Brunswick News (Ga.) How Perdue can win votes

If former U.S. Sen. David Perdue has any real expectations of being Georgia’s next governor, then he is going to have to do more than parrot former President Donald Trump by attempting to pin his own reelection loss in 2020 to a Democrat on Gov. Brian Kemp. A lot more.

The Sea Island Republican is going to have to show Georgia voters between now and the May 24 primary that he is more than a Trump revenge candidate. He cannot spend quality time before the voters of this great state trying to blame his loss to current Sen. Jon Ossoff on Kemp. Georgia deserves better from a candidate with such strong qualifications.

What voters need to know are his plans for the future. Crime, for example, is rampant, particularly in the Peach State’s capital city. Just recently five teens were injured in a gunbattle outside a Waffle House, two of whom later hijacked a vehicle at gunpoint.

The currently ended session of the General Assembly took aim at it. Members passed measures to boost law enforcement. Whether it will be enough to even dent this growing problem remains to be seen.

There is also the issue of the state’s public school systems. Teachers are in short supply, an issue that is likely to worsen if left ignored. Everyone knows education is the key to an individual’s success. It is also the key to a state’s success.

There are a raft of other issues that take precedence over who won or lost an election and why. Affordable housing is one of them. The cost of housing, including rentals, is skyrocketing and beyond the reach of many working Georgians. Regardless of why or who is to blame, the fact remains that more and more individuals and families are struggling to find or keep a decent roof over their heads.

The state’s treatment of men, women and children with mental illness has been abominable, but fortunately the state legislature has begun to deal with it after years of neglect and political mumbo-jumbo. Question is, will it be enough? If not, it will require strong leadership to effect necessary adjustments.

Stop whining about what happened in the past. Focus on the next four years — the length of the term of office the next governor of Georgia will serve.