Economy

With a state unemployment rate exceeding 10 percent, Georgians are hungry for high-quality jobs in Georgia. Only conservative Republican Nathan Deal has a detailed, specific plan to bring new jobs to our state in order to put Georgia back to work. Fostering a pro-growth, business-friendly economic environment is fundamental to this goal. Through comprehensive regulatory and tax relief, Nathan will lead our state toward private-sector job creation and growth, and as a result, to better days ahead.

All of the candidates for governor speak to their goals to bring jobs to Georgia, but only Nathan has put together a plan to make job creation and economic growth a reality. "Real Prosperity" focuses on essential tax relief for families and small businesses and puts the building blocks in place to fuel growth and development. "Real Prosperity" would boost Georgia's tax competitiveness with other states from 29th in the nation to 16th. Full details of this plan are available here.

Nathan will go to work every day as governor to create jobs, cut waste and ensure a better future for Georgia's families.

FairTax

Nathan was proud to join his Georgia colleague, Congressman John Linder, in co-sponsoring the FairTax Act each subsequent congress since its introduction and remains a staunch supporter of the FairTax at the federal level. Nathan is also pleased to have the endorsement of Congressman Linder in the governor's race.

Education

Deal has worked as a strong advocate for public education throughout his career in public service. Both of his parents and his wife worked their entire careers as Georgia public school teachers. It's no surprise that Nathan treats our public educators like family.

As a husband who stayed up at night with his wife grading papers, he knows that politicians' rhetoric on education doesn't always, if ever, reflect what happens in real Georgia classrooms. As governor, Nathan will take power away from education bureaucrats and empower local leaders to cater their plans to their local needs and resources. He will also support more options for students in our state and give parents greater choice for public education. Nathan will continue the fight to produce well rounded students in public education that are life, work and college ready.

Transportation

Transportation is a critical issue for our state. Georgia's east to west connectivity is insufficient, which forces thousands of extra vehicles onto metro Atlanta roads. Alternative routes must be explored to remove more than 100,000 transfer trucks from metropolitan roadways each day and significantly relieve congestion and delays as a result. As the Port of Savannah is expanded to accept larger vessels, surface transit will be a fundamental ingredient in ensuring the full utilization of the port. Connectivity through roadways and rail, when financially justifiable, must be explored. Nathan supports the actions by the Legislature to approve a long-anticipated regional transportation plan, and I commend Gov. Sonny Perdue's approval of the measure. I believe this is an integral first step to resolving transportation shortfalls in our state over the long run.

Illegal Immigration

Nathan was the first Republican candidate for governor to announce that he would fight for an immigration law like Arizona's. With the Obama administration now pledging to sue the state of Arizona, Nathan has said he would join Arizona in fighting that lawsuit.

Nathan would essentially implement a statewide 287(g) program that would give local law enforcement agencies the power to work with federal authorities in enforcing our nation's immigration laws. Deal, a former congressman from Georgia's 9th Congressional District, led the fight against illegal immigration in the U.S. House and authored the health care amendment that prevents illegal immigrants from signing up for coverage through Obamacare. He also authored legislation that would end birthright citizenship to babies born in the United States to parents in the United States illegally, and he put into law in 2005 language that for the first time required proof of identity and citizenship to gain Medicaid benefits. His legislative leadership earned him the highest ratings from FAIR and NumbersUSA, groups that support legislation for cracking down on illegal immigration.

Georgia ranks No. 6 in the nation in the number of illegal immigrants, costing the state approximately $2.4 billion annually. Our public services are stretched beyond their limits during these tough economic times, and our open borders result in our states and counties importing poverty. Local taxpayers foot the bill for these significant additional costs. We have a national immigration system that imposes high hurdles for the highly skilled workers we need yet looks the other way on those who enter the country against the law. We need a guest worker program that's both accountable and enforceable, but without granting a path to amnesty.

As governor, Deal will continue the fight to use our state's constitutional powers to enforce the rule of law. New immigrants have forever been an important part of our American culture, but our system must be orderly, sustainable and in accordance with the rule of law. That's not happening now, so states are forced to take the needed steps on their own.

Right to Life

Nathan has a proven track record of protecting the life of the unborn. As a pro-life conservative, Nathan will end funding for abortion in Georgia. Nathan's voting record has earned him a lifetime A-rating from the National Right to Life Committee, as well as the endorsement of Georgia Right to Life. Nathan is currently the only candidate for governor who has received this endorsement.

Water

Georgia's next governor will be instrumental in protecting our state's right to water. The development of additional reservoirs within our state is critical to addressing the long-term water needs of Georgia and this must be done without reliance on Washington. Opportunities exist for the state to work hand-in-hand with local governments to permit the construction of needed additional reservoirs and to ensure funding is available for these projects through the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA). As the elected representative of the largest reservoir in the ACF river basin, Nathan is uniquely aware of the issues involved in the ongoing water dispute. As governor, he will take his experience with water issues to work cooperatively with the next governors of Florida and Alabama to reach a resolution that protects Georgia's right to much-needed water.

Ethics

Voters expect those who they send to elected office to act with their best interests in mind, not his or her own. That is exactly the commitment to public service Nathan Deal will bring to the office of the governor. Throughout Nathan's 17 years in the Congress he maintained a no gift policy for himself and his staff. He will carry this policy into the office of the governor and will put his personal assets into a blind trust to ensure conflicts of interest do not exist.

Why is Nathan running for Governor?

Nathan wants to leave Georgia a better place for his children and grand children to grow up and enjoy the wonderful gifts Georgia has granted him.  Nathan sees that this is a critical point in time, from the lives of Georgians, to the future of the conservative values that make our state a great place to work and live.  He believes that his principled conservative leadership, rooted in the Georgia clay and matured in the U.S. Army, is what Georgia needs to move our state forward.

Second Amendment Rights

Endorsed by the NRA and GeorgiaCarry.org in the Republican primary runoff, Nathan has battled liberals in Washington to protect Georgia gunowners' right to bear arms. These rights are guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Nathan is proud to have a lifetime A-rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA). As an active sportsman and fisherman, Nathan has a strong interest in this issue and will work as your next governor to protect your rights.

Obamacare

As your next governor, Nathan will vigorously pursue the fight against the federal takeover of healthcare. Prior to running his current campaign for governor, Nathan rose to the rank of chairman and most recently the ranking republican member of the Subcommittee on Health within the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee. Nathan served as the lead republican member on the subcommittee and fought hard against Obamacare. Now, the fight has shifted to the states. Nathan will remain committed to fighting this unconstitutional and unjust law.

Budget

During these austere budget years, our state has an opportunity - and an obligation - to reduce the burden on Georgia taxpayers. We can ensure limited resources are being prioritized to advance the core functions of our state government. Education, transportation, public safety and healthcare are the critical and constitutionally-mandated responsibilities of our state, and as Georgia's next governor, Nathan will work to ensure effective use of taxpayer dollars by enacting zero-based budgeting. This significant reform of state budget policy will ensure every taxpayer dollar spent is justified and accounted for each year.