Candidates for Georgia’s Congressional District 2 vow to fight for farm legislation

by Junna Base November 6, 2024

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – Lawmakers are required to pass a new farm bill every five years, but Georgia’s new farm bill has been delayed for months. Candidates running in Georgia’s Congressional District 2 race are vowing to help create a new district.

Incumbent Democrat Sanford Bishop and Republican candidate Wayne Johnson are vying for the seat. Bishop has held the seat for the last three decades, while Johnson has worked in business for the last 40 years.

In addition to planning to address key issues such as poverty, low-income housing and economic development, both candidates said they were willing to do whatever it takes to get a new farm bill signed into law.

“The agricultural law must be passed. The farmers know it,” Johnson said. “And one of the reasons we have extraordinarily high food prices is because the farm bill didn’t pass and my opponent Sanford Bishop sat on powerful committees where it should and could have gotten it passed. We will have anywhere from the bottom 25% to maybe up to 70% going out of business if we don’t enforce the farm bill.”

Bishop said serving on key committees gives him an edge in the race.

“I am a member of the Agricultural Authorization Committee, which is of course responsible for the agricultural law,” he said. “I therefore intend to focus intensely on my duties there so that I can deliver for our farmers, for our rural communities, for our cities, our communities and our people throughout the 2nd District.”

The 2nd Congressional District consists of 27 counties, including Dougherty County. According to the Georgian Foreign Minister’s website. Just over 21,000 Dougherty County neighbors voted.

Results for the seat will be announced late Wednesday evening.

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