CUMMING -- Okay, ladies, Doug Wright surrenders. He admits “being a mom is the most challenging career ever created.”Once a rising star in the world of politics, Doug left public service behind and became a stay-at-home dad in support of his wife’s career as an executive with McKesson, a Fortune 500 company.
“Working in state government is a breeze by comparison,” Doug joked last week, shortly after he qualified to run for the Georgia House of Representatives in District 24.
If an enterprising photographer had been under the Gold Dome last Friday, he might have won a Pulitzer by capturing a photo of Doug paying the qualifying fee while holding his youngest son as three of his other boys looked on.
Doug said there are many similarities between his former career in state government and his current role as a real-life Mr. Mom.
“My daily responsibilities now include mediating disputes between opposing views, orchestrating logistics for multiple, simultaneous events, meeting the needs of constituents, leading all parties to a win-win solution and facilitating communications with the chief executive, Mrs. Wright.”
Doug used all those skills and more during his former career in the public sector. After spending most of his early adult life in North Georgia, he set out to pursue a career in broadcast journalism in the Pine Tree State of Maine. He worked in radio only briefly, however, before becoming a Field Coordinator for the Reagan/Bush campaign.
Shortly thereafter, he served as a Legislative Aide in the Maine House of Representatives, then as Assistant Press Secretary to Maine Governor John McKernon.
At age 28, he became Deputy Commissioner of Public and Legislative Affairs where he tracked as many as 400 bills each legislative session and worked to keep the governor’s legislative agenda on track. But as often happens, the passion for politics burned out and, in 1990, he headed back home to Georgia where he started a very successful landscaping business.
Now, at age 51, Doug has felt the calling again. He’s ready to return to state government. A proven Reagan conservative, Doug says, “Government has gotten out of control. Elected officials are out of touch with their constituents.”
That’s something he plans to change.
Doug Wright is the only candidate in the race for Georgia House of Representatives in District 24 who has experience working in state government. He’s a Reagan conservative who will fight for less spending, lower taxes and less government intrusion in our lives.
“I know how hard the Republicans … worked in last fall’s election campaign, and I would like to be able to thank every one of them. But I am able to thank you and do so very willingly.”– Ronald Reagan to Doug in a letter dated March 13, 1985
