FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The Forsyth County Tea Party has been the No. 1 source of information this year for voters who want to learn about the Republican candidates in the May 24 General Primary Election.

In January, Tea Party President Bobby Donnelly started inviting candidates up and down the ballot to come and present their platforms to conservatives at the group’s monthly meeting.

With early voting starting next week, candidates for US Senate, US Congress, Department of Labor, Georgia State House, and the Forsyth County School Board were eager to address Tea Party members and guests at the VFW hall on Dahlonega Highway.

Sen. Bruce Thompson, candidate for Georgia Labor Commissioner, Wes McCall, incumbent candidate for Forsyth County School Board, Blake McClellan, candidate for District 28 Georgia State House, Dr. Rich McCormick, candidate for US Congress, and Josh Clark for US Senate were featured speakers Monday.

McCall, who is campaigning to keep his District 1 seat on the Board of Education pointed out that during COVID when many other schools closed, Forsyth County schools remained open. He also said the school system did not mandate masks for students. “Parents do not want their students to wear masks. We let the parents make that decision.”

He said he has studied critical race theory (CRT) and that it is “not good for anybody but “it is not in the Forsyth County curriculum.”

He threw fellow Board members under the bus when he stated that in 2017 the Board adopted a strategic plan that included Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), a system many claim contains most of the tenants of CRT. “In 2017. Not 2019 when I was not on the Board,” he said. He also acknowledged that in 2014 (before he was on the Board) the Board misled voters by saying it would not increase the millage rate if they approved a SPLOST referendum but then raised the millage rate anyway.

He said, “I have been preaching opt-in and parents choice for years. But opt-in was not going to happen because one board member says it is going to happen.” He then placed the burden for implementing opt-in on parents by stating, “We (as parents) must take it to them (the Board of Education). If they don’t go with it, we can take it to state legislators.”

He also acknowledged the existence of inappropriate books in schools and said there has been a process in place for years to remove the books. But thus far only eight books have been replaced.

Clark is one of eight Republican candidates in the race to defeat incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock. He is the only one with legislative experience, having served two terms in the Georgia House of Representatives. He has drawn some criticism from liberals for holding a weekly drawing for an AR-15.  When questioned, he said, “You know what I’m concerned about is when American citizens aren’t armed. Then they are inviting evil.”

Dr. McCormick is a 20 year veteran of the US Marines and Navy, a decorated helicopter pilot, who fought in Africa, the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan. He reminded everyone that we still have soldiers overseas and he expressed his support for Ukraine. “The way we left Afghanistan was disgraceful,” he said. “If you’re worried about the $1.6 billion we just dedicated to the war in Ukraine, realize we left $87 billion in Afghanistan. One guy left Afghanistan and it collapsed in two days. One guy stuck in Ukraine and they are still fighting one of the world’s biggest armies. And they are winning!

Thompson is a US Army veteran who has created numerous successful small businesses and worked extensively for many non profits, providing services for  the homeless, women and children who are victims of abuse, and foster children. He says the Labor Department is broken and cites a recent USA Today article that reports the indictment of two GDOL employees indicted for human trafficking and the downgrading of the agency’s Triple A bond rating to support his contention.  “Somebody’s got to fix that agency,” he said. “You need a fighter.” He said he would work to find jobs that would keep veterans in state, create apprenticeship programs, help find jobs for inmates processing out of prison and for retired people who want to continue to work.

McClellan is a graduate of Georgia Southern University and CEO of a Medical Technology company that enables doctors to film their procedures and share them with colleagues worldwide.

He said a good legislator is one “who will read the bills, work with community, empathize with you, who has principles and will vote their conscience. I’m proud to say I will do that. I’m tired of weak (elected officials) not being representative. They talk to us and make all these nice promises, take our money and do all these things and the minute they get to the Gold Dome, they stop working for us. They work for us! We shouldn’t have to fight to get pornography out of our schools.”