BLAIRSVILLE, Ga – Several Republican candidates spoke to Union County GOP members in hopes of gaining their vote in the upcoming 2020 primary.

Judge Stan Gunter, now running unopposed for State House District 8, stated that he didn’t want to take anything for granted. He has heard rumors of a Democrat entering the race.

Gunter also confirmed that neither Rep. Matt Gurtler nor organizations representing the current Rep. contacted him before entering the District 9 race. “[I assume] they’ll find someone,” he said.

The Former Chief Superior Court Judge addressed his vision for District 8.

“Georgia has been the number one state for business for the last seven years. So, we’ve got a good climate. We have a lot of good tourism up this way. I’d like to see growth continue, but controlled growth. I’ve been in Gwinnett County when it was going crazy. We don’t want that,” advocated Gunter.

Gunter also spoke in favor of strong public schools but believed people should have the option to educate their children in the way they see fit. His other positions included pro-Second Amendment, pro-life, as well as to an extent Constitutional carry (open carry).

“I have some questions mainly with law enforcement about how it would be treated. I know it’s in several states, and it seems to work fine. But, I do have some questions about it. I would say some limitations would be a private business, even like Walmart. If they don’t want you to open carry in there, they have the right to do that. I also have concerns about having guns where it’s dangerous to have them like a courtroom,” explained Gunter.

State Senator John Wilkinson for Congressional District 9

State Senator John Wilkinson discussed his candidacy for the open District 9 seat, and when asked why he wanted to go to Washington D.C, he said he wanted to “try.” In other words, Wilkinson expressed a desire to change D.C.’s culture through relationships and returning to limited government.

“When I look at America, if you look at the history of our country, I think about my dad. When he was nine years old, he moved to the farm where I live in 1936. He moved into a house that had no insulation, no heat, no air condition and they just had to struggle to get by working at the sawmill. He went to school. He was elected School Superintendent. He provided [us] with a better life. We had a much easier life than my dad had growing up. Every generation of Americans has had a better lifestyle than the generation before. I’ve got those five grandkids. I think it’s going to be a challenge for them to say they grew up in an America better than my dad grew up in. I want this to be a better America for my grandkids,” Wilkinson explained to the room.

Wilkinson understood that while he’s just one person, but he believed that through relationships and striving to make that difference, something could be done.

Additionally, he stated closer you can keep the government to the people the better. The government should be limited like in the Constitution.

The first bill Wilkinson introduced was to repeal other bills that he felt hindered Georgia’s progress. “I don’t think we need any more bills or regulation in Georgia.”

When asked about eliminating the Department of Education (DOE), Wilkinson agreed that the federal DOE didn’t need to interfere with local or state policy, citing that the department didn’t exist until the Carter Administration.

Speaking to the national deficit, Wilkinson asserted that the country needs to start by passing a balanced budget. Continuing resolutions won’t solve the problem.

Wilkinson affirmed his stance as pro-Second Amendment and in favor of Constitutional Carry (open carry). He stressed the importance of involving law enforcement because officers are the ones risking their lives in these situations.

Wilkinson told the room if they really wanted to know who he was, he accepted Christ when he was eight years old. Anyone can find him teaching Sunday School class in the same church he grew up in.

Incumbent Sheriff Mack Mason

“We’re trying the best to run this county as we can,” said Sheriff Mack Mason. “We’re the ones doing the job. The grand juries, the DA will tell you just about all the time, it’s the city police and county sheriffs bringing the cases in this county.”

Mason’s running unopposed for this third term as sheriff of Union County.

“I welcome [an opponent] if they [run]. It will be the worst thing that they do. The records we can pull out. The job that we’ve done. I appreciate being in this job right now. I got here by God’s grace. I’m going to leave the same way. I try to do the very best I do. We have some of the finest people and they’re highly disciplined.”

The sheriff also confirmed his pro-second amendment stance and announced March 10 as the date for the annual meeting for the Union County Gun Club at the Haralson Civic Center.