State of Georgia Archives: on Principles & Values

Alan Keyes: Separation of church and state is phony and is a weapon

Allen Buckley: Absolute separation of church and state

Abortion needs to remain a private matter without government funding. Given the facts that it is very hard to stop an abortion (i.e., policing-wise) and a person who is willing to have an abortion to prevent herself from being a mother, I believe the best government policy is to stay out.

Separation of church and state should be maximized.

Amanda Swafford: Judeo-Christian values aren't threatened by Shariah

Swafford: Agree.

Question topic: Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which permitted our system of limited government.

Swafford: Agree.

Brian Kemp: State Senator and Secretary of State

The Georgia Secretary of State's office oversees elections, corporations, securities, and professional licensing boards, and also controls the state archives and the Capitol museum.

Secretary Kemp served in the Georgia State Senate from 2002-2006.

Brian, 46, is married to the former Marty Argo of Athens. They are the proud parents of three daughters and are actively involved in various school activities with their children and various charities. The Kemps are active members of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Athens.

Brian Kemp: We're in a real fight right now to make America great again

Casey Cagle: Protect student athletes' religious expression

David Perdue: Judeo-Christian values established our government framework

Perdue: Strongly Disagree

Question topic: Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which permitted our system of limited government.

Perdue: Strongly Agree.

Question topic: Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.

Perdue: Based on my faith, I have deeply held personal convictions that I share with a majority of Georgians. These principles shape my belief in the limited and clearly defined role of government. Additionally, there are certain issues on which I will not waver. I believe that we should promote a culture that values life and protects the innocent, especially the unborn. I also believe that we must protect traditional marriage, keeping it between one man and one woman.

David Perdue: CEO of Dollar General & Reebok; cousin of Gov. Sonny Perdue

The former governor is now backing his cousin's campaign.

David Perdue: Change diapers & politicians frequently: not a D.C. insider

Perdue argued that "politicians are like diapers" and need to be changed frequently. "We look like Democrat lite," he complained.

David Perdue: COVID: Stock trades came under investigation

He made a number of purchases of stock in DuPont de Nemours, a chemical company that supplies personal protective equipment. One purchase on the same day as the members-only briefing was for $65,000.

Perdue said he was not involved in the trade. "I have had an outside professional that manages my personal finances and I'm not involved in the day-to-day," he said in a statement.

David Perdue: Mocked Kamala Harris's first name at Trump rally

David Perdue: Strong supporter of judges in the mold of Antonin Scalia

Derrick Grayson: 100% of the Constitution, 100% of the time

"There's really not much difference in the agendas of the political royals, regardless of their party. I'm talking about the Republicans and the Democrats. And I've found that they like to keep us divided," he explains. "Because the longer we're distracted, the more they can push forward their agendas, and we're not any more the wiser." Political 'royals,' according to Grayson, are the "political elites who pull the strings."

Derrick Grayson: Social positions based on strong Christian values

Derrick Grayson: People free to worship or not; tax exempt status abolished

A: Yes.

Q: What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?

A: People are free to worship or not, as they choose, without government interference. Likewise, the tax exempt status for religious organizations must be abolished.

Doug Collins: Impeachment smeared a president who put America first

Doug Collins: Impeachment started with tears in Brooklyn in 2016

"It didn't start with Mueller, it didn't' start with a phone call--it started with tears in Brooklyn in November 2016," he says.

Drew Ferguson: My Christian faith guides all of my activities and beliefs

Ferguson: I am Christian. My Christian faith guides all of my activities and beliefs.

Q: Considering all issues (social, economic, national security, etc.), which political philosophy best describes you?

Ferguson: Very Conservative

Ed Tarver: In the Army, it was about serving "one nation"

Ed Tarver: Government and religion should not be intertwined

A: "Separation of church and state" is the principle that government and religion, including churches and religious organizations, should not be intertwined. Government is prohibited from interfering with an individual's right to practice religion. Churches and religions are precluded, by law, from endorsing candidates for political office and engaging in political campaign activity under the guise of a religious event or service.

Gary Black: Puts on football gear in ad to tweak football star opponent

Herschel Walker: Qualified to run for Senate because I love America

At Saturday's rally in Perry, as Trump began to wrap up his lengthy remarks, he asked Walker to come back onstage one more time. With a few additional words, the former president's longtime friend made clear he is aligned with Trump. "I want to be a great leader like him when I get to that Senate seat," Walker said.

Herschel Walker: Born in Wrightsville; going to die a Jesus Christ death

Herschel Walker: If you don't like this country, you don't have to stay here

If you don't like this country this country is so great that you don't have to stay here. This country's so great, you don't have to stay. But the thing is this is the United States of America, are we going to start now having everyone else national anthem come in and we're going to have to uphold that national anthem as well and forget about the United States of America national anthem.

