by Mike Dugan

WC: 913

Republicans in Georgia’s 3rd District head back to the polls for the runoff election on June 18th. I’m running for Congress here, and the choice in this runoff is as clear as it gets.

I spent more than 20 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a Lt. Colonel in 2008. I was an Army Ranger and Master Paratrooper, and deployed to more than 32 countries. My deployments included Israel, as well as hostile fire zones in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Brian Jack, my opponent, talks about supporting our military. I served in it.

After retiring from the military, I joined RaLin Construction in Carrollton. I worked on major building projects in our community, creating opportunities and economic growth.

Brian Jack talks about growing our economy by supporting small businesses. I’ve actually done it.

Eventually, I felt the call back to public service. I ran for the Georgia Senate in 2013. I was the underdog, but I wouldn’t be outworked and won the race in a runoff. Within five years, I was unanimously elected by Republicans to be Majority Leader in the Senate.

During my time in the Senate, I helped deliver one conservative victory after another.

We cut taxes three times in ten years, including the largest income tax cut in Georgia history. This is saving working families in our state billions, and it’s made Georgia the best state in the country to do business.

I authored the 2021 Election Integrity Act. When Stacey Abrams, misguided corporations, and the force of the national media came down on us and took away the All-Star Game, we didn’t cave. We stood strong, and we took needed steps to make it easier to vote, and harder to cheat, in Georgia.

I authored the bill to get divisive concepts and partisan political ideologies out of Georgia classrooms. Kids should be taught how to think, not what to think.

Finally, I was instrumental in protecting life, and our Second Amendment rights, by getting the Heartbeat Bill and Constitutional Carry over the finish line.

Whether it’s in the Army, business, or as someone writing policy and getting bills passed, I have a battle-tested track record. I’ve spent years actually doing what my opponent talks about working on if he gets the chance.

Finally, and perhaps most important of all, I know this district. I grew up here, built my life here, raised my family here, and have forged relationships here.

That’s why the overwhelming majority of financial support for my campaign comes from the 3rd District. That’s why 21 State Senators and five State Representatives have endorsed our campaign.

And that’s why eight 3rd District sheriffs, the majority of sheriffs in this district, are supporting me. They know I’m a friend to law enforcement, and they know I have the resolve it’s going to take to secure our border and end the invasion of fentanyl into our communities.

This is perhaps the clearest contrast of all in this runoff.

Brian Jack left the 3rd District for California when he graduated high school, moved to the Swamp in DC as soon as he graduated college, became a career staffer, and didn’t look back until he wanted to be a congressman.

When President Trump left office, Brian could’ve come back to the 3rd District. Instead, he stayed in Washington to work for Kevin McCarthy — something I’ve yet to hear him mention on the campaign trail. He may have moved back here to run for office, but the address on his property tax bill still says Arlington, Virginia.

In times of crisis, our country needs proven resilience. And our district needs someone who can travel through it without a GPS.

That’s what the choice facing voters on June 18 boils down to.

I’ve written policy, gotten bills signed into law, taken tough votes, and come back home to explain all of the above to my employer: The voters. I understand how to move barricades through a Swamp — literally and figuratively. This district is my home, and this election won’t decide if it continues to be.

As I said, our country is in a time of crisis.

The cause of the crisis can be found in Washington, and electing someone who’s built his life there won’t change things. What will? Electing an Army Ranger who works for you, not a politician or special interest group, and focuses on results instead of the next news hit.

So, what’s my plan?

Secure the southern border. I went there in January and saw what’s happening firsthand. I’ll work to be part of a solution that enforces our laws, finishes the wall, and puts our national security — and working American families — first.

Get a handle on inflation. I worked to cut taxes, lower costs, balance budgets, and strengthen our supply chains in the State Senate. I’ll do the same in Congress.

Strengthen our military, stand with our allies, and be direct with our adversaries. It’s possible to do all of the above without long-term conflict.

These are big challenges, and there are even more than the ones I’ve listed, and they all require serious, tested leadership. This is no time for on-the-job training.

My record bears out that I know how to get things done, and more than any point I can recall during my life, we need leaders with that experience and mindset in Congress now.

My name is Mike Dugan, and I ask for your vote in the Republican runoff for Georgia’s 3rd District on June 18.

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Mike Dugan is a retired Army Ranger, former Georgia Senator, and Republican running for Congress in Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District.