Tifton - Rural Georgia is getting some major love in the Georgia governor's race.
With the vote more than a year away, candidates have already crisscrossed the plains of South Georgia and the mountains of the north with a pledge to deliver the goods: more reliable Internet connectivity, new economic development initiatives, better infrastructure and improved access to health care.
In the opening months of the race, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp have made the bulk of their campaign stops far from metro Atlanta, from tours jotting through small towns near the Tennessee line to fish fries in farming communities. Two other Republican candidates for governor, state Sens. Hunter Hill and Michael Williams, both have put reducing agricultural regulations at the center of their platforms as they visit farms and meet with agricultural leaders.
They are using President Donald Trump as something of a muse. The Republican won a comfortable 5-point victory in Georgia despite losing much of Atlanta's suburbs, including the GOP strongholds of Cobb and Gwinnett counties, because he notched huge margins in smaller, rural counties.
More: Why candidates for governor are lavishing attention on rural Georgia
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