Two local Republican officials are setting up a Primary in Georgia’s 9th Congressional District after they alleged incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde is out of touch and out of step with their conservative values.
Gainesville Mayor Sam Couvillon and Hall County Commissioner Gregg Poole have both filed paperwork to run in the 2026 GOP Primary. The Primary winner will likely face Nick Alex, who is currently the only Democratic candidate in the race.
Poole joined WDUN’s “The Martha Zoller Show” on Thursday and said he is the best representative for the district.
“I’m telling you, I am the 9th District,” Poole said. “Of all the declared candidates, there is nobody that is more passionate about the 9th District than me. I believe that with all of my heart.”
In an interview with WDUN in July, Poole noted that during his work as Hall County Commissioner, which he was elected to in 2022, he has seen firsthand how current representation, particularly Clyde, has not shown up for the district.
“I have seen in our local government, even as a Hall County Commissioner, that the bureaucracies of government are so overreaching, and I’ve seen the lack of communication that we have from this office on the federal level,” Poole said.
Poole said if elected, he would focus on improving infrastructure, specifically extending the state’s highways and connecting them to I-85. Poole claimed Clyde has not attempted to improve any of it, despite investment from the federal government.
The 9th Congressional District is located in Northeast Georgia and favors Republicans. The last Democrat to hold the seat, Nathan Deal, was elected in 1993 before he switched parties in 1995. The district has been ruby red ever since. Currently, more than 37% of the electorate are registered Republicans, compared to just 22% who are Democrats, according to the most recent L2 voter data. Nonpartisan voters will play an outsized role in the election, however, with nearly 41% of the electorate.
Couvillon, on his campaign website, claims most politicians in Washington D.C. are “more concerned with making a point than getting things done,” arguing he would be the conservative voice in Congress working to secure more jobs, better schools, and stronger communities.
He further took aim at Clyde, complaining to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Clyde ignores the district.
“I am hearing people say they never see him out there,” Couvillon said. “They don’t really get any help from him.”
Couvillon said he once contacted Clyde about an issue regarding the location of Gainesville’s post office.
“We met, and I never heard back from him. It just died on the vine,” Couvillon said.
Clyde, who was elected in 2020 after Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Collins vacated his seat, denies claims he is unattentive to his constituents. He also takes issue with claims that he isn’t supportive enough of President Donald Trump’s agenda.
“There is no one more supportive of President Trump’s agenda than me, OK?” Clyde said. “I was probably the very first person, when President Trump went for reelection after he won in 2016, that had Trump 2020 signs out there and Trump 2024.”
Both Poole and Couvillon have criticized Clyde for only caring about his pet projects — such as overturning anything perceived as anti-Second Amendment — while ignoring affordable housing needs and failing to bring home funding for roads.
“If we’re not willing to talk about that, then we sure can’t talk about bump stocks and silencers,” Poole said. “I’m all about the Second Amendment and having gun rights and all that. But if that’s all you can talk about, I don’t want you talking for me no more.”
Couvillon has started strong with his fundraising efforts, raising more than $436,000 since the beginning of 2025, and has more than $297,000 in the bank, according to the Federal Election Commission. Poole has yet to report any fundraising data.
Meanwhile, Clyde has about $169,000 on hand, but owes more than $1.3 million, according to FEC data.
