April 19, 2024
If you live anywhere close to the 6th Congressional District in Georgia, you have been inundated with political advertisements from congressional candidates Karen Handel and Jon Ossoff.
If you watch television in the Atlanta area you will see more of Karen Handel than “Flo” in the Progressive Insurance ads, and you will see more of Jon Ossoff than the Gecko in the Geico ads.
For the most part, the 6th Congressional District has not been in play for years because the Republicans have had the district in their hip pocket for nearly four decades. Ever since Newt Gringrich was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978 Republicans have ruled the day in Georgia’s 6th congressional district. Of course, the Democrats were in control of that seat in Congress for practically a century before the election of Gringrich.
This congressional race, which has attracted national attention, will be decided on June 20. And for most of us, the election cannot take place soon enough.
National Public Radio has stated that this particular House race is already the most expensive in U.S. history. So far, the candidates and outside groups are on track to spend at least $30 million on television ads alone. Local television stations are padding their bank accounts with the windfall from the political ads.
In addition to the enormous amount of money spent for advertisements, Ossoff has an unbelievable ground game. He has a captain in each of the 209 precincts – a person who lives in that precinct and can talk to and mobilize their immediate friends and neighbors to become advocates and voters.
By the end of the primary, the Daily Kos reported that Ossoff’s team had recruited nearly 10,000 unique volunteers and hired 100 field staff. Furthermore, Ossoff’s field staff knocked on more than 250,000 doors in an effort to woo voters.
Handel’s ground game is significant, but there is no information I could find to portray the extent and scope of it. She does have the endorsement of Georgia’s governor, lieutenant governor, U.S. senators, and Republican congressmen.
President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan have already visited Georgia to assist Handel’s bid for the seat in Congress. Furthermore, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is planning to come to Georgia in an effort to boost Handel’s campaign.
In other words, Ossoff and Handel are in a horse race for Georgia’s 6th congressional seat. They are pulling out all the stops and exhausting all resources to win this seat in the House of Representatives.
I agree that this race is extremely important. However, with all the money, time, television advertisements, and manpower invested in this race one might be led to think the future of mankind will be determined by the winner of this political contest.
It won’t!
Political candidates have proven they are able to motive their colleagues to strategize, work, and give to accomplish their goals more than the church has proven its ability to motive the saints of God to reach lost people and serve the living Christ.
The political parties are able to enlist, motivate, and mobilize people for their objectives. Meanwhile, churches have difficulty getting observers and spectators to become surrendered and involved participants in their mission.
I am concerned about the people we elect to represent us in public office, but we seem to be more interested in a temporal kingdom than God’s eternal kingdom.
I am convinced that if we spent as much time hearing from God and obeying His Word and doing His will as political parties spend in crusading for a candidate, we would be in a perennial revival.
