Barrow seeks Georgia secretary of state office
Former U.S. represenetative brings campaign to Albany
By Gypsy Crow
ALBANY — For the first time since 2006, the people of Georgia will elect the state’s next secretary of state. Former U.S. Congressman John Barrow is campaigning for the position.
Barrow, a Democrat from Athens, stopped by The Albany Herald during a campaign stop this week. He talked about his political track record and how it will affect the office if he is elected by the people.
“I think this office requires a certain amount of political balance, bipartisan diplomacy and tact, because you’re going to have to deal with folks on both sides of the political divide in this state and in this country,” he said on what makes him particularly qualified for the job.
Barrow has a consistently moderate reputation. He plans to use his centrist alignment to bridge the political gap in Georgia. He said he does not believe in “putting the party in front of the people”.
Barrow worked with both the George W. Bush and Obama administrations to establish the first Veteran’s Healthcare Clinic in Statesboro, and he led a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers seeking to increase veterans’ mileage reimbursement for the first time since Jimmy Carter was president. Barrow said he plans to continue his support of veterans through the secretary of state’s office by taking a constituents’ servicing approach to the office.
“There are a lot of professions and trades that are regulated by that office, and there’s a widespread feeling among many of the people who are served by that office that they’re not getting the service they’re paying for,” he said.
Approximately 700,000 businessmen and -women depend on the secretary of state’s office in Georgia for their business licensing. Barrow said he plans to work with the constituents to provide improved services the office promises if elected by the people of Georgia.
Barrow is endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Rifle Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the National Federation of Independent Business. He was a Political Science major at the University of Georgia and earned his juris doctor degree at Harvard Law. He is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition and the New Democrat Coalition.
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