Mike Dugan joins U.S. House race for Georgia’s 3rd District

State Sen. Mike Dugan, once one of the most powerful Republicans in the Legislature, on Wednesday joined what’s expected to be a crowded race in an open and deeply conservative U.S. House district in west Georgia.

Dugan told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he will step down from his Carrollton-based Georgia Senate seat on Thursday and formally enter the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson, who announced last month that he was retiring after four terms.

A former U.S. Army Ranger, Dugan first won election to the Georgia Senate in 2013 and rose to become the chamber’s majority leader. But his bid for a higher leadership post failed in 2022, and last month he fiercely criticized his fellow Republicans for drawing a portion of his native Carroll County out of his district.

Dugan said in a statement that he was proud of his “successful track record” in the Legislature, where he influenced some of the most significant policies over the past decade, including several measures that boosted benefits to members of the military and their families.

“I look forward to putting my experience to work on a larger scale for Georgia in the U.S. Congress,” Dugan said.

He is one of the first in what’s likely to be a crowded field of Republicans competing for the 3rd Congressional District seat, which stretches from Atlanta’s southwest suburbs to the Georgia-Alabama line.

Credit: AJC file photo

Credit: AJC file photo

State Rep. David Jenkins, a combat veteran and farmer, entered the race shortly after Ferguson announced he wouldn’t seek a fifth term.

And former state Rep. Philip Singleton plans to enter the race this month. Drawn out of his district two years ago by top Georgia House Republicans, Singleton is now the chief aide to U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick.

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.

Two others previously filed paperwork to run: Republican activist Jim Bennett and Democrat Rodney Moore.

Other potential contenders include state Sens. Matt Brass and Randy Robertson; former state Sen. Mike Crane; and Chris West, the GOP nominee last year for a neighboring district.

The race for Dugan’s Senate seat is already fast taking shape: Former state Rep. Tim Bearden said he plans to run.

As the chamber’s majority leader for two terms, Dugan helped shape the legislative agenda for an often fractious Senate GOP caucus.

After his bid for the more powerful post of Senate president pro tem failed in 2022, the clean-cut military veteran returned to the legislative session with a full salt-and-pepper beard — and gained a reputation for speaking his mind more freely. (Capitol wags dubbed it his “resistance” beard.)

In a statement, Dugan said if elected he would enforce strict immigration policies and back economic initiatives that “hold the line against Biden-era inflation.”

“I have been driven to serve throughout my entire life, and now, more than ever, I am determined to restore civic responsibility in our federal government,” he said.