Georgia Chamber Endorses Jason Anavitarte for 31st State Senate District
Apr 30, 2020
The Georgia Chamber of Commerce announces its endorsement of Jason Anavitarte for State Senate District 31, which includes portions of Haralson, Paulding, and Polk Counties. Each election cycle, the Chamber’s Political Affairs Council vets dozens of candidates for office.
After working through the endorsement process and reviewing the surveys we received from multiple candidates in this race, business leaders from across the state are confident that Mr. Anavitarte’s experience as a business leader and local government official will lead to effective policy decisions that positively impact free enterprise and job creation throughout the state.
“After vetting the candidates running for Georgia’s 31st Senate District, our members believe there is a clear choice in who will champion economic development opportunities for West Georgia” said David Raynor, Georgia Chamber Senior Vice President of Public Affairs. “The Georgia Chamber is proud to endorse pro-business candidates like Jason and looks forward to working with him under the Gold Dome if elected.”
Jason Anavitarte added, “I am so grateful to the Georgia Chamber, and its thousands of members and Georgians they employ, for their endorsement in this race. With their support, we can work hard every day for the people of West Georgia to ensure they have the quality jobs they deserve, that we continue to make Georgia #1 for doing business, and allow small businesses to thrive and grow in our communities.”
The Georgia Primary Election will be held Tuesday, June 9, 2020. To find out more about Jason Anavitarte and his campaign, please visit https://www.jasonanavitarte.com/. The Georgia Chamber is a nonpartisan organization that is dedicated to working with elected officials to ensure a future of economic growth for Georgia businesses, workers, and families. To locate your polling place or view your voter status, visit www.sos.ga.gov.
The below campaign mailer was sent out in Georgia Senate District 31 by the Georgia First Conservatives PAC which is registered to Dan Trust – who is listed on LinkedIn as State Field Director and Deputy Politics Director at David Perdue for U.S. Senate. See below the flier for more information on the PAC with registered to him.
More on Dan Trust and the PAC with his name on it later. But who is the “Chip” in the contact email address on the Georgia First Conservatives PAC homepage? We think we know.
Dan Trust. Photo: Georgia Young Republicans Facebook page.
Republican Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan has endorsed a candidate for state senate who is a former board member of a leftist organization that lobbies against immigration enforcement, voter ID, ICE holds and official English for government.
State Senate District 31 hopeful Jason Anavitarte served on the board of directors of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO) from 2006 to 2009. During that time, GALEO lobbied against passage of the nationally noted SB529, the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act which established a requirement that public employers and their contractors sort out newly hired blackmarket labor with use of the federal employment verification system now known as E-Verify.
The legislation also required state use of the federal 287(g) program that allows local law enforcement to screen jail inmates for immigration status and report illegal alien prisoners to ICE for deportation proceedings. The bill, now law, that GALEO vehemently opposed also requires that local and county governments verify the legal status of people applying for local, state and federal public benefits.
GALEO Executive Director and former Democrat fundraiser, Jerry Gonzalez, drew much attention during the lobbying frenzy against the 2006 state immigration enforcement measure when he escorted self-described illegal aliens into the gold-domed state Capitol telling legislators they should regard the illegal aliens as “constituents.” Gonzalez described the illegals as merely “immigrants.” The staged and pre-announced GALEO transporting and encouragement of the illegals made a memorable note for pro-enforcement groups and news in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
A February Twitter post from Lt. Governor Duncan describes Anavitarte as a “proven conservative…”
Photo: @GeoffDuncanGA Twitter feed
The endorsement from Duncan has raised eyebrows in conservative quarters of the state’s Republican Party not only because GALEO is well known for its corporate-funded opposition to immigration enforcement, but because candidate Anavitarte, now running as a Republican,filed to run for state House in 2006 as a Democrat.
The Lt. Governor also serves as president of the state senate.
Jason Anavitarte. Photo: Rome-News Tribune
Perhaps the most jarring surprise for pro-enforcement voters in Duncan’s endorsement is the fact that in 2016, U.S. Senator David Perdue terminated the Judiciary Committee’s confirmation process of another former GALEO board member and State Court Judge, Dax Lopez, who was nominated for a federal judgeship by former President Barack Obama. Perdue made it clear that his office investigated the nominee’s ties to the controversial GALEO and ended the chances of confirmation because of that relationship.
“After a thorough review of the professional and judicial record of DeKalb County Judge Dax Lopez, I have become uncomfortable with his longstanding participation in a controversial organization including his service on its board of directors” Perdue wrote in his statement on the matter.
