West expects close runoff for 2nd District GOP nod

Jun. 17—THOMASVILLE — Early voting has ceased for the runoff, and precinct polls will open Tuesday at 7 a.m. across the redrawn 2nd U.S. House District for what is expected to be a tight race for the Republican nomination.

Jeremy Hunt and Chris West were the top two vote-getters in May's general primary, and now the two are going head-to-head to earn a spot against incumbent Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Albany) in November.

West said Friday he expects the results Tuesday to be close.

"This race is going to come down to a few hundred votes," he said, "maybe less."

Hunt captured nearly 37% of the 62,010 votes cast in the Republican primary across the district. West was second with nearly 19%.

Three of the other candidates — Vivian Childs, Wayne Johnson, and Paul Whitehead — have endorsed West in the race.

"Our campaign has felt a real sense of momentum after we got the endorsement from three of the other four opponents in the race," West said. "We felt a consolidation of support across the district for the guy who's actually from here."

After that many candidates criss-crossed the district for months, West said, "you kind of get to know about the person. For me, that's why it's meaningful, because these folks did get to know us and ultimately they decided I was the best choice to put against Sanford and to represent this district."

West said his message hasn't changed since the primary and he is urging voters to choose the candidate who is from the district and "not somebody who's just moved to the district from New Haven, Connecticut, for the purpose of running here."

West said Hunt's campaign and the Washington, D.C.-based political action committees backing him spent $1.2 million in the primary. That total, West said, is now approaching $2 million.

West's own campaign has spent about $160,000.

"It's an insane amount of money," West said.

West called a text message campaign disparaging his candidacy as "disappointing."

"The guys in Washington are upset. They're mad," West said. "They spent a lot of money trying to get Jeremy elected. They thought they were going to get him elected in round one. They don't understand why we're polling so well and they're mad, they're angry.

"I understand that negative campaigning can work in some instances," West added. "But I think the folks, particularly in southwest Georgia, they know me because I've been here for the 38 years I've been alive. They know what kind of man I am. They are going to reject these ridiculous attacks."

West also said the district needs a strong, proven conservative and said that's what he is.

"We don't need to elect someone that we send up there and then we find out what they believe on stances and issues once they get there," he said. "Folks know that I have been a proven conservative for years, and that's what they're going to get."

West also is asking those voters who came out in May to come back out Tuesday, if they haven't already cast their ballot through early voting.

"We need everybody to get out and vote," he said. "We're asking everybody to take a few minutes and run by the polling location and vote."