Georgia 2018: Republican Hunter Hill will run for governor

There are all sorts of ways to announce that you’re running for governor. This morning, state Sen. Hunter Hill, R-Atlanta, sent out the following tweet:

Read the biographic description that Hill offers above: “Christian, Husband, Dad, Combat Veteran, Small Businessman, State Senator, Candidate for Governor.” Emphasis ours.

In a release, the state senator said he’ll run on a platform of “more efficient and effective state government.”

“I am dedicated to America’s founding values and principles of God-given rights, limited government, free enterprise and expanded liberty,” said Hill, a U.S. Army veteran. “I have fought to defend these values in Afghanistan and Iraq and in the Georgia Senate.”

Hill faces an uphill battle in the wide-open race for governor. Secretary of State Brian Kemp is already in the race, and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle plans to formally launch his campaign on Sunday. Several more higher-profile Republicans, including some from his own chamber, are considering entering the contest.

But Hill represents a fast-changing Atlanta-based Senate district that is no longer safe for a Republican candidate. He narrowly won re-election in 2016 against Democrat Jaha Howard, who is likely to run for the open seat in 2018.

Democrats are gearing up for a chance to flip the governor’s seat for the first time since 2002. House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams is seen as a lock to join the contest and others, including state Rep. Stacey Evans,  Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson and former state Sen. Jason Carter, are exploring a run.

More: Georgia governor race: Who could be running in 2018

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