AM 1180 Chattooga County Radio recently sat down with the Chattooga County Republican Party Chairman Spencer Hogg to discuss Commissioner Jason Winters' possible run on the Republican ticket in the next election.

 

Commissioner Winters was told by the Chattooga Democratic Party Executive Committee in late 2014 that he would not be allowed to run as a Democrat in any future local elections because of his public support for Republicans Senator Jeff Mullis and Governor Nathan Deal's campaigns. Current Chattooga County Democratic Party Chairman Jimmy Holbrook said that the decision to allow Mr. Winters to run as a Democrat would be up to the executive committee in place at the time of qualifying in the 2016 elections.  Holbrook said that Commissioner Winters sent an e-mail last week asking that his name be removed from the rolls of the Chattooga County Democratic Party. Winters recently announced that he would be seeking the commissioner office during the next election as either a Republican or Independent.

 

Currently, Winters is not a member of the Chattooga Republican Party. When discussing the possibility of accepting the commissioner into the party, GOP Chairman Spencer Hogg said that he does not have the sole authority over accepting the commissioner into the party. It is something that must be discussed by the party as a whole, and is an issue that has not been discussed in depth by party members. Hogg went on to say that the party bylaws cannot prevent the commissioner from running on the Republican ticket, and the commissioner has asked to speak to the party.

 

If the commissioner does win the primary, Hogg said that the party will fully support whoever the candidate is that wins the Republican primary.

 

The Chattooga County Republican Party is prepping for a big year in 2016, and Hogg assured that the party is planning on running a full slate of highly qualified candidates for all countywide constitutional offices.

 

The Chattooga County Republican Party meets the first Thursday of every month at the Chattooga Senior Center. Spencer Hogg, 19, is a native of Chattooga County and is the youngest party chair in the State of Georgia.