Local Republicans packed into the Historic Courthouse in Covington Monday night to listen to gubernatorial candidate Karen Handel, U.S 8th Congressional District candidate Austin Scott and Public Service Commission candidate John Douglas.

Douglas and Handel will both face opposition in the Aug. 10 runoff, while Scott managed to win a majority of votes for his seat in the July 20 Primary.

Handel talked about lowering some taxes to spur economic growth, while increasing the sales tax to make up the difference. She also discussed increasing the technology level in government and privatizing any non-essential government functions to save money.

Scott said the greatest threat to the country is the unbalanced budget, and he said the best way to reduce the budget is to spur economic growth. He doesn’t support the fair tax, but he does support simplifying the tax code. Scott said incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Macon) isn’t a true conservative, and Scott vowed to work to actively repeal the current health care reform law.

Douglas said the PSC is important because it controls the companies that provide residents with electricity, natural gas and landline phone communication. However, he the PSC also deals with seemingly unconnected companies like household moving groups and limousine service. He said these industries can effectively be regulated by the market and he wants the PSC to return to basics. He also called for more strict enforcement of the "Do Not Call" list.