ATHENS, Ga. – After 15 years of working in the restaurant industry with the Georgia-based brand Zaxby’s, Joe Hunt, vice president of franchise relations, is entering the political arena. 

A native of Northeast Georgia, Joe Hunt is the son of blue-collar parents who instilled in him the values of a “please-and-thank-you” culture. 

“Hard work and personal accountability naturally developed from these values,” Hunt said. 

Now married to Stephanie Boyd Hunt of Lilburn, the couple has two children and live in Watkinsville.

Hunt earned a bachelor of science in public relations from Georgia Southern University and an MBA from the Stetson School of Business and Economics at Mercer University. He began his career with Zaxby’s in 2002 where he has hired and trained many leaders in the Zaxby’s brand.

As the current Vice President of Franchise Relations, Hunt is responsible for improving the quality of relationships between the corporate entity of Zaxby’s Franchising, LLC, and its individual franchise operators.

Earlier this year, Hunt announced that he would run as a Republican Candidate for Georgia's 10th Congressional District in the upcoming election for the U.S. House of Representatives, against the incumbent, Jody Hice.

“I’m running because I feel there are people on both sides of our political system who hold radical views and have hijacked both parties in Washington,” Hunt said. “However, I believe that most Americans, like our neighbors here in Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, are reasonable people who share a mix of social and political views, and simply want to see both parties act.”

If elected, Hunt has offered his support to the interests of small businesses, fostering their growth while protecting the individual’s rights to pursue profitable businesses, free from overreaching government interference.

Hunt is also interested in filling the labor shortages in Georgia while raising the tax base from the bottom up. Hunt will fight to expand apprenticeship programs in Georgia that provide education, training, and certification to utilize the tremendous reach of local technical and trade schools.

While in office, Hunt plans to make sure that good legislative ideas receive proper funding and are properly implemented regardless of which side of the aisle they originate.  

“I'm running because my family and I deserve more sensible, more logical, and more practical representation in Washington, and so do my fellow residents in Georgia,” Hunt said. "The citizens are the ones who lose when policy becomes about winning rather than helping. I plan to use my experience building and nurturing relationships to promote and fight for solutions that benefit the greater good. I want to be the voice that introduces new, sensible ideas that move the country forward and promote fiscal responsibility and social accountability."