Why I Am Voting for Senator Kelly Loeffler
Opinion, Politics January 4, 2021
Written and Submitted by Gilmer GOP
I can always remember hearing the phrase, “People want to see a little bit of themselves in the person they vote for.” This is so true. We want to know that the people representing us are real people, like us. We want to know we can relate to them. For this very reason, I am voting for Senator Kelly Loeffler this week. To understand why I feel this way, you must truly understand who Senator Kelly Loeffler is. Contrary to what her enemies say about her, Senator Kelly Loeffler stands for north Georgia values.
Many of us in north Georgia supported Congressman Doug Collins in November because we saw someone who reminded us of ourselves. While I am now a strong supporter of Senator Kelly Loeffler, I also initially supported my Congressman Doug Collins. Doug has done an incredible job representing our district. He’s a charismatic leader, a pastor, a small business owner, an Air Force veteran, the son of a state trooper, and comes from good northeast Georgia stock. Congressman Collins is simply a good man.
I had so many reasons to vote for Congressman Collins last November, but I also wanted to learn about our sitting Senator Kelly Loeffler. When Senator Loeffler came to Ellijay with Senator Tom Cotton this past August, I chose to attend. At that time, I didn’t know much about Senator Loeffler other than the caricature “Buckhead Barbie” her enemies had created. I quickly learned this depiction of Senator Loeffler is the furthest thing from the truth.
As Senator Loeffler spoke, I learned about her upbringing. She spoke of growing up in a Christian home on a farm in rural Illinois. She told stories of playing high school basketball and showing animals in 4H competitions. She talked about being the first member of her family to attend college and how after her freshman year, her dad loaded up her belongings in a cattle trailer. She spoke of going into the world of finance and struggling to pay rent her first year out of college. She spoke of her rise in the world of finance and how her business background makes her different from the career politicians in DC.
Towards the end of the event, I was able to speak with Senator Loeffler one on one for a few minutes. Since I became active in politics, I’ve been afforded the opportunity to meet many elected officials. So many of them are great people. With that said, I found Senator Loeffler to be one of the most genuine public figures I had ever met. After leaving the ETC Pavillion that day, I started to see many similarities between my world and Senator Loeffler’s. While I still intended to vote for Congressman Collins in November, I also became a supporter of Senator Kelly Loeffler that day.
Senator Kelly Loeffler is not the member of “the elite” her enemies have portrayed her to be. For those of us in rural America, she is one of us. From humble beginnings on a farm to conquering the business world, she embodies the dreams so many of us have for our children. She values what we value. She is pro-life, supports the Second Amendment, defends the police, believes in the free market, and helped craft the Paycheck Protection Program that saved our small businesses. She has one of the highest conservative ratings in DC and has been a strong supporter of President Trump. Her opponent, Raphael Warnock, stands against everything she stands for. For me, the choice is simple on January 5th. Vote for our values. Vote for Senator Kelly Loeffler.
Reece Sanford
Assistant Secretary – Communications, Gilmer County Republican Party
Reece Sanford, CFA served as the Chairman of The Gilmer Trump Campaign. Mr. Sanford is the Assistant Secretary – Communications of the Gilmer County Republican Party and a native of Ellijay, GA. He holds a BBA in Finance from The University of Georgia and an MBA from Kennesaw State University. Mr. Sanford also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. He is a career community banker currently working in small business lending. He has served on the boards of several non-profits throughout north Georgia. He has served as Youth Engagement Director of the Gilmer County Republican Party, holds an advisory role with a trade association Political Action Committee, and has consulted on multiple political campaigns. He and his wife, Kerri Ann, enjoy spending their free time exploring north Georgia, running, traveling, and cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are strictly those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the Republican Party, its members, any other organization the author may be associated with, nor his family members.
Candidate Announcement: June Krise-Georgia State Senate, District 51
Election, News, Politics April 7, 2020
June Krise, RN, has qualified with the Democratic Party of Georgia to run for State Senate District 51, which includes
White, Dawson, Gilmer, Fannin, Lumpkin, Union, half of Pickens, and a small part of Forsyth Counties. She is moved
by all she has learned from residents within this district and is seeking the office of State Senator to positively give
back to her community.
A resident of White County, June and her husband, Dr. Richard Krise, moved to the area in 2001 when Dr. Krise
accepted the position of Principal at White County High School. June and Richard have three children and five
grandsons, ranging in age from 2 to 13.
June is a graduate of Kennesaw College, and has over 30 years of practice in the health care field as a Registered
Professional Nurse. After 12 years in regulatory services and community care Medicaid policy, June opened her
own consulting firm — Quality of Life Enterprises, Inc., to lend her expertise by helping others start up small
healthcare businesses. In addition to her consultation work, June is an advocate for the elderly, as well as
intellectually and/or developmentally delayed adults. She aids them and their families in their efforts to maneuver
through the eligibility process for the Community Care Services Program, SOURCE waivers, and DD waivers.
June is constantly inspired by those with whom she has interacted, and on whose behalf, she has advocated. She is
committed to work toward translating the needs of the people into legislative proposals in the Georgia Senate, and
she will work hard to bring positive change to the lives of District 51 residents.
In particular, Krise intends to focus her efforts on:
• Improving access to HEALTHCARE — especially for the blind, the disabled, the elderly, and mothers and babies
(Georgia ranks 44th out of 50 for infant mortality, and 50th for maternal mortality). She believes the state of
Georgia should expand the waivers that assist the elderly find quality, affordable housing and personal care,
help fight addiction, and support rural hospitals.
• Supporting EDUCATION by looking out for our TEACHERS and STUDENTS in North Georgia’s excellent public
school system, emphasizing dual enrollment and vocational options, and returning the full HOPE scholarships,
which provide affordable access to technical schools and colleges.
• Protecting our ENVIRONMENT through common-sense legislation to ensure clean air and water, protection
for our mountains, and HIGH-SPEED INTERNET, resulting in an influx of environmentally friendly businesses
seeking out this region to build their futures, as well as employing residents of this area.
• Expanding TOURISM and the ARTS in North Georgia. June realizes that these are significant sources of
revenue for this district and she will aim her sights on identifying new cities ripe for growth and economic
expansion while working with already thriving cities to further enhance their reputations as tourist magnets.
June’s background and accomplishments qualify her to accomplish these legislative goals, and she realizes this CAN
be accomplished by reaching across the aisle and working with her Republican counterparts. Her experiences have
allowed her to learn the skills of executive management, clear communication, information transfer, teambuilding,
cooperation, and negotiation that underlie the processes of developing and passing legislation. She has served as
President of the 9th District Democratic Women, is currently a State Committee Member of the Democratic Party of
Georgia, an officer of the White County Democratic Committee, Chair of the DPG’s 9th Congressional District, and
1st Vice Chair of the Georgia Federation of Democratic Women.
To learn more about June, please visit her website: junekriseforGeorgia.com, follow her on Facebook at “June
Krise for Georgia,” or contact her via phone at 770-722-7994.