Sam Olens - Attorney General

I am humbled and honored by our newest endorsements from elected officials from Northeast Georgia, Metro Atlanta and the Southern region of the state.

I am proud of the three key Georgia house committee chair endorsements: Wendell Willard of Sandy Springs, Chairman, Judiciary; Ron Stephens of Savannah, Chairman, Economic Development & Tourism; and long time Representative John Yates of Griffin, House Chairman, and Defense & Veterans Affairs.

I am also extremely proud of today’s vote of confidence from three of our fine sheriffs: Bennie DeLoach, Sheriff of Appling County; Al St. Lawrence, Sheriff of Chatham County; and Gerald Lawson, Sheriff of Lincoln County.

I’m also pleased by the endorsements from John Fretti, Mayor of Valdosta and Ed Jeffords, Wayne County Chairman.

I have traveled to almost every county in Georgia and I am grateful to all of my new friends and supporters who are joining the momentum of the campaign.

In our weekend end of year disclosure, our campaign for Georgia Attorney General reported $447,566 – the highest number of all four Republican and Democratic candidates. We out raised our two Democratic candidates by almost $100,000 in 2009 and we out raised our Republican primary opponent by more than six fold.

When you factor in the candidates who made personal loans to boost their numbers, our campaign raised more this period from pure donations than any other statewide constitutional office race, coming in behind only the gubernatorial candidates!

Thank you to all who contributed to our campaign in 2009 – you have helped send the message that our campaign is the clear front runner to be Georgia’s next Attorney General.

We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. As you are buying presents for family and friends, remember those in need in your community, as the needs this year are greater than ever before. Let’s all be grateful for the blessings we have and share what you can. I am grateful for your friendship and support. Enjoy special times with family and friends and we will see you on the campaign trail in 2010!

We are half-way to our goal at the 15-day half-way point of our “30 in 30″ A big “thank you” to all of you who have contributed in the last 15 days to help us reach our goal of raising $30,000 in 30 days. If you have not yet made an investment in the campaign, every dollar will make a difference in the strength of our end of the year campaign report and will send the candidates and the voters a clear message that this campaign is ready to take its messages of ethics reform and more open government statewide!

Our “30 in 30″ Campaign to make Georgia a Safer, Better Place is off to a good start! We began the campaign on Tuesday, Dec. 1st and we are urging all supporters to contribute what they can to help us raise $30,000 before our Dec. 31st campaign disclosure. Reaching our goal will show the strength of our campaign and will propel us forward to election year in 2010. Thank you for giving what you can to help us reach our goal!

There are debates about when and where the first Thanksgiving took place; but the traditionally accepted theory is that the first Thanksgiving was held in 1621 with Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians sharing an autumn harvest feast. Only half the colonist had survived the first winter in Plymouth. More than 200 years later, President Abraham Lincoln declared the final Thursday in November as a national day of “thanksgiving.” Congress finally made Thanksgiving Day an official national holiday in 1941.

While some may have more than others, we all have blessings to count everyday. This Thanksgiving, remember the bravery of the colonists and pause to “Give Thanks” for our personal blessings and those endowed on our state and our country.

On the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month in 1918, Armistice Day came about to end World War I.  Most of us were not alive in 1921, when on the same date and hour; an unknown soldier who had bravely given his life for our country was buried in Arlington Cemetery. This somber event began the holiday we now call Veteran’s Day to rightly honor and thank the brave men and women who have given their lives and served a cause most take for granted.

Those of us who have dedicated our lives to public service talk a lot about freedom. Even if you are not participating in a special ceremony on Wednesday, let’s all take the time to thank a member of our military and honor those who have served and protected freedom here and abroad. And at 11:00 take a moment out of your day to pray for our troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan right now.

May God Bless our State and our Country.

What a great time we had in Glynn County at the Glynn County GOP Shrimp Boil Friday night! Thank you to Chairman Kevin Gough and all of the folks who gave our campaign a large margin of victory in the straw poll.

After a tour through South Georgia Thursday and Friday of  last week we were in Toombs County this morning and in UGA country this afternoon and Towns County tonight. Thanks to all of our supporters for all of the many recent straw poll victories and we look forward to seeing you in your county soon!  --Sam

Our new Olens for Attorney General  Push Card is available. The card features endorsements from U.S. Congressman Tom Price, U.S. Congressman Phil Gingrey and State Senator Tommie Williams. We are honored to have these respected leaders publicly supporting our campaign. Click on the Read button to view!

It has been more than a week now since Cobb County and surrounding counties suffered horrific damage from the flood of our century. We at Cobb County Government have spent countless hours assessing damage and putting in place plans to address the needs of victims and their needs for housing and general care. If you have not offered your time or money to help our neighbors desperately in need, I encourage you to count your blessings and do so. You can find information on volunteering and donating at:

http://cobbcounty.org/flood/

http://www.thecfr.org/

http://www.mustministries.org/

While political campaigns are certainly not a priority during this time of recovery, I was pleased to hear what a great time our campaign had Tuesday night at the North Georgia State Fair on Sam Olens for Attorney General Night with the Cobb Republican Party. Everyone enjoyed seeing old friends and meeting new supporters and enjoying grassroots politics in my home county. Check out our FlickR feed for photos. If you haven’t been to the North Georgia Fair yet, I encourage you to go and enjoy this beautiful fall weather and stop by to see our friends at the Cobb Republican Party while you are there!

This weekend, the campaign will be in Houston County for the GOP breakfast and I will be in Rockdale County for the Tea Party – if you are in the area come by! And, please remember the victims of the flood.

See you on the trail    –Sam