Oglethorpe County’s Republican and Democrat organizations have their philosophical differences, but both groups encourage their members to engage in local politics by learning about the issues and speaking up.
Both the Oglethorpe County Republican Party and the Oglethorpe Democrats host open meetings once a month at the Oglethorpe County Library.
The Republican group meets to bring the community together for discussion and to hear invited candidates speak, executive committee member Don Doherty said.
“(Attendees) can hear firsthand what these individuals stand for … so they can make an educated decision at the polls as to who to vote for,” Doherty said. “I wanted folks to feel comfortable talking to these individuals, and also to voice what their concerns are.”
Janet Hill, the chair of the Oglethorpe County Democratic Committee, said they meet to improve community awareness of local issues.
“We want the best for the county and for people to be active in their community at the local level, not just being involved in federal politics,” Hill said. “I think that it's important on a local level that people see that Democratic candidates … have their interests in mind.”
Hill said the group has recently hosted Democratic candidates to show them there is support in a county that is majority Republican.
“I think that it's lonely to be in a strongly Republican county,” Hill said. “I think (hosting candidate speakers) energizes people and makes people feel like … there is a chance that our vote can count.”
Congressional candidates
With Georgia’s candidate filing deadline of March 11 quickly approaching, 10th Congressional District candidates spoke at recent meetings.
Timothy Barr, a Republican candidate, spoke at the Feb. 8 GOP meeting, while Democratic candidate Jessica Fore addressed the Democratic meeting on Feb. 24.
Barr said he makes meeting voters a priority, but has also recently been at the Capitol to fulfill his duties as a state representative.
He is endorsed by current District 10 representative and Oglethorpe County resident Jody Hice, R-Greensboro. In 2020, 70.7% of Oglethorpe County voters voted for Hice.
Barr, who is projected to run up to 12 other Republican candidates in the 2022 primary, encouraged attendees to seek out county commissioners and build rapport with elected officials to ensure the true feelings of the county are represented.
“From congressmen down to the school board, we have to be involved,” he said. “We have to engage folks in all walks of life to get involved in politics. It's critical for our future.”
As the owner of Patriot Construction Company since 2005, Barr said government regulation is an issue that he hopes to tackle.
“(Government regulation) hurts me as a small business, that … the federal government, the state government has certain rules and regulations that make no sense in our field,” Barr said. “As the congressman, I want to make sure that I break those barriers down and get rid of those. The more government, the less free the people.”
Fore is one of three Democratic candidates running for the 10th District seat. She is a first-time candidate and works as a real estate agent and musician.
She said her motivation to run was the lack of Democratic candidates willing to “move the needle” in a historically Republican district, and she said she felt capable to do so herself.
“I'm not running to just make a statement,” Fore said. “I'd actually like to take the fight to the other side and flip the district.”
In her discussion with the Oglethorpe County Democrats, she emphasized abuse victim advocacy, living wages and voting rights as major topics of her candidacy.
“My background in domestic violence victim advocacy gives me a particular level of insight into pathological abusers and how they operate in institutional settings,” Fore said. “And that is profoundly relevant to the political moment that we're in. That's a unique skill set … that I don't see represented in many political candidates. And so, I feel personally convicted to use it for the benefit of my community.”