Longtime Dawson County Board of Education member Will Wade has officially announced his candidacy for the Georgia House District 9 seat, which represents portions of Lumpkin, Dawson and Forsyth counties.
In a statement on Tuesday afternoon Wade said that he would be entering the state house race and would be running on a platform of conservative north Georgia values, with an emphasis on education.
“My top legislative priority as your State Representative will always be ensuring Georgia’s education system serves the needs of the Ninth District,” Wade said in the release. “I have been honored to serve on the Dawson County Board of Education as Chair and Vice Chair, and my wife, Jennifer, has devoted her life to educating Lumpkin County students since 2001. By reducing high-stakes testing, advocating for parents and teachers, championing local control, and eliminating Common Core, I will always put our students first.”
Currently Wade serves as the Chairman of the Dawson County Board of Education. He has served on the board for 15 years.
In the statement Wade also touted his private sector and business background, stating that he would use that experience and his experience with the education system, to benefit and improve the lives of Dawson County residents.
“If elected, I will never forget the people who send me down to Atlanta every January,” he said. “The rural communities we call home are changing, and all too often they go ignored. I will continue Representative Kevin Tanner’s legacy as a rock-solid conservative fighter for our community and pick up right where he left off.”
Wade is now the third candidate to announce for Georgia’s District 9 House seat, following the announcement that State Rep. Kevin Tanner (R-Dawsonville) would be running for Georgia’s 9th Congressional district seat, which has been held by Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) since 2013, later in 2020.
Last week two north Georgia attorneys, Zachary Tumlin of Dahlonega and Steven Leibel of Lumpkin County, announced that they would be running for Tanner’s seat.