Project Logic Ga

State Representative Winfred Dukes is the best choice for Georgia Agriculture Commissioner.  Because the Republicans are nominating a well-funded state senator, Democrats must select wisely if they have any hope of winning and if they want someone who can increase rural voter turnout for Stacey Abrams, Senator Rafael Warnock, Congressman Sanford Bishop and every Democrat candidate around the state.

Experience: Dukes is a long-serving member of the Georgia House Agriculture Committee and been part of House Leadership so he has connections with legislators all over the state and detailed knowledge of the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the food and fiber industry it promotes.

Rural-Based/Old School: Rep. Dukes is small business owner from a rural county and lives in an agricultural region of the state.  While the Progressive Movement is growing and well-represented in new leadership in the Democrat Party of Georgia, Old School Moderates are still the core of the party outside Metro Atlanta.  Dukes and Bishop are the connective tissue to many of the leaders, networks and issues that gave The Blue Team success during the Bill Clinton, Sam Nunn and Roy Barnes years.

“Down Ballot is good like salad”: President Obama constantly spoke of the importance of wise voters voting on every item or contest on the ballot. He said he would have had a better congress and got more done if people who voted for him would have taken an additional few minutues to also voter for everyone who supported Democrat beliefs.

First Lady Michelle Obama promoted healthy food choice while in the White House Garden because she knew that better nutrition is key to energy and less illness. Dukes as Agriculture Commissioner will continue this mission.  Mrs. Obama moved America from the old food pyramid to an easier to understand myplate.gov with equal portions of fruits, vegetables, grains and protein.

If you will, the Democrat plate of candidates needs balance with Agriculture Commissioner Winfield Dukes being the down ballot salad.  You can’t have a plate of just meat (Atlanta); we need the vegetables (rural voters) as well.

Stacey Abrams can win alone. The effort to win for the whole Democrat team involves many Blue team members campaigning across the state in their regions from their experiences. Winifred Duke is from south Georgia and is vital to the overall Democrat effort in November because he brings a “down home” vibe that others don’t have and rural voters want that.

When Abrams wins, her term would be difficult if she doesn’t have Democrat elected officers as Lt. Governor, Agriculture Commissioner, Labor Commissioner, Attorney General, Secretary of State and state house and state senate members.

Dukes should secure victory without a runoff so he can start focusing resources and time on his Republican opponent.  

The misinformation machine of the Republican Party constantly speaks of the ultra-liberal entire Democrat Party.  But, the existence Dukes and other rural Democrats who are closer to the political center are very real and gives range the Democrats, a diverse group that looks like America.

Agriculture: Ag is Georgia’s top industry and all citizens benefit from it’s success directly or indirectly because everyone eats food.  We thank heaven for the farmers, producers, ranchers, fishermen, foragers, food processors, farm workers and trucker drivers who provide a safe and affordable food supply.  Because local school districts are partial funded by property taxes, farmland is the foundation of the tax revenue in rural areas.  Agribusiness includes manufacturing of farm equipment and agricultural chemicals. 

“Seed to Fork” is a concept that encompasses every aspect of the food and fiber industry. During the COVID pandemic, we learn that truck drivers, food distribution center workers and chicken deboners are essential personnel.  Indirectly, food is shipped from Georgia Airports, Seaports and Rail Centers all over the world.  Agriculture is vital to our state and Dukes acknowledges that everyone is involved.

Weed: Reforming Georgia’s marijuana laws is a pivotal issue.  On the Democrat ballot, Referendum 8 asks “Should marijuana be legalized, taxed, and regulated in the same manner as alcohol for adults 21 years of age or older, with proceeds going towards education, infrastructure, and health care programs?” Democrats are asking the public how they feel about legal and/or medical marijuana while Republican are in the Stone Ages.  The same Republicans supported opioids for pain relief and abuse of Oxycontin turned many Americans into dopesick zombies.  The Pharmaceutical corporations would go crazy if better pain relief could be grown in grandmother’s bay window.  We know cancer patients who sought marijuana when opioids didn’t help.

We need Winfred Dukes as an Agriculture Commissioner who would promote all of Georgia’s crop and explore new crops like marijuana. 

Flintstones vs. Jetsons: Like any other industry, Agriculture must evolve and function in an ever-changing world. Corporate greed drives the rich Republicans. Their mentality seems to be “make money, ignore science, scar the planet, no future generations.”  We now know that climate change and global warming is real.  But, Winfred Dukes and wise Democrats believe we can transition to cleaner energy agriculture while retraining workers displaced from the fossil fuel industry.  Clean water and clean air are part of our stewardship of God’s Green Earth.

