Keown will challenge Bishop

State Rep. Mike Keown announced Wednesday he will challenge Congressman Sanford Bishop in Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District. Keown filed official paperwork with the Federal Election Commission and says he will move quickly to organize a strong campaign before making a more formal announcement in several months.
The 2nd District encompasses most of southwest Georgia from Thomasville to Columbus, and includes Grady County.
“I’m running for Congress to bring common-sense Georgia values to Washington. Sadly, those values are sorely lacking in our nation’s capitol. The stimulus package has created little more than massive deficits and rising unemployment. Cap and trade will impose a National Energy Tax on any American who flips on a light switch and a government-run takeover of healthcare threatens to raise costs and take choice away from patients. It’s plain to see that we’re headed in the wrong direction, it’s time we have a representative from the 2nd District who understands that.”
An ordained minister who serves as pastor of Coolidge Memorial Baptist Church, Keown is serving his third term as a State Representative. Keown has a self-described reputation in Atlanta as a common-sense conservative; as a good steward of the environment; as a dedicated advocate for child safety and mental health issues. He served as deputy majority whip during the 2007-2008 legislative term. Previously, Keown served as Mayor of Coolidge and as a member of the Thomas County Board of Education. He has a basic residential contractor’s license and owns a small construction business.