The obvious – and many say troubling – difference in judgment between Georgia’s Republican Lt. Governor and its senior U.S. Senator is not going un-noticed by grassroots GOP voters.
According to the left-leaning Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, Georgia is home to more illegal aliens than green card holders.
Georgia’s governor, Brian Kemp, snared a primary endorsement from President Donald Trump in 2018 due in large part to Kemp’s tough talk and campaign promises on illegal immigration. Kemp has not mentioned immigration since the November, 2018 election.
Ballotpedia lists four Republican candidates for Georgia’s senate District 31.
Lt. Governor’s PAC reportedly kicks in $250,000 for narrow victory
Jason Anavitarte, controversial candidate for the Republican ballot in Georgia’s state senate District 31 primary contest has apparently squeaked past opponent Boyd Austin, a former mayor.
Austin has criticized Anavitarte as representing “outside interests” rather than the district; “…a breakdown of Anavitarte’s contributions from both his April 30th report as well as his latest one bear this out. In the April document 94 percent of Anavitarte’s contributions come from outside the district (with many from lobbyists). In the latest report, outside-the-district donations make up 97 percent of Anavitarte’s total. Only six individuals in the district gave a monetary contribution” according to a July note at Insider Advantage Georgia.
As of August 22, the Secretary of State website still shows results of the August 11TH primary contest as “Unofficial Results – Totals may not include all Absentee or Provisional Ballots” but watchers agree that Anavitarte will likely prevail in the final vote tally.
UPDATE: Final and official results show that Anavitarte won 10,574 to 10,348, a margin of 226 votes.
Anavitarte has drawn considerable attention since it was revealed that from 2006 -2009 he served on the board of the radical GALEO Inc. GALEO is well known as a corporate-fundedforce against immigration enforcement, ICE holds, 287(g), voter ID and official English. In 2006, the same year Anavitarte joined the board of directors, GALEO teamed with the ACLU, MALDEF, and the ADL in a protest rally against state immigration enforcement.
GALEO Director Jerry Gonzalez has illustrated the group’s mission with antics such as escorting admitted illegal aliens into the Georgia senate Chamber in an effort to stop passage of a 2006 bill, the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act (SB529) – aimed at reducing Georgia’s attractiveness as a destination for illegal immigration. Gonzalez has also been criticized for badgering a diminutive female state Rep, Katie Dempsey, for her pro-enforcement position on E-Verify in a Rome, Ga. public forum.
GALEO’s Jerry Gonzalez. Photo: Dustin Inman Society
In early 2016, another former GALEO board member and state court judge, Dax Lopez, was passed over for confirmation after an Obama nomination for a lifetime seat on the federal bench due to his ties to GALEO. This writer was proudly credited with leading the opposition to the Lopez nomination with the research series ‘A Beginner’s Guide to GALEO’ posted on the Dustin Inman Society website in 2015 and 2016.
On its political blog, the Atlanta Journal Constitution has reported that a PAC, ‘Advance Georgia,’ founded by Georgia’s Republican Lt. Governor and president of the senate Geoff Duncan helped Anavitarte’s slim victory with a $250,000 infusion:
“Jason Anavitarte might owe Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan a thank-you note for his apparent narrow GOP runoff victory over Boyd Austin in the contest to replace state Sen. Bill Heath, R-Bremen. The lieutenant governor’s PAC pumped about $250,000 into Anavitarte’s bid. He’s currently up by about 200 votes – a 1% margin says the liberal AJC Political Insider blog.
Georgia’s Lt. Governor and President of the Senate, Geoff Duncan. Photo: AJC.
“Jason Anavitarte is a former member of the Paulding County School Board and candidate for Senate District 31 in the Georgia Legislature. Most recently, Jason served as Senior Adviser of Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan’s campaign and served on the state finance committee for Governor Brian Kemp during the 2018 election. Jason has been named one of the 50 Most Influential Latinos in Georgia” according to Anavitarte’s campaign website, Campaign website (August 19, 2020).
Anavitarte, who has described himself as an admirer and supporter of Senator Marco Rubio, is a former Doraville City Council member and in 2005 filed to run for the state House as a Democrat. In the recent primary he was endorsed by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and originally did not mention illegal immigration on his campaign site as an issue.
That changed after he drew the attention of pro-enforcement conservatives and the media. He now has stated policy positions on immigration that are curiously tailored to a candidate for federal office as opposed to a state senate seat, but has assured voters he is supports legal immigration without offering limits. From JasonAnavitarte.com:
“I support legal immigration and I want to see our current immigration laws upheld. I support the following reforms:
End chain migration. Stop the original immigrant from petitioning to bring their extended families into the USA.
