Former state Rep. Philip Singleton, who has a history of battling establishment Republican forces, is the latest contender to join an open race for a deeply conservative U.S. House district in west Georgia.
Singleton rolled out his campaign to succeed U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson leaning into his intraparty feuds with other Republicans, saying he’s “taking on radical liberals and members of his own party when they get in the way of the America First agenda.”
“American is on the brink. We need an American soldier, conservative warrior, and a proven winner who can put America first again,” his debut video said.
Singleton was a U.S. Army helicopter pilot who was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq before returning to Georgia. He unsuccessfully challenged Ferguson in 2018, then won a special election against an establishment-backed Republican for an open Georgia House seat.
He soon introduced polarizing legislation, including a bill that would ban transgender girls from competing in single-gender sporting events if it doesn’t align with their gender identified at birth.
Even before he ran for office, Singleton was also a vocal critic of then-House Speaker David Ralston and his allies. And when GOP leaders overhauled the political map in 2021, Singleton was drawn out of his Sharpsburg-based district.
He was soon hired as the top aide to U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, and he expects to lean on the first-term Republican’s fundraising network.
Singleton joined the growing field of Republicans competing for the 3rd Congressional District seat, which stretches from Atlanta’s southwest suburbs to the Georgia-Alabama line.
State Rep. David Jenkins, a combat veteran and farmer, entered the race shortly after Ferguson announced he wouldn’t seek a fifth term. Former Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan jumped in the race earlier this month.
There’s also buzz about a bid by Brian Jack, a metro Atlanta native and former White House official who is an adviser to Donald Trump’s comeback attempt. Former state Sen. Mike Crane could also run.
Two others previously filed paperwork to run: Republican activist Jim Bennett and Democrat Rodney Moore.
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