Herschel Walker: Love for anthem doesn't preclude caring for social justice

Herschel Walker: Putting Georgia and Georgians first

Herschel Walker: With God's help will bring conservative value to Washington

Hunter Hill: Place monument to Ten Commandments at State Capitol

• The Preamble to the Georgia Constitution;
• The part of the Declaration of Independence which states that men 'are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights'
• and the Ten Commandments.

Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 40-10-3 on March 12, vote #619; Sen. Hill voted YES; passed House 138-37-5 on March 3, vote #663; signed by Gov. Deal April 29.

Jack Kingston: Endorsed by McIntosh County Commissioner over Handel

The Handel campaign responded by releasing two emails from Spratt. The second email, dated May 9, assesses Kingston's strengths and weaknesses: "Kingston is a fence-rider and has no track record of making strong stands. Karen, you and I are both anti-establishment candidates. If you choose to run for Senate, all of your announced opponents are beltway boys."

The Kingston campaign responded by saying, "Many Georgians have come to the conclusion that Jack Kingston is the most consistent conservative in the race. Our growing coalition of support most certainly includes those who previously supported our opponents."

Jack Kingston: Broaden appeal of GOP by engaging liberal media

Perdue argued that "politicians are like diapers" and need to be changed frequently. "We look like Democrat lite," he complained.

Jason Carter: Grandfather Jimmy Carter participates in grandson's campaign

Senator Carter is the son of Jack Carter, the eldest of Jimmy and Rosalynn's four children. Like his grandfather, he is seeking the governorship after just four years in the State Senate.

"He wants it both ways," said one supporter of Gov. Deal. "He wants his granddaddy's help with contributors, but when it comes to the issues, he distances himself. My guess is if his last name were Jones, you and I might not be having this conversation."

Jason Carter: I've passed 21 bipartisan bills in the legislature

Carter, in a curt response, said the attack was misguided. "There are 21 bipartisan bills that have my name on them, that you signed into law," Carter said. "And at the same time, the attacks on my leadership are frankly just an attempt, I believe, to pass the buck."

Jason Carter: Comfortable talking about his religious faith

Jim Barksdale: Against Georgia adopting "religious liberty" legislation

Whether it's addressing the Tri-State River Wars, agriculture subsidies for our hardworking farmers, or protecting our military installations & the economic impacts on local economies from the BRAC Commission, Jim will put Georgia's interests first in the US Senate.

Jon Ossoff: Supported by national anti-Trump neophyte networks

Locally, Ossoff was aided by formal and informal networks of progressives that sprouted and grew like mushrooms after Trump's victory. Many participants were political neophytes and women who had taken part in the anti-Trump marches after the inauguration. Hundreds of highly motivated volunteers knocked on doors, wrote postcards to voters and drove them to the polls.

Georgia's Sixth District, which encompasses a number of majority-white suburbs north of Atlanta, is home to a well-heeled professional class. Ossoff's r‚sum‚, if not necessarily his politics, is the type that would make any soccer mom proud.

Jon Ossoff: Campaign slogan: Make Trump Furious

Jon Ossoff: Interned for Rep. John Lewis and Rep. Hank Johnson

Jon Ossoff: Promises to move to 6th district after girlfriend graduates

Jon Ossoff: Early campaign pledge: "Make Trump Furious"

Overall, Republican Karen Handel aligned herself with the president when asked about the biggest items on his agenda, but she also indicated she wasn't afraid of disagreeing with him. She backed the Trump's proposal to temporarily block visitors from six primarily Muslim Middle East nations, but was also was critical of Trump's constant social media use.

Jon Ossoff: Dedicated my career to fighting corruption

Jon Ossoff: His faith informs his approach to politics

Jon Ossoff: Criticizes "cultural elitism" of Hollywood

Jon Ossoff: Multiracial coalition with shared values emerging

Jon Ossoff: Standard for Senators higher than not being prosecuted

Jon Ossoff: On Day One, I'll place my stock portfolio in a blind trust

Jon Ossoff: Refusal to debate shows arrogance & sense of entitlement

"It shows an astonishing arrogance and sense of entitlement for Georgia's senior US senator to believe he shouldn't have to debate at a moment like this in our history," Ossoff said.

Jon Ossoff: Parents' success helped me, I want to help others

Karen Handel: Endorsed by McIntosh County Commissioner before Kingston

The Handel campaign responded by releasing two emails from Spratt. Both were written after Kingston joined the race. The first, dated May 2, said, "I campaigned for Karen in the 2010 election and she carried my county. Please let her know that I will be very happy to help her if she decides to run for the Senate seat."

