Hall County Commissioner Gregg Poole makes no bones about what, or rather, Who, inspired him to run for Congress in Georgia’s 9th Congressional District, covering all or part of 12 counties in Northeast Georgia.
“I see this as exactly what the Lord is making me do,” he said in an interview on April 9th. “I feel like I’m being called to this as much as [when] the Lord made me preach when I was 28 years old…I am spreading the Gospel at all my events. I am talking about the Lord and about His will, and what people should do to be ready for His return.”
Yet the 57-year-old Hall County Commissioner and part-time preacher—also a businessman, co-owner of an electrical and plumbing business in Gainesville—has some very this-world concerns when it comes to his planned Congressional service.
Issue One: The Cost of Housing
“The biggest issue I see facing our kids and our grandkids is that they can’t afford a house,” Poole said. “Most of the people my age are saying their kids or grandkids can’t afford” to live in the area. “Some are cashing in their 401k’s to help them afford it.”
If elected in the May 19th primary and then the general election in November, Poole said, he will work with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development to narrow the gap—“currently the largest it’s ever been” between typical salaries for young people and the cost of starter homes, which he put at $485,000 to $515,000 in Hall County, the area he knows best as a government official.
He argued that the spate of new townhomes and condos—particularly in Gainesville, the largest city in the District—is a burden on taxpayers and does not solve the housing crisis, as many of their prices are also out of range for many.
He also claimed the residents of dense housing “are turning a red (Republican) county blue” and had regrettably made Gainesville the center of anti-government protest for the whole area.
Money Back to the District
Poole proudly pointed to his achievements as a Hall County commissioner, saying, “I have brought more money back to the 9th District than anybody running, through excessive pressure and my great negotiating skills.”
His biggest triumph, he said, was taking on the Georgia Ports Authority, which plans a massive inland port in Gainesville, due to open in May, linking truck routes with rail lines to the seaport in Savannah.
“Hall County signed an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the Authority for $4.5 million,” he said. “I said: ’For the love of God, don’t sign that IGA. That’s nowhere near enough money.’” Poole viewed the situation as “the big state of Georgia bullying little old Hall County.”
He argued that the Ports Authority should reimburse the county significantly more for the enormous expense of expanding and improving its road network to meet the needs of the inland port. Ultimately, he says, his efforts secured an initial $10 million, with an additional $5 million expected in 2027.
Without that money, he said, “trucks would be struggling to get up the road.”
Taking on Kubota
Poole detailed a similar battle with Kubota Manufacturing of America, which he said wanted to build a Hall County facility without reimbursing the county for additional infrastructure. He won the day on that initiative, too, he says, insisting successfully that the company pay to modify an intersection to ease traffic near its facility.
“When you’re in construction, these are the conversations you have at a roundtable at a construction site–because if you don’t articulate your position, you’ll get bulldozed over and stuck in a corner sucking your thumb,” Poole said.
Poole promised to bring his tough attitude to Congress, adding, “I believe you’re either made to be that guy, or you’re not that guy–the guy that stands up.”
Poole has two opponents in the Republican primary–Rep. Andrew Clyde, the three-term incumbent Congressman, and former Gainesville mayor Sam Couvillon. The primary in the solidly Republican district is May 19th, with early voting starting later this month. Two Democratic candidates, Nick Alex and Caitlyn Gegen, are also vying for the seat.
Self-funded and Proud
Poole, who characterized himself as “a terrible fundraiser,” said his campaign was almost entirely self-funded out of his successful business. “We are really more of a grassroots campaign,” he said, adding with a laugh, “my resources are my personal checkbook.”
Naming other crucial issues in his sights, Poole proposed a federal solution to a local problem; when builders and developers choose to build housing locally, he said, they tend to use materials and contractors from national businesses, and not local businesspeople like Poole himself.
“They don’t buy local,” he said. “None of that is helping the local tax base; in fact, it’s an economic deterrent.”
He said Congress could legislatively demand that development projects benefit local businesses as well as prospective homeowners. “We want that money to stay local,” he said,
Draining the Swamp, and Then Some
Poole says that President Trump’s promise to attack the problem of the Washington elite illicitly benefiting from federal money and favors is not only unfinished, but isn’t ambitious enough.
“We have all these people talking about draining the swamp,” he said. “I want to pull the plug.” He said he would opt to severely limit the scope and power of Washington lobbyists.
Poole, a gun owner, said he is strong on the Second Amendment right to bear arms, and shares the customary views of Republicans on immigration and other social issues, even advocating that the 1,400-inmate, century-old Lee Arrendale State Prison, which is slated for eventual closure, be adapted to detain illegal immigrants.
One Exception on Abortion
When it comes to abortion—perhaps the most contentious social issue over the last decades of American life- Poole did allow for one variation in his generally anti-abortion position. In the case of a pregnancy resulting from rape, he said, “A lot of people are put in bad situations. I don’t think the Lord would be pleased with me telling them anything, and I wouldn’t presume to put myself in their shoes… I don’t think you can speak intelligently if you’re not in their situation.”
He said he would not favor murder prosecutions for women who undergo abortion or the doctors who perform the procedure, but generally feels the issue should be decided state by state.
God’s Promise
Asked if his Godly mission to campaign for Congress meant he was certain to win, he smiled and said, “Not at all….He told me He wanted me to run; He didn’t say I was going to win.”
