State Senate District 6’s Republican primary list swelled to four names last month.
Buckhead resident Drew Ellenburg, 37, is the fourth Republican to challenge incumbent Doug Stoner, D-Smyrna, for the newly drawn district, which after recent preclearance by the U.S. Department of Justice trades some south Cobb County precincts for parts of Buckhead and Sandy Springs.
“I have deep roots in the 6th District and I am proud to call it home. I was raised in east Cobb and brought up in my family’s furniture store on South Cobb Drive in Smyrna,” he said about Howard’s Furniture Store, named for his grandfather.
The Marietta High School graduate earned a bachelor’s degree in sports management in 1998 from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., where he became an NCAA Division I decathlete.
“After college, I came back to Smyrna and started my own business,” Ellenburg said about furniture making and manufacturer representation.
Both new and old maps of District 6 contain family landmarks, said the husband of Mary Elizabeth and father of Jack, 4, and Anne, 2, but he has his eye on the future.
“This district is the economic heart and hub of Georgia,” Ellenburg said. “I firmly believe we can improve our economy and become the top economic powerhouse in the entire nation, but we need a conservative businessman who understands how to get the job done.”
He said he is that businessman, who will translate experience in commerce to success in office.
“I’m not a politician. I am a businessman who has skin in the game,” Ellenburg said. “Every day, I have to make tough decisions. When there’s a problem, I have to find a solution. I’ve met a payroll, signed the front of a paycheck, created jobs and balanced budgets. That’s exactly the kind of experience we need in the state Senate and every level of government, for that matter, in order to turn this economy around.”
Besides economic growth spurred by actions like lowering corporate inventory and personal income taxes, his campaign platform includes slashing wasteful government spending, mandatory drug testing for welfare and Medicaid recipients and greater accountability in education.
Ellenburg said his campaign raised more than “six figures” since its Dec. 6 kickoff.
“Of course, we will be posting our campaign disclosure in a few days,” he said about filing a statement on the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission website www.ethics.georgia.gov.
On the web
www.drewellenburg.com
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