Georgia lawmakers begin to qualify for state and national political office

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    ATLANTA, GA (WGCL) — Monday morning Governor Brian Kemp welcomed his U.S. Senate appointee Kelly Loeffler into the Capitol for the beginning of the qualifying week.

Loeffler told CBS46 that she is vowing to run a positive campaign and to stay loyal to the current Republican lawmakers.

“I’m going to do what it takes to win and make sure that we get the president re-elected, and David Purdue, and our entire ticket is re-elected and that we keep this state red,” Loeffler said Monday to reporters.

Incumbent U.S. Senator David Perdue would not endorse anyone in the race for Loeffler’s new Senate seat. He spoke about his own campaign goals with reporters and supporters as Kemp stood behind him.

“Six years ago I stood right here and said Washington is broken,” Perdue said. “If you want different results, you’ve got to send a different kind of person. I did not see Donald Trump coming but thank God, God sent him,” he added.

Planning his possible move from the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Senate, Rep. Doug Collins is looking to unseat Loeffler. He says the campaign has spent millions to criticize him.

“They’re going to spend more money against me, but you know what I say to that? Bring it on,” Collins told reporters. “We’re ready for this. Georgia knows who the conservative is in this race,” he added.

Collins has faced criticism that challenging Loeffler could cause division on the Republican ticket.

“I’m wondering if Democrats are worried about a riff in the Democratic Party when they’ve got three people running for the same seat as well,” Collins said. “We see elections all the time,” he added.

Attorney Teresa Tomlinson walked into the gold dome with a band of supporters to officially qualify. The former two-term mayor of Columbus is hoping to unseat Perdue.

“I’m going to qualify to be the first woman elected Senator from the State of Georgia to serve in the United States Senate,” Tomlinson said.

She says she plans to expand the electorate that Stacy Abrams brought to the polls last election.

“We’re going to go not just to Atlanta, but to central Georgia and get our democratic voters waiting for better governing principals,” Tomlinson said.

Retired Military Veteran James Knox also qualified for the U.S. Senate race Monday.

Former Congressional Candidate Jon Issoff plans to qualify for an upcoming U.S. Senate race Wednesday Morning.

Ebenezer Baptist Church Pastor Raphael Warnock is expected to qualify for his upcoming U.S. Senate race later in the week as well.

Georgia’s Congressional races are officially underway as well.

Fresh off of a weekend of marching at the Edmund Pettis bridge to commemorate Bloody Sunday, Congressman John Lewis walked into the State Capitol and signed his paperwork expressing his plans to keep fighting on Capitol Hill while he also fights stage four pancreatic cancer.

Congresswoman Lucy McBath, D-Georgia, District 6, made a very brief appearance as she walked in with her Georgia license in hand to submit her paperwork. She will again be facing off against former Congresswoman Karen Handel who says she is fighting to take back the 6th congressional

“I’m still focused on the district,” McBath said. “I am still focused on continuing to bring value. That’s the reason why I wanted to run for re-election,” she added.

U.S. Congressman Hank Johnson from DeKalb County also qualified again. He’s facing a republican and democratic challenger.

State Senator Renee Unterman is running for the 7th district Congressional seat against a democrat and another republican

Incumbent Rep. Earl ‘Buddy’ Carter, R-District 1 is facing democratic challenger Joyce Marie Griggs a retired veteran.

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