Cowsert, Watson to serve as Georgia State Co-Chairs
Four Republican Mayors, additional Republican activists also join Kasich’s Statewide Leadership Team
GA SENATE MAJ LEADER BILL COWSERT, SENATOR FRAN MILLAR, FORMER STATE PARTY CHAIR RUSTY PAUL AND FORMER GOV. PERDUE CHIEF OF STAFF JOHN WATSON THINK JOHN KASICH SHOULD BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
Today, Georgia Senate Majority Leader Bill Cowsert, State Senator Fran Millar, former State Party Chair Rusty Paul, and John Watson – who served as chief of staff to former Gov. Sonny Perdue -- endorsed Ohio Governor John Kasich for President. Cowsert and Watson will now serve as State Co-Chairs, while Sen. Millar and Mayor Paul will join Kasich for America’s Georgia Statewide Leadership Team along with three additional Georgian Mayors who also endorsed Kasich today.
Majority Leader Cowsert has served the Georgia State Senate since his election in 2006, and in 2014, his Republican colleagues elected him Majority Leader, a position considered to be one of the four most powerful positions in the Georgia legislature. Said Cowsert, “John Kasich is the most experienced candidate in this race. As America continues to suffer from runaway spending, massive debt and a rudderless foreign policy, only John Kasich has the background and leadership to get our country back on track.”
Sen. Millar, a State Senator since 2010, has served the Georgia legislature since first being elected to the House in 1998. During the course of his 17 years in the legislature, he has been the recipient of numerous awards, including ones from the American Conservative Union, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. Said Millar, “Having spent nearly 18 years on the House Armed Services Committee, John Kasich has a depth of foreign policy experience and understanding that cannot be matched. Couple that with his leadership in helping to balance the federal budget the last time our nation was able to do it, makes me proud to become part of the effort in Georgia to elect him President of the United States.”
For more than 35 years, Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul has been a distinguished, respected force in Georgia politics. In 1995, Paul was elected chairman of the Georgia Republican Party and was tasked by the Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) to lead its State Chairman’s Advisory Committee. Prior to that, Mayor Paul served a number of significant positions in the Bush Administration under Secretary Jack Kemp and is a former State Senator. Said Mayor Paul, “John Kasich’s track-record of balancing budgets, dealing with national security issues, and creating jobs is the perfect antidote to so many of the massive problems America faces today. I am thrilled to join the Leadership Team, and look forward to bringing aboard many more Georgians along the way.”
John Watson has proven to be a critical component of many of Georgia’s successful, top tier races. He was general consultant in the Sonny Perdue campaign for governor, helped lead Gov. Perdue’s transition team, and then went on to serve the Administration as chief of staff. Upon taking office in 2015, Gov. Nathan Deal appointed Watson to serve the State of Georgia in a number of capacities. Said Watson, “People from all over recognize what John Kasich has done to help turn around Ohio, a state that was suffering before he took office. Balanced budgets, lower taxes, better management – that formula worked in Ohio, and it can work for America too.”
Also today, three Georgian Mayors and additional Republican activists endorsed Gov. Kasich, and will all join Georgia's Kasich for America's steering committee:
• City of Dunwoody Mayor Mike Davis
• City of LaGrange Mayor Jim Thornton
• City of Tybee Island Mayor Jason Buelterman
• John Stoj
• Dan Israel
• Mark Middleton
• William Woodall
• Ashley Jenkins
• Steve Schultz
“In state after state, region after region, I continue to be humbled by the support we are seeing and the momentum we are gaining,” said Kasich. “Georgia is an incredibly important state, and I am grateful to have such respected, experienced Georgia Republicans stand up and express their support for my vision for this country. The team of Cowsert, Millar, Paul and Watson represent exactly what you want as you build an operation in a state – strength, experience and proven political success.”
