This initiative has largely been funded by multiple natoinal litigation settlements with opoid manufacturers distributors and even selected retail pharmacies with Carr securing in excess of -billion in judgements and awards for the state and local governments to fund interdiction efforts as well as critical therapy prevention and recovery services for the numerous who became addicted to opioids It remains to be seen as community polls are not yet in circulation where this field will initially settle Carr should be calling for regular and frequent candidate forums and debates across the state now with his fellow GOP contenders and in the fall with the eventual Democratic nominee The front posting and inside lane at the moment would appear in the hands of the Lieutenant Governor but as Casey Cagle can relate momentum shifts and debate missteps can be costly Carr has a lane he can drive to achievement if he can avoid distraction and seek out debates while advocating for the rule of law improving residents safety and creating particular space when reasonable from the White House he will also be more strongly positioned for the fall of The post One man s opinion Carr s best achievement lane appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta