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Veteran Congressman Sanford Bishop ready for battle

Albany Herald - 4/23/2022

Apr. 23—ALBANY — Sanford Bishop gets that knowing smile on his face, the one that's usually accompanied by a small chuckle, as he ponders the question. It's not that he really has to do a lot of thinking — it's a question that's no doubt been ever-present in his mind in the last several months — but he wants to make sure he chooses the right words.

Asked if perhaps the move by the state Legislature during the redistricting process to reduce his comfortable Democratic-leaning majority in U.S. House District 2 to a mere 53% was politically motivated, Bishop breaks out that smile.

"Our part of the state did not grow as much as other parts, and when the census numbers came in we were about 92,000 short of the number needed in each district," said Bishop, who faces a political unknown in the May 24 Democratic primary and what's expected to be a much stiffer test in the November general election from one of seven Republicans running in the Republican primary. "(State officials) had to add more territory to get the 92,000 people, and it appears they decided to try and make it more competitive.

"Judging by the rhetoric that's coming out — where everyone's saying, 'Now is our chance to beat Sanford Bishop' — it does seem to be a matter of politics, not a matter of service. As I said, that's fine. I'm not in this race for money or power. I'm in it to serve these communities in District 2."

Certainly the redrawing of the 2nd District benefits the Republican challengers — Paul Whitehead, Chris West, Tracy Taylor, Wayne Johnson, Richard Robertson, Jeremy Hunt and Vivian Childs — but it's not like Bishop hasn't overcome adversity during his 30 years in the U.S. House, the largest chunk of his 50-plus-year career of service to Georgians.

"We've been through rough times in the 2nd District before, from the floods in '94 and '98, tornadoes, a hurricane, droughts and this pandemic," the Congressman said. "I've tried over the years through all of these difficult times to make sure the citizens of this district come out of them with the opportunity to thrive."

Bishop's seniority (he is the longest-serving member of the state's U.S. Congressional delegation) has elevated him to key positions that "allow me to make decisions on the checks that go out into the districts."

"As co-chairman of the ag subcommittee that makes decisions on farming, agriculture, nutrition — the things that are the very heart of Georgia — I'm able to make sure our people get their fair share," Bishop said. "And by serving on the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs subcommittee, which had jurisdiction over BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure), I've been in a position to allocate for resources for the bases in our district — the Albany Marine Base, Fort Benning — and in our state. Those bases are important to our defense and to the economic impact in our region."

Bishop said the most important action taken by the Democratic Biden Administration has been its efforts to lead recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Beyond any shadow of a doubt, this administration's response to the pandemic has been its most significant contribution," he said. "The previous (Trump) administration did a great job of researching and preparing the vaccine that's allowed us to combat the pandemic. But distribution was a problem.

"The Biden Administration mobilized its efforts and got the job done. And the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, the COVID relief funding have all allowed every county, every city, every school board, every law enforcement agency, all of the nation's first responders and our health care institutions to continue doing the work that it's taken to get us through this pandemic."

The infrastructure legislation brought Bishop and U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack to Albany Thursday to deliver funding for the Radium Springs area in Dougherty County that has been devastated in recent years by the series of natural disasters that swept through the region.

"Doing something about our aging infrastructure has been discussed endlessly for the past 20 years, but no one's been able to get anything done," the Congressman said. "Some of the world's rising nations have newer infrastructure so they don't have the issues we have. Some of our water systems, roads, bridges, airports, sewer systems ... they're more than 100 years old.

"But we finally got it across the finish line. That's going to have a huge impact on our country moving forward."

As for that political newcomer challenging Bishop in the primary? His name is Joseph O'Hara.

"I have absolutely no idea about him," the Congressman said of his fellow Democrat. "We've not been able to get into his website; we're not aware of any appearance he's made. He doesn't have much to say, I guess.

"It's the American way that anyone who wants to can run for office, but it would be nice to know who this person is. But I guess if we don't know, not many others know either."

Opposition, Bishop says, is not his concern, even as the focus of the election moves from the primaries to the November mid-terms.

"I've given an accounting of my stewardship," he says. "The people know what I've done. I'm asking them to renew my contract. I'm asking them to look what I brought to the table. I hope that when they do, they'll say, 'Well done, good and faithful servant,' as they get ready to cast their votes. I want to help finish the job we started."

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