Republican Candidate For Governor Walks Into Rome — Literally
Rep. Austin Scott, a Republican from South Georgia who announced his campaign for governor in January, walked into Rome today as part of his “Walk of Georgia” campaign.
The 14-year state representative walked 15 miles from Haywood Valley Road to downtown Rome via U.S. 27, Martha Berry Boulevard, Second Avenue and Broad Street.
“I’ll be in a better shape when it’s over than I am today,” he said Tuesday morning just after crossing over the Second Avenue bridge near Bridge Point Plaza.
Scott said he had stopped along the way to visit the Georgia State Patrol Post in Armuchee and to speak with a police officer he encountered, as well as other Romans he passed along the way. After his walk he planned to make several appearances to talk with supporters, including a local car dealership, Redmond Regional Medical Center, Floyd Medical Center, and a few other offices he’s been asked to stop by.
Scott says he always stops anytime he passes a state agency, but also said he’s open to requests to stop anything along his route, which began last Saturday in Chickamauga and will take him through 48 counties and over more than 1,000 miles on foot. The planned route will take Scott south, following closely the state border with Alabama; then east through South Georgia before turning north toward South Carolina; then northwest along the border with that state until he reaches the northest corner of the state; finally he’ll turn southwest and head to Atlanta to end his trip at the State Capitol.
“The first day was pretty hot, but today has been cool and yesterday was pretty cool,” said Scott.
He plans to walks 10-20 miles each day of the campaign and said he’ll walk at least 10 miles everyday regardless of the weather. The only exception has been Sunday, when he only walked nine miles so he could make it to church in LaFayette on time. The following day, however, some extra miles were put in by the pastor of that church, who joined Scott on his walk.
Scott said his “Walk of Georgia” is a grassroots effort to talk to Georgians and find out what they want from the government, instead of having the government tell them what they’ll get. It’s also a way to get around the state without spending a lot of money, as he and his team have been staying in state parks during the trip.
“When we announced in January we didn’t think we could raise as much money as some of the other candidates,” so this is a way to speak with Georgians and hear their questions, he said, explaining that the goal is to raise $100 for 100 people in 159 Georgia counties.
There are currently six people seeking the Republican nomination for governor: Scott, John Oxendine, Ray McBerry, Eric Johnson, Karen Handel and Nathan Deal.
More more information about Scott’s “Walk of Georgia” campaign, click here. For more information about his bid for governor, click here.
Rep. Austin Scott (right) and Hank Gurley walk down Broad Street on Tuesday.
