MACON, Ga. — After leaving a Georgia Public Broadcasting debate stage over the weekend, Chuck Hand, and his opponent, Wayne Johnson, are sharing their platforms.
Hand left the debate stage just after saying he wouldn't debate anyone who lived outside the second congressional district while accusing Johnson of "orchestrating attacks on his wife."
"It's either eighth district money or second district heart. The choice is yours. It's the dollar versus the change. Now, this is where I get back in my truck and get back to southwest Georgia. Because I got two races to win," Hand said.
Johnson says he lives just outside the district but owns properties and works within the district line. Congressional candidates are allowed to run outside of the district they live in.
Despite what happened at the debate, the candidates do agree on one of their priorities: The economy. They want to see more jobs coming to Central and southwest Georgia.
"When I bring people here, what their No. 1 questions are, 'Is my community safe? Do I have an affordable place to live?' And when we solve those problems, they come to work," Johnson said.
That's his central point when it comes to jobs, but Johnson says Congress needs to work on tackling inflation too.
"We've got to bring down the price of groceries. Bring down the price of gas. In order to do that, we've got to use the United States Congress to be able to cause oil drilling to occur, to open up pipelines," Johnson said.
He says he already has experience working with Washington and welcomes an opportunity to do it again. Johnson says he served under President Trump helping to manage student loans.
"If I'm a member of Congress, knowing how to work with a president can take us a long way. I don't need any on-the-job training," Johnson said.
Hand says he thinks a lot of his skills working as a construction superintendent can transfer to Washington.
"I deal with ordering all these materials. Dealing with invoices. Working with people. Making people come together to get a project done," Hand said.
He also zeroed in on economics. Hand says candidates for the district often focus their time on agriculture. He says part of that focus should shift toward bolstering other industries to diversify the district's economic output.
"We're more than farmers. We've got to do more for the framers. The welders, mechanics, nurses and teachers. There's a lot more of us than simply farmers," Hand said.
Hand added he'd prioritize bringing in big-name companies to provide key jobs. He points to Micron's semiconductor operation in Clay, New York.
"That's going to create 50,000 jobs for that area," he said.
13WMAZ also asked Hand about his guilty plea and 20 days of jail time related to the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. Hand says he was "peaceful" and was protesting what he believes was a stolen election.
Hand says he will accept the results of the runoff and the November general election.