The 9th district seat opened up in January when GOP Rep. Doug Collins announced a run for Senate. After crowded summer primaries, the race is now down to Republican Andrew Clyde and Democrat Devin Pandy. Both are military veterans with multiple deployments, but that’s where the similarities end.
Clyde, a former Navy officer, owns an Athens gun store and calls the Second Amendment “the teeth in, ‘We the People.’” He opposes abortion, supports President Donald Trump, and pledges to dismantle the IRS. Clyde successfully lobbied Congress to pass a law limiting the agency’s power.
Pandy immigrated to the U.S. from Belize as a child and moved to Georgia after 21 years in the U.S. Army. His campaign promises “progress for rural Georgia,” including an increase in the minimum wage, help for farmers and affordable housing for homeless veterans.
Clyde heads to November with the partisan advantage. Trump won the 9th in 2016 with 77.8% of the vote.
9th District Candidates:
Andrew Clyde, Republican, gun store owner, clyde4congress.com
Devin Pandy, Democrat, veteran, devinpandyforcongress.com
Candidate Q&A
The AJC posed a series of policy questions to the candidates. Once complete, their responses will be compiled here.
Debate coverage
The candidates are scheduled to participate in the Atlanta Press Club’s debate on October 12 at 11:30 am. Watch it live HERE and on Georgia Public Broadcasting at 9:00 pm.
Fundraising
Read the AJC’s coverage of the most recent campaign finance report, plus earlier articles about first-quarter and second-quarter fundraising.
More from the AJC:
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