Well, if you are looking for something to do in the next three or four weeks, here are a few suggestions: you can learn how to play pickleball, or you can take up a new dance craze, or you can just get your calculator and turn on the TV. That might be the most entertaining choice of all because there will be some unbelievable money spent on political advertising, free barbecue and free T-shirts by the good ‘ole boys and girls who are running in the May 19, 2026, primary elections. These elections will decide who the Republican and Democrat candidates will be on the ballot for the November general elections.
Two of those candidates have already paid a small fortune in advertising to imprint their names on your brain. In the race to figure out who our next Governor will be, long-time politician Burt Jones is slugging it out with” big-bucks businessman” Rick Jackson. Six other hopefuls are in the race as well. Yep, we’ve got eight Republicans running for Governor, and as a special added bonus, we also have eight Democrats doing the same thing. If you are shaking your head like Rip Van Winkle waking up after a real long nap, don’t feel bad. Most folks thought Governor Brian Kemp had a lifetime contract on that job, (kind of like the Pope or Santa Claus), but no sir, Kemp will be heading on out to greener pasture now that his terms are almost over. Sixteen of the least-known people in the great “Peach state” are running their little hearts out trying to get noticed, and nobody is much listening. I can’t tell you how to vote ‘cause I don’t know myself, but it must be some kind of wonderful to be the Governor of Georgia.
I know Mr. Marvin Griffin brought his campaign to Emanuel County several times back in the 1950s. He believed in barbecue, and he won in 1954. Lester Maddox gave away chicken and ax handles. He came to Swainsboro during the campaign, and flirted with all the ladies at the Citizens Bank which later became City Hall, like he later became Governor. Carl Sanders made a fine speech on the back of a truck and trailer loaded down with tobacco in the Vann City Park in 1962. His barbecue wasn’t as good as Marvin Griffin’s. Things are surely different nowadays. It takes a little more to get elected in 2026 than a few barbecue plates or chicken dinners. A survey estimate of campaign costs in this day and time says that statewide political TV commercials can now run between $750 all the way up to $20,000 for a 30 second spot, just for one commercial! Now that is what they call “Las Vegas Money”, and it seems like a real shame that people still don’t get fired up more about political races like they used to. Voting is one of the real treasures of what this country is all about. When we get to the point that a majority of registered voters fail to show up for elections, that will be the point from which this country may never recover, and it may not be far off. We need only registered citizens voting in every election, and if you choose not to vote, you should lose your right to vote.
I hope with all my heart that things never get that bad, and I hope these primary elections on May 19, 2026, encourage some real serious thought and respectful debate no matter who you are or what you believe. Maybe the fact that so many folks are running for office is a good sign. What may not be so good is how much money will be spent on commercials that don’t really give us a whole lot of good solid information. Where does all that money come from anyway? Our old buddy, Mr. Grizzard described political races as a bunch of jackasses in a smiling contest. I have been right there among it, and I would agree. However, I would also say that a good speech, good barbecue and chicken, with some good, simple honesty on the side will still go a whole lot further than anything you might see on the television. Especially when it comes to you face to face with a good solid handshake.