Farmers and citizens must balance use in Georgia, Florida and Alabama of the waters in the Coosa, Tallapoosa, Apalachicola and Flint Rivers. We must listen to all involved parties and arrive at logical conclusions.  We appreciate Georgia farmers for implementing farm methods that are water wise.

That’s Ag Too?: American dependance on foreign oil is being address with plant-based fuel research at UGA, Georgia Tech, Fort Valley State and ABAC.   The crisis between Russia and Ukraine is a Georgia Agriculture matter because Ukraine was the breadbasket of the Former Soviet Union.  If they aren’t planting grains, it effects the global market price here. Unfortunately, that volatile region is a market for Georgia products like peanuts and soybean products as hungry war refugees flood into neighboring nations.  So, agriculture support from Georgia is beating biblically beating swords into plowshares around the world.

If we want people fleeing troubled nations to have better lives in their homeland and not come here, we can export farming methods from our state into Latin America, Africa and elsewhere. Can you believe a UGA researcher is teaching Africans to irrigate their fields and grow catfish in the waterways.   Winfried Dukes believes the adage “give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime.”  Dukes as Ag Commissioner would promote for Georgia food producers in the short time by providing food assistance in the short time and exploring seed and equipment to stabilize developing nations’ agriculture industries in the long term.

Campaigning Across Georgia: The Democrats almost won the governor’s race then did win the presidency in our state as well as two U.S. Senate seats.  But the crafty Republicans are making it more difficult to vote since they can’t win fair and square.  Democrats can’t concede so-called “Red” congressional districts because we can win there if people knew the issues and know that we are the party that fights for working people, the middle class and those driven to achieve.

Honestly, rural folks like to hear regional issues, concerns and policy solutions from candidates with similar roots as them. Winfred Dukes for Agriculture Commissioner would be one of very few non-Atlanta candidates campaigning in the Fall. 

Summary: The saying “Put Up Your Dukes” is dated. Most young people would not know what “dukes” are. They were born in a time when Democrats seem right on policy but light on fight.  Grammarist.com defines “Put up your dukes” as getting into a fighting stance and defend yourself.  Winfred Dukes is battle-tested, trained, seasoned and ready to win.  The State Agriculture Department is a catch-all for various mechanical aspects of state government.  The Agriculture industry isn’t going to entrust their field to a newcomer or novice. But, they must admit that Dukes knows them from his years of service as a state legislator.

While young voters don’t know “Put up Your Dukes,” their similar saying is “let your hands go.”  Elections aren’t about candidates only. They are about what the candidates would do in office fighting for everyone—not just the people who voted for them.  Well, they will never get to fight in office if they don’t put up their Dukes and let those hands go because the Trump-type Republicans fight dirty, punch below the belt and will throw everything at the Democrats to stay in power and serve their rich friends.

Stacey Abrams has fight.  Warnock and Ossoff have it as well.  South Georgia proudly puts up fighter Winfred Dukes for our Blue Team.  Because a winning team requires balance, diversity, and range. We feel Duke will be perfect for the statewide ticket.  He could tip the scales for a Democrat victory.

Summary Points: Dukes for Georgia Agriculture Commissioner

Experience:

Long Serving Member of Georgia House Agriculture Committee;

Business Owner; Roots in Rural Farm Area;

Democrat Party connections across state.

Issues:

Support and promote Agriculture, Georgia’s top industry;

Support entire “Seed to Fork” employment opportunities in Georgia Ag;

With Georgia’s research colleges and universities, develop plant-based alternative energy sources;

Support science-based best farm practices for good stewardship of clean water, air and land;

Promote Georgia agriculture tourism as an additional income source for our farmers and producers;

Work with USDA to end “Food Deserts” and provide access to affordable locally sourced fresh meat, fruits and vegetables;

Encourage vocational training in Georgia schools for careers in Ag related fields like truck driving; distribution center workers, food processing and food inspection;

Explore new cash crops like medical marijuana and legal weed;

Political Strategy:

Down Ballot statewide candidates support the overall Democrat ticket;

Democrats can’t win in Atlanta alone; South Georgia wants a seat at the table/Agriculture Commissioner Winifred Dukes would be perfect;

Dukes years under the Gold Dome brings valuable connections to Georgia Democrat past successful leaders and fundraising apparatus;

Dukes is actually part of the Georgia agriculture community and has time-proven experience with local, state and federal farmland legislators and congressman.

Dukes legislative record on promoting cannabis/weed as a new cash crop (growing, processing, marketing) and reforming marijuana could prove pivotal getting infrequent voters to the polls in November for Abrams, Warnock and the whole Democrat ticket.  Legal weed might tip the scale because the Republicans are against it.