Representing Northern Georgia's 9th Congressional District in Washington next year will be a 28-year combat Veteran and gun store owner, Andrew Clyde. 

Clyde, owner of Clyde Armory in Warner Robins, resoundingly beat his Democratic opponent Devin Pandy by more than 50 points this week and is set to join a growing Republican body in the 117th Congress in January. Pandy, his opponent, is listed on Everytown's campaign site as being, "committed to governing with gun sense as a priority."

Clyde's own views on gun regulations are that we have far too many and ran on a platform that included scrapping the National Firearms Act tax on firearms, along with the Brady Background Check system, the federal excise tax on guns and ammo, the "sporting purposes" test, and the interstate ban on purchasing a handgun. In other reforms, he backs the Hearing Protection Act, which would deregulate suppressors from NFA controls, and wants to extend the same policy to include short-barreled rifles and shotguns. 

"So, we have a lot of ground to recover, ground that has been lost to gun-grabbing, liberal politicians who have no respect for our God-given, inalienable, constitutional right to keep and bear arms," says Clyde on his website. 

Washington super PACs spent over $2 million this cycle either against Clyde or in favor of his Republican opponents while Clyde's own campaign was largely funded through loans from his own pockets.  

Before squaring off against Pandy this week, Clyde previously defeated Matt Gurtler, a Georgia state representative, in the Republican primary runoff in August by 13 points. The 9th Congressional District has been held by U.S. Rep. Doug Collins since 2013, an A-rated Republican that instead chose to run this year in Georgia's special election to complete the final two years of the term of retiring U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, who stepped down due to health issues.

Clyde will join other freshman pro-2A lawmakers on Capitol Hill to include Congresswoman-elect Lauren Boebert, an outspoken open-carry advocate from Colorado. Several long-term establishment Republicans retired from the U.S. House this past session, leaving the door open for a new crop of younger, more populist conservatives to move into their vacant seats. In addition, Republicans have flipped at least eight seats in the chamber this week, rebuffing the touted "blue wave" widely expected by political pundits. 

While the 117th Congress will more than likely still be in Democrat control, signs point to a resurgent and more vocal GOP across the aisle and fewer votes for Speaker Nancy Pelosi-- should she hold her position-- to count on for the next two years. 

Banner photos: Andrew Clyde for Congress.
 

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