Move to a merit-based skill categories system. This system would put an emphasis on education and skill as a basis for acceptance into the country.
Reform welfare. Deny welfare to anyone with a green card or visa.
NO AMNESTY! Enforcement of deportation will stop people from coming to our borders.
I support the use of e-verify by our businesses. We need to hire people that are legal to work here in Georgia.
No in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.”
Lt Governor Duncan’s PAC was the topic of AJC coverage in October, which included the observation: “the financial haul could also help Duncan exert more influence over a fractious Republican caucus that sporadically sparred during his first legislative session. Duncan said he preferred to view it as a “partnership” to support Republicans.”
According to the most recent estimates from DHS, Georgia is home to more illegal aliens than Arizona and enforcement of laws designed to deny jobs, benefits and services to illegals is routinely ignored by the Republicans who have run the state for *more than a decade nearly two decades.
Anavitarte and his committee and floor votes on illegal immigration-related matters will be the focus of much attention from conservative writers and voters when he becomes a state senator.
Jason Anavitarte Facebook claim that he is …only state senate candidate in Georgia ranked by NumbersUSA as a True Reformer…” Image: Jason Anavitarte for Senate Facebook page.
The top screen shot is from Jason Anavitarte for Senate Facebook page. The bottom screen shot is the truth (here). The entire NumbersUSA survey here.
In his “special thanks” fairy tale, we think Anavitarte is referring to this write up (below) on his Democrat, anti-enforcement history.
Former Dem candidate and board member on anti-enforcement immigration lobby group wins GOP primary for Georgia state senate (Here)
DIS educational poster from 2015/2016 during the Dax Lopez confirmation battle. Lopez was denied the confirmation by U.S. Senator David Perdue because of his association with the anti-enforcement GALEO Inc.
The below letter to Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan was forwarded here this morning by DIS friend Mr. Robert Trent. If I find time later, I will insert some informational links. (I found the time. Links added 1:00 PM)
I am a retired Senior Special Agent of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (USINS). I have served on metropolitan area drug, and organized crime task forces for many years and have supervised special agents assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force. In addition, I spent ten years as a uniformed border patrol agent assigned to both the northern and southern borders. My final assignment was as the Assistant Director, Enforcement Training, U.S. Immigration Officer Academy, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Glynco, GA.
Because of a heads up from my friend D.A. King at the Dustin Inman Society, I have personally researched Anavitarte and can see that he was deeply involved with a leftist group known as ‘GALEO’ that is dedicated to working against immigration enforcement both here and in Washington D.C. Anavitarte is listed on the GALEO website as a ‘Founding Friend’ – along with that all-American luminary, Jane Fonda.
A personal endorsement of a candidate who was part of the GALEO effort to fight not only immigration enforcement but also voter ID, official English legislation and lobbied directly in the Gold Dome against legislation that required the use of the E-Verify system to protect public jobs for a legal workforce is stunning in it’s lack of logic or conservative values.
The AJC reported that in 2006, Jerry Gonzalez, GALEO’s executive director actually took admitted illegal aliens into the state Capitol and then into the senate chamber in an effort to kill then pending SB529, a bill aimed at our illegal immigration crisis that became law. Anavitarte continued his association with GALEO for another three years.
D.A. King has done a stellar job over the years documenting the anti-enforcement activities of GALEO Inc. He provided his detailed research to Senator David Perdue in 2015 during the confirmation process of an Obama nominee for federal court, Dax Lopez, who was also a former GALEO board member. Senator Perdue terminated that confirmation process citing his concern with the GALEO connection.
Part of the statement Sen. Perdue released in early 2016 announcing his disapproval of the candidate for a federal judge seat: “After a thorough review of the professional and judicial record of DeKalb County Judge Dax Lopez, I have become uncomfortable with his longstanding participation in a controversial organization including his service on its board of directors.”
I urge you to read the entire statement and I urge you to reconsider your support of Jason Anavitarte for membership in the state senate where legislation will hopefully address the fact that Georgia has a serious and illegal immigration problem
Jobs and wages are going to illegal aliens in our state and American families are being damaged and sometimes permanently separated because we are not doing enough to make Georgia inhospitable to illegal aliens and the illegal employment that acts as a magnet to draw them into Georgia.
Your decision to endorse anyone with ties to GALEO shows poor judgment and has damaged my own opinion of you as Lt. Governor and President of the Senate. Anavitarte’s decision to serve on the GALEO board shows his own lack of good judgment and creates great doubt about his dedication to conservative ideals, including immigration enforcement a cause to which I have dedicated most of my life.
