Below is Douglas' official press release:
"After very careful consideration and discussions with my wife, family and supporters, I have decided to end my campaign for the 10th Congressional District.
We had the beginnings of a great grass roots effort and had already generated support and commitments from most of the larger counties in the district. We were beginning to bring things together and make a strong initial start many months ahead of the primary and runoff.
Three factors led to this decision: When I ran for the Newton County Commission, I committed to serving the 1st Commission District for four years. In all the elected positions I have held, I have never left an office early to run for another office. In my mind, the prospect of bringing a congressional seat to Newton County was something that would have been a very great benefit to our county and an early start was required to get the campaign organized.
Second, being a County Commissioner has brought far more work and responsibilities than I suspected it would require. I cannot carry out my responsibilities as Commissioner in a professional manner and mount a Congressional campaign at the same time. It's time to "clear the decks" and give the County Commission 100% of my time. This "part time job" has proven to be anything but part time. I will remain a commissioner through these four years and decide at the appropriate time on a possible reelection campaign.
Finally, while I completed my prostate cancer treatments just today, I still have the risk of unexpected news as I work to become a legitimate cancer survivor over the next few years. The radiation treatments have gone well but there have been inevitable changes in my body that I have to accommodate.
Thank you to my supporters and friends. I hope that my service as a county commissioner will make you proud you supported me."
- John Douglas
Newton County Commissioner John Douglas said Monday he is ending his bid for U.S. Congress, just shy of two months after it started.
Douglas, R-Social Circle, was one of the first candidates to jump into the race for the 10th congressional seat, announcing in early February he would seek to replace U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, R-Athens.
Broun is seeking the seat of retiring Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss.
Douglas said his decision was based on multiple factors, including the amount of time his commissioner position required and his recovery from prostate cancer.
“Being a County Commissioner has brought far more work and responsibilities than I suspected it would require. I cannot carry out my responsibilities as commissioner in a professional manner and mount a Congressional campaign at the same time,” Douglas said in a press release emailed to The News at Monday. “It’s time to ‘clear the decks’ and give the county commission 100 percent of my time. This ‘part-time job’ has proven to be anything but part time. I will remain a commissioner through these four years and decide at the appropriate time on a possible reelection campaign.
“Finally, while I completed my prostate cancer treatments just today, I still have the risk of unexpected news as I work to become a legitimate cancer survivor over the next few years. The radiation treatments have gone well, but there have been inevitable changes in my body that I have to accommodate,” he said in the release.
Douglas was elected county commissioner in November and had just begun serving when he announced his plans to run for U.S. Congress.
He said he needed to get an early start on building name recognition and financial support and also said he felt having a U.S. representative from Newton County would be a boon to the county.
“We had the beginnings of a great grass roots effort and had already generated support and commitments from most of the larger counties in the district. We were beginning to bring things together and make a strong initial start many months ahead of the primary and runoff,” Douglas said in his release.
He will continue to serve as a county commissioner through his four-year term, which will end Dec. 31, 2016.
