Former Georgia ethics official to challenge McBath

Jake Evans, former chairman of the Georgia ethics commission, on Tuesday announced a bid to unseat incumbent Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath in the state’s 6th District.

Speaking to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Evans said he is running because “the radical left is seeking to erase our culture, our values and our American identity.”

“I’m a fighter for the people and I deliver results for the people,” he said. “We’re going to run an unafraid conservative campaign because America needs fighters who will stand up for the Constitution and not for political opportunism.”

During his five years as the ethics commission chairman, Evans looked into mapmaking mistakes and ineligible voters and worked on two do-over votes in Republican-on-Republican elections.

The Journal-Constitution notes that Evans is joining fellow Republican Meagan Hanson in running to unseat McBath, who flipped the district’s seat in 2018 after running a campaign centered around progressive issues, particularly gun control, after her teenage son was killed in a shooting.

Though the district has leaned further left since McBath’s election, the Journal-Constitution points out it has historically been a launching pad for many prominent GOP figures, including former Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Sens. Johnny Isakson and Tom Price.

Evans compared the 2022 midterm elections to the 1994 midterms that led to Gingrich’s rise in power.

“We fully expect to mount a revolution,” he told the Journal-Constitution, “and it starts right here in Georgia in the 6th District.”

—Updated at 1:54 p.m.