For the first time since 2006, Georgia House of Representatives District 31 incumbent representative Tommy Benton (R) will have an opponent in this year’s general election.
Voters will see two names on the ballot for District 31, which is mostly comprised of Jackson County, as the incumbent State Rep. Benton faces off against Pete Fuller (D).
State Rep. Benton was first elected as the representative for District 31 in the 2004 general election and has held the position ever since. The only time Benton has faced any opposition in that 16-year timeframe was during his first re-election effort in 2006, when Democrat Tommy Stephenson ran against him.
Benton is a sixth-generation Jackson County resident who grew up in Commerce. He attended Commerce High School, then later went on to earn his AB in History at West Georgia College in 1972.
Benton spent 30 years as a teacher in the Jackson County School System from 1974 to 2004, and his focus was on Georgia History. Benton and his wife Karen have four children and two grandchildren.
Fuller and his wife Raye Lynn have two children and have lived in Jackson County since 2011. Fuller attended the University of Georgia where he got his bachelor’s in social science education in 1999, and a master’s in instructional technology in 2002.
While he did not officially move to Jackson County until later, Fuller said he has lived nearby ever since attending school at UGA.
Like Benton, Fuller has also worked in the Jackson County School System. Fuller worked as a Systems Administrator for the school system for about 10 years, until the Great Recission hit in the late 2000’s. In 2008, Fuller decided to move into systems work in the private sector.
Both may be fathers and Jackson County residents, but State Rep. Benton and Fuller are taking unique approaches to the issues that they are focusing on for the 2020 General Election.
Benton said he is taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to the issues he is focusing on in his re-election effort.
“You really don’t know what the issues are going to be until you get closer to the session starting up, and seeing what might be on the docket,” Benton said.
Benton said he avoids making promises to constituents in election years, as he said he feels that these can be unrealistic.
“The only promise I’ve ever made in all the elections that I’ve done is the fact that I will be the best representative I can be,” Benton said.
According to Benton, the only thing that he knows will be important is the passing of the next state budget, especially after the cuts that had to be made in the FY 2021 budget. Aside from approving the next state budget, Benton said he does not yet have anything on the agenda for the upcoming year.
Fuller on the other hand has several specific issues in mind for his campaign.
The forefront of these issues is expanding broadband access to rural Jackson County. For Fuller, the internet is extremely important in 2020, especially because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s not just something to watch your movie at night on. It is how people work. It is how people go to school. It’s how seniors are able to order their medicines and apply for social security,” Fuller said.
On top of this, Fuller said he wants to make Jackson County more accessible by bringing more affordable housing to the area. Fuller said many people work in Jackson County, but live elsewhere due to high housing costs, and that is something he wants to change.
Fuller said he does believe in second amendment rights, but he believes there should be stricter guidelines in place as far as who is able to own a gun.
“I don’t want to take any guns away from anybody that’s competent to have them, but we’ve got to recognize there are people that are a threat to themselves and others,” Fuller said.
On the matter of healthcare, Fuller’s website also states that he believes Georgia and the United States should embrace universal healthcare.
The two candidates will face off in the 2020 general election on November 3.
