Surprising many, successful builder Rob Clifton recently announced his Republican candidacy for District 131, which will soon be vacated by Representative Jodi Lott, and said he plans on maintaining the state’s conservative politics if elected.
Father of two, an Augusta native and an Auburn University graduate, Clifton is the CEO and owner of Clifton Construction, where he has been building a variety of offices, businesses and other spaces.
Throughout Clifton’s time adding to the community, his outreach has also included time serving in different organizations, such as the Executive Committee of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Augusta, Columbia County’s Board of Directors, the Leadership Columbia County and more.
“I did those things with the hopes of being able to make a difference, and I still just didn’t feel like I was making enough of a stamp on this area,” Clifton said. “So, when Jodi decided she wasn’t going to run, I had a lot of business owners come up to me and ask if I would consider running.”
After thinking it over and praying for God’s guidance, Clifton said he realized his business was in an established position to largely function without his constant supervision.
“I realized that I completely and unintentionally have positioned myself to do this,” he said. “… we opened an office in Columbia three years ago, and in that process I trained my people for the business to continue to work here while I was remote.”
By having established systems in place for his construction company, Clifton said he is confident much of his time and energy can be spent on improving Georgia, and has experience managing many personalities.
“Figuring out what people want and having conversations or negotiations is something we do in my business on a very regular basis, and that’s a lot of what politics is,” he said. “It’s hearing what people want, it’s understanding what it is and then crafting a solution that works.”
MORE: High-end neighborhood developers seek variances
Being born and raised in Columbia County and a member of Journey Community Church, Clifton said he is invested in keeping the CSRA conservative not only because of his childhood roots, but also as a result of his own children’s futures in the county.
“I was born and raised here in Columbia County and I have two young kids here. I want them to grow up with the same opportunities that I had,” he said. “… I want this place to be attractive enough to where when my kids are done with school they want to come back here.”
Drawing some inspiration from former President Donald Trump’s business outlook, Clifton said he plans on transferring his own business mindset and skills.
“With everything that’s happening today – Joe Biden’s failed policies and immigration coming through – I want to be able to know that I did everything I could to help protect our county from transitioning into something that isn’t what we know and love,” Clifton said.
Not labeling himself as a politician, Clifton said he can be trusted to maintain conservative values because he does not plan on compromising or forming beneficial alliances in order to eventually pursue a higher government position.
“If we don’t hold true to what our county is then we have the possibility of losing it altogether, the same way that Atlanta lost it when their explosion of growth happened,” he said. “… I want to be elected so I can represent our area and the conservatives of Columbia County. I want to be there as long as the people want me to be and then I’ll come home and run my business.”
Taking a pro-life stance and defending the Second Amendment, Clifton said he also aims to fight for lower taxes in order to boost the economy by monetarily empowering individuals and families.
“I’m looking at it as a businessman … our spending is out of control and our taxes are way too high. If I ran my business the way the government runs their business, I’d be out of business,” he said. “That’s important to people and lowering taxes it’s what we need … more of the hard earned money going into the pockets of working people instead of the government.”
Voters will head to the polls on May 21 for the general primary. After which, if no candidates receive a majority of votes, a runoff vote will follow on June 18.
To find out more about Clifton’s campaign, visit: https://www.voteclifton.com/
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education, lifestyle and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
