Grass roots was the name of the game Sunday afternoon as Ninth Congressional District candidate Bob Ellis canvassed the neighborhoods of Thomson.
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Ninth Congressional District candidate Bob Ellis takes a break during Sunday's meet and greet sessions.
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His message: jobs, the economy and prescription drugs for seniors are at the top of the list for voters in the area. He wants to tell people how he will make a difference in those areas, and he wants to tell them face to face.
"My campaign manager and I have put grass roots campaigning at the head of our list," Mr. Ellis said. "We do everything possible to get our name and get more exposure out there. One of the best ways to do it is to meet people on their own turf, go door to door, knock on doors, introduce yourself and talk to them about who you are and why you're running and what you plan to do."
Mr. Ellis feels the people he met in Thomson on Sunday will tell their friends about the visit, and the word will spread from there. What attracted him to McDuffie County was the diverse mixture of support. He said he will talk to anyone.
A former banker and a current business consultant and college professor from Augusta, Mr. Ellis' interest in education led him to push for reforming and fully funding the No Child Left Behind Act. He has been endorsed by the Georgia Association of Educators.
Thomson resident Kelly Fleming is a field representative for the Ellis Campaign. The neighborhood walk started at her house on Main Street. Ms. Fleming has historically supported Republicans, but she said Mr. Ellis' stance on the issues made a lot of sense.
"I had heard about Bob from some of his students," Ms. Fleming said. "I went to a meeting and actually met Bob and talked to him about how he stands on some things that I'm really, really concerned about. ... He's conservative. He's compassionate, and I like what he has to say, especially about the prescription drug plan."
Mr. Ellis faces incumbent Republican Congressman Charlie Norwood on the November ballot.
