U.S. Representative Jody Hice Announces Bid for Georgia Secretary of State
Hice announces bid for Georgia Secretary of State
Georgia U.S. Representative for the 10th District Jody Hice (R) has announced his intention to run against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger.
Hice, a Republican from Greensboro, GA has served as the U.S. Representative for the 10th District since 2012.
In a prepared statement Monday morning, Hice said, “Free and fair elections are the foundation of our country. What Brad Raffensperger did was create cracks in the integrity of our elections, which I wholeheartedly believe individuals took advantage of in 2020.”
Hice said though he’s encouraged to see the General Assembly taking it upon themselves to address some of the glaring issues in our elections, Georgia deserves a Secretary of State who will own the responsibilities of the office. Hice said if elected he will aggressively pursue those who commit voter fraud.
Not long after making his intention to run official, former president Donald Trump endorsed Hice.
“Unlike the current Georgia Secretary of State, Jody leads out front with integrity. I have 100% confidence in Jody to fight for Free, Fair, and Secure Elections in Georgia, in line with our beloved U.S. Constitution. Jody will stop the Fraud and get honesty into our Elections!” Trump said.
Raffensberger has come under repeated fire from Trump, Georgia Republican lawmakers, and voters for the disastrous November election cycle in which Biden took the state by just 24 votes, prompting allegations of widespread voter fraud, primarily with regard to absentee voting in the metro areas.
Courtesy GA Secretary of State.
Blue: counties where Trump won
Green: counties where Biden won
In December, Trump asked for a recount in Georgia but did not pick up enough votes to win. Trump then asked for a hand recount of the ballots statewide, but the difference wasn’t enough to overturn the election results overall and give him the state.
In February, the State Election Board sent the month’s third batch of alleged election violations to prosecutors after getting answers to the most common conspiracy theories from Dominion, the makers of Georgia’s new voting system, according to a press release from the Secretary of State’s office.
The board considered 75 cases during its third meeting in February, sending dozens of them to the attorney general or local district attorneys for prosecution, the press release said.
“The allegations of widespread election fraud in November were completely baseless, Raffensperger said. “Georgians should be assured their votes were counted accurately by the new (voting) system.”
In a March press release, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission recognized the Secretary of State for “providing enhanced security and innovation during the 2020 election.”
“Georgia has made great strides in improving the safety, security, and effectiveness of our election system, and it is great to be recognized for that work,” said Secretary Raffensperger. “Thanks to the ESRI line monitoring tool, we were finally able to beat long lines on Election Day in Georgia, averaging just 3 minutes across the state in November and just 1 minute in January. The rapid issue reporting system helped us ensure a secure and reliable vote.”
That claim has been widely countered by media reports of people standing in line in some metro areas for hours during the 2020 early voting period waiting to vote.
In early March, the Georgia State House passed HB531 the Election Reform Bill that is designed to re-tool the mechanics of what Republican state lawmakers say is a flawed system.
“The elections of 2018 and 2020 created a lack of confidence and trust by citizens of both political stripes. The confidence and integrity of our elections are the bedrock of Constitutional democracy. The election system of Georgia has been outgrown by the high numbers of voters and with 159 counties interpreting the laws and rules differently, validity was questioned,” said State Rep. Alan Powell, one of the sponsors of the bill.
The bill is now in the State Senate Ethics Committee for review.
“Every Georgian, and every American has the right to be outraged by the actions and, simultaneously, the inaction of Georgia’s Secretary of State and said Georgia deserves a leader who steers clear of scandals and focuses on the important duties of the office,” Hice said Monday. “If elected, my top priority will be ensuring every Georgian’s legally cast ballot is counted in future elections. I am excited about our campaign and I know together we can renew integrity!”