The second email, dated May 9, assesses Kingston's strengths and weaknesses: "Kingston is a fence-rider and has no track record of making strong stands. Karen, you and I are both anti-establishment candidates. If you choose to run for Senate, all of your announced opponents are beltway boys."

Karen Handel: 2010: Resigned as Secretary of State to run for Governor

She's a longtime Georgia politician. She ran for Fulton County Board of Commissioners and lost in 2002, then won a special election in 2003. Next, she became Georgia secretary of state in 2007, before resigning to run for governor in 2010, losing a Republican primary run-off despite Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney endorsements. She ran for Senate in 2014 and came in third in that primary. One of Handel's Republican opponents in the 6th District special election used this record against her: "Over the last 15 years, Karen Handel has run six times for five different offices. She didn't even finish the jobs we did give her, always running for the next office."

Kelly Loeffler: Will abide by Senate ethics rules, won't address conflicts

Kelly Loeffler: Donated maximum $2800 to Trump recount fund

Kelly Loeffler: WNBA players endorsing opponent is "cancel culture"

"This is just more proof that the out of control cancel culture wants to shut out anyone who disagrees with them," she added.

Kelly Loeffler: Atlanta's "most expensive real estate transaction ever"

Here's how Atlanta magazine described "Descante," Modeled in the style of an old European estate, Descante is a stucco, steel, and limestone structure that boasts Versailles parquet in the dining room, a library with a secret passage to the living room, and a nineteenth-century pool house from France.

Kelly Loeffler: Endorsed QAnon candidate for fighting "radical left"

Kelly Loeffler: First in my family to graduate from college

Loeffler: I was born and raised on a farm. I grew up working in the fields. I waitressed my way through school and I was the first in my family to graduate from college. I worked hard to live the American dream and became a job creator right here in Georgia. The Democrats want to fundamentally change America and the agent of change is my opponent radical liberal Raphael Warnock.

Kelly Loeffler: I'm a Christian: a person of deep faith

Loeffler: I'm a Christian, I'm a person of deep faith. I don't need a lecture from someone who has used the Bible to not only justify attacking our military. That's not in Matthew 6:24. It doesn't say you can't serve the military and God, but he's also used the Bible to justify abortion.

Kelly Loeffler: Conservative values matter: uphold the Constitution

Latham Saddler: I will put Georgia first and keep America first

"The most important thing we do as a country is restore national confidence and pride. My goal is to ignite the patriot in everyone I come across."

Latham Saddler: It is time for my generation of leaders to step up

Latham Saddler: MLB reacting to voter suppression is "cancel culture"

Latham Saddler: Georgia is the most patriotic state in America

Marjorie Taylor Greene: To remove Pelosi: "Bullet to the head would be quicker"

Marjorie Taylor Greene: 2018: Pelosi should be executed for treason

Matt Lieberman: Will "err on the side of propriety"

Matt Lieberman: Don't wait for a miracle; we must make changes

Lieberman said the "timeless lessons of our faith" have influenced his campaign. "As a Jew of post-Holocaust and post establishment of Israel, I know we're not supposed to wait for a miracle or change, but we're supposed to make change. We must do our best to make the world better."

Michelle Nunn: Daughter of Sen. Sam Nunn: legacy of bipartisanship

"It gives me an entry point with people who remember my dad," Nunn said of her last name. "It gives me a hearing. And then as I talk to a lot of young people, they're interested in my non-profit career and work with volunteers. So I think I'm able to have an entry point with voters in both ways."

Never far removed from the tongues of Democrats and Republicans alike in attendance were comparisons between the younger and elder Nunns. "She has the stamina and the tenacity that he has," said a Senate aide to Nunn's father for 14 years. [The elder Nunn] "could speak up to his party when he needed to and cross the aisle to work with Republicans. I think Michelle can do that, too--she says she can."

Nathan Deal: Place monument to Ten Commandments at State Capitol

• The Preamble to the Georgia Constitution;
• The part of the Declaration of Independence which states that men 'are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights'
• and the Ten Commandments.

Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 40-10-3 on March 12, vote #619; passed House 138-37-5 on March 3, vote #663; signed by Gov. Deal April 29.

Paul Broun: Separation of church and state is a mistaken idea

Broun calls the Bible "the basis of our nation," and says the fact that we aren't running society accordingly will mean the death of our Republic. The founding fathers, he says, were "Bible-believing Christians" who believed that "every aspect of life should follow the dictates of God's inerrant word. That's what I believe in. That's what we should all believe in."

