Republican governor candidates pitch voters ahead of Georgia primary

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Primary day in Georgia is less than two weeks away, and candidates are hitting the ground to make their last-minute case to voters.

Republican governor candidates made their pitch to voters at a meeting with the Chatham Area Republican Women, including Rick Jackson and local candidate Ken Yazger. Both candidates said they understand the everyday financial pressures families are facing but offered different paths forward.

Yazger runs grassroots campaign on small budget

Ken Yazger calls himself a working class outsider. He works as a server on Tybee Island.

He said he is running because too many elected leaders are out of touch with rising costs.

“Real people need a voice, not these millionaire, billionaire politicians who are just out of touch with the real people,” Yazger said.

Yazger said he is building support face-to-face, meeting voters in small towns he said politicians often skip. He said he is running a statewide campaign on less than $7,000 in donations, relying on yard signs and personal stops instead of big spending.

Eliminating the state income tax and the regulatory legalization of marijuana would be his first priorities as governor, as well as reaching across the aisle.

“I can work with anybody from any side,” Yazger said. “And that’s one of my benefits is I relate to just Georgians and Americans in general, not just Republicans.”

Jackson proposes 50% tax cut in first term

Rick Jackson also frames himself as an outsider, calling himself a conservative businessman, not a career politician. He said he wants to bring business solutions to state government.

“My focus is reducing the taxes altogether,” Jackson said. “In my first term, I plan on doing it by 50% in the first term.”

As governor, Jackson said he would freeze property taxes immediately and then develop a plan to lower them without hurting counties or schools.

Jackson said he is hopeful about the integrity of the upcoming election but is not keen on Dominion voting machines.

“I am very concerned about the security issues and the way that it works,” Jackson said. “So, if I become governor, I’ll have to replace those machines immediately from that standpoint.”

Both candidates are urging voters to get to the polls. Early voting is already underway, with primary day on May 19.