Jeremy Hunt is running for Congress to defeat “wokeism.”
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, the 28-year-old Army veteran and Yale Law School student said he jumped into the race for the Republican nomination in southwest Georgia’s newly configured 2nd Congressional District to “preserve the American dream.”
Jeremy Hunt
So, what threatens the American dream? Hunt pointed to myriad global threats — China, Iran, Russia. But there are domestic threats, too, the first-time candidate emphasized, dangers “here at home” that are preoccupying him. Chief among them, Hunt said, is “wokeism,” which he defined as “telling people they can’t be proud to be an American anymore.”
“We have been so untethered from faith, family, and communities,” said Hunt, the married father of a 2-year-old daughter. “I’m running to preserve and promote faith family and communities.”
“There is no American dream without faith, families, and communities,” Hunt added, to drive the point home. “I’m running is to restore the pride in our country.”
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The congressman in Georgia’s 2nd District is veteran Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop. The seat’s new boundaries still give Democrats an edge over Republicans but less so than before decennial redistricting. And especially with President Joe Biden’s job approval ratings in Georgia in the tank, Republicans are optimistic that Bishop, 75, is vulnerable. Hunt, who, like Bishop, is black, is the perfect candidate to take him out, many Republicans believe. (He is a regular fixture on conservative media platforms, and his campaign is now being advised by the top Washington GOP consulting firm On Message Inc.)
Hunt did not raise the topic of skin color. But asked if his race is a political asset, the Republican offered that “it might be helpful to get our foot in the door.” In other words, voters in southwest Georgia who might not normally consider supporting a Republican might at least listen to what Hunt has to say, about wokeism and a whole lot else, because of his ethnicity. But Hunt said his campaign will ultimately be won or lost on the issues — and only the issues.
“Bottom line — it’s going to have to come down to the ideas we’re talking about,” he said.
And what are the ideas that Hunt is discussing on the trail?
Rising crime is one. Hunt said the murder rate in Columbus, Georgia, in the northwest corner of the 2nd District, where he lives, is through the roof and must be addressed. Hunt also stressed plans to raise the quality of life in rural communities, for example, by improving access to affordable, quality healthcare services. Hunt wants to deliver more for the agriculture industry, a major economic driver in the district, and the people it employs. And Hunt wants to take steps to strengthen the military, the No. 1 prerequisite, he said, for deterring America’s adversaries around the globe.
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“We’re running because we have an agenda that we think will work,” said Hunt, who once deployed to Ukraine as an Army intelligence officer. “We’re going to flip this seat because we’re going to show up.”