Paul Broun: Lost campaigns in 1990, 1992 & 1996 before winning in 2006

AMONG TWO-TIME LOSERS:
• Rep. Steve Stockman, R-TX, elected in 1994, lost primary in 1990, general election in 1992.
• Sen. Tom Udall, D-NM, elected to the House in 1998, lost primary in 1982, general election in 1988

THREE-TIME LOSERS:
• Rep. Paul Broun, R-GA, elected in 2006, lost general election in 1990, primary in 1992, Senate primary in 1996
• Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, D-HI, elected in 2010, lost primary in 2006, special elections in 2003 and 2010
• Rep. Collin Peterson, D-MN, elected in 1990, lost primaries in 1982 and 1988, general elections in 1984 and 1986.
• Sen. Bernard Sanders, I-VT, elected to the House in 1990, lost general elections for the Senate in 1972 and 1974 and for the House in 1988.
• Rep. Juan Vargas, D-CA, elected in 2012, lost primaries in 1992, 1996 and 2006.

Paul Broun: Biblical morality is spiritual foundation of our nation

Broun: Strongly Disagree

Question topic: Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which permitted our system of limited government.

Broun: Strongly Agree.

Question topic: Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.

Broun: I am an evangelical Christian who upholds the orthodox, cardinal doctrines of the faith. I believe in the eternal existence of one, true, living, triune God. I believe that Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, was God manifested in human flesh and that He came to earth to be the Redeemer of the human race through His vicarious, atoning death on the Cross as foretold in prophecy. I believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. I believe that biblical morality and biblical principles are the spiritual foundation of our nation and that our Founders recognized their importance.

Raphael Warnock: America at its highest: equal voting, health care, education

Raphael Warnock: Youngest pastor to lead Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church

Raphael Warnock: 2008: Joined black pastors defending controversial sermons

Raphael Warnock: My whole life is about service; Senate would continue that

Raphael Warnock: Washington is not focused on ordinary people

Raphael Warnock: Have a moral foundation for everything that we do

Warnock: I was preaching from a very familiar Matthew text that says you can't serve God and Mammon. It was about a moral foundation for everything that we do. When you have everything in order, that actually makes you a better soldier. It also makes you a better Senator. Had Kelly Loeffler listened to the sermon, she wouldn't have used her advantage to make millions on a pandemic.

Raphael Warnock: I'm a Matthew 25 Christian: love your neighbor

Rick Allen: Shariah law is a threat; keep Judeo-Christian framework

Allen: Disagree

Q: Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which permitted our system of limited government?

Allen: Strongly Agree

Shane Hazel: Individual right to beliefs, including spreading Gospel

A: Yes.

Q: What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?

A: It means each individual has a right to their beliefs, their life, liberty and property, as long as they are hurting nobody. And while we're separating the state from our private lives we should also separate the state from education and the market.

Stacey Abrams: Oppose monument to Ten Commandments at State Capitol

• The Preamble to the Georgia Constitution;
• The part of the Declaration of Independence which states that men 'are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights'
• and the Ten Commandments.

Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 40-10-3 on March 12, vote #619; passed House 138-37-5 on March 3, Rep. Abrams voted NO; vote #663; signed by Gov. Deal April 29.

Stacey Abrams: Prefers organizing systems for change to legislating

Our responsibility is to always have a forward vision that assumes that we will be better than we were. That's been the experiment of the United States. Our national experiment has always been about recognizing that we make deeply, deeply flawed decisions, that we have been inhumane in ways that are a shame to our national history, but why we are who we are is that we confront those challenges and we try to improve.

Stacey Abrams: Election loss: Something being legal does not make it right

Stacey Abrams: Run for the job you want; I'm best on executive side

Ted Terry: Prefers evidence-based policy making

Valencia Stovall: Monument to Ten Commandments at State Capitol

• The Preamble to the Georgia Constitution;
• The part of the Declaration of Independence which states that men 'are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights'
• and the Ten Commandments.

Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 40-10-3 on March 12, vote #619; passed House 138-37-5 on March 3, Rep. Stovall voted YES; vote #663; signed by Gov. Deal April 29.

Valencia Stovall: Born-again believer in Jesus Christ

A: I am a born again believer in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten son who died on the cross so we may all be saved. I believe God gives us all a choice and the government should be limited in its ability to interfere with that choice. We should strive to show the love of God in all of our actions and make sure we are always mindful of the poor, children and the elderly.

Vernon Jones: Black voters would vote for David Duke if a Democrat

Herschel Walker: Country wide election fraud in 2020 election

In late 2020 and early 2021, Walker falsely declared he could "guarantee you" that Biden "didn't get 50 million people voting for him" (in fact, more than 81 million people voted for Biden), promoted a baseless conspiracy theory about Dominion Voting Systems technology and another conspiracy theory about imaginary vote-stealing software, said Georgia should refuse to certify Biden's victory Georgia victory because of "serious Election Fraud," wrongly alleged "Country wide election fraud," and proposed that all votes in Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin be tossed out and that these seven states--six of which were won by Biden--"vote again."