Griffin Lotson (D-Darien) is running unopposed as a Democrat for the District 3 seat of the Georgia State Senate which is being vacated by former Georgia State Senator Jeff Chapman (R-Brunswick).
Chapman, who had held the state Senate seat since 2004, is a Republican candidate for Georgia governor.
Lotson’s career portfolio as a businessman and community activist makes him a viable candidate for this coastal Georgia Senate seat which is generally held by conservative Republicans.
Lotson is a Chief Executive Officer of a nationally award-winning non-profit organization called Sams Memorial Community Economic Development, Inc., based out of Darien, Georgia.
Along with being a successful businessman, the 55-year old Glynn County Democrat is the pastor of the Church of God in Christ also located in Darien.
Lotson’s district consists of a five county area that include McIntosh, Camden, Brantley, Charlton and Glynn counties.
Some of the cities that are included are: Lotson’s hometown, Darien, which is in McIntosh County, Brunswick and St. Simons Island—located in Glynn County, Folkston—located in Charlton County, Nahunta in Brantley County and the cities of Kingsland and St. Marys which are located in Camden County.
One of the issues that Lotson can differentiate from his Republican opponent is education. For conservatives, public education is seen as more as a luxury instead of a necessity. Teacher furloughs and advocating cutting vital school programs are not an option under any circumstances.
As the campaign progresses, Lotson appeal to younger voters will be a key to a November victory.
Another issue is the environment.
In the past few election cycles, conservative Coastal Georgia voters may have believed that regulations advocated by environmentalists would restrict growth in local business communities, but have conservative Coastal Georgians' views changed since the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster?
It is still unknown how long it will take to fix British Petroleum’s mistake in the Gulf of Mexico, but the conservative philosophy on energy and environmental issues should be challenged here in southeast Georgia or it could be a replay of what is happening in the Gulf of Mexico.
Whoever the Republican nominee will be in November—either Terry Carter or William Ligon—both will tout less regulations and limited government.
Moderate Republicans or independents may cross over to Lotson, but he has strong evidence that the ‘Drill Baby Drill’ strategy is a threat to southeast Georgia.
Most Republicans have supported many of the Bush-Cheney initiatives that helped to make it easier for oil companies to bypass safety precautions. In essence, the Republicans chose corporate interests over protecting the environment and this includes the southeast Georgia coastline.
For any Democrat running for any type of office that requires a vote in southeast and Coastal Georgia, the environment has to be one of the top issues and the voters should strongly consider looking at the big picture in relation to their local community.
Republican candidates William Ligon and Terry Carter have shortcomings as candidates, but with Lotson, it appears he has all the intangibles along with practical experience needed to represent all of coastal Georgia in the Georgia State Senate.
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