Howard “Bo” Callaway, “Father of the Modern Georgia Republican Party,” endorses Ken Hodges for Attorney General (Updated)

Presser from Ken Hodges Campaign:

Callaway says Qualifications, Character More Important than Partisanship in Choice for Attorney General


In another show of wide bi-partisan support, Ken Hodges, candidate for Attorney General, received the endorsement today of well known Republican Howard “Bo” Callaway. A respected national Republican figure, Callaway was the first modern day Republican candidate for Governor of the state of Georgia on the ballot and is widely regarded as the “father” of the modern Georgia Republican Party.

In 1964, Callaway was the first Georgia Republican elected to Congress from Georgia since Reconstruction in 1875. In 1966, he ran for Governor of Georgia and was a strong contender in the race, winning the popular vote. Due to a Democratic write-in effort following the primaries, Callaway failed to receive the constitutional required majority to win. Under state law at the time, the Georgia House of Representatives chose the Governor, and being majority Democratic, they voted for the Democratic nominee, Lester Maddox.

In addition to his work in Georgia, Callaway served as Secretary of the Army under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He also headed President Ford’s 1976 campaign committee. Callaway moved to Colorado in the 1970s, where he ran for the United States Senate and served as Chairman of the Colorado Republican Party. Callaway has also served as a member of the Republican National Committee. In 1993, Callaway returned to Georgia, and Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, which his family owns and son now manages.

“Modern Georgia has been fortunate to have Attorney Generals of both parties who have put service to the public ahead of partisanship. I know Ken Hodges, I watched his career as a District Attorney in Southwest Georgia, and I know he has the integrity, character and experience necessary to serve in that critical office,” Callaway said. “Ken is a prosecutor, not a politician, and he showed as District Attorney that he will fight crime and government corruption, regardless of who the perpetrator is and their partisan affiliation.”

“It is an honor to have the support of Bo Callaway. He is highly regarded in both parties and has a distinguished career of public service. I am proud to be standing with him here today,” said Ken Hodges.

The Attorney General is the state’s top prosecutor and law enforcement officer. Ken has earned wide bipartisan support across the state of Georgia because he is a respected prosecutor, not a career politician. Callaway joins an impressive list of Democrat and Republican support for Hodges – including over 100 Sheriffs, the majority of District Attorneys, the Police Benevolent Association, the International Brotherhood of Police in Georgia, and four decades of State Bar Presidents.

Ken Hodges, a fiscal conservative, served as the District Attorney in Dougherty County for 12 years and operated the office at or under budget. Hodges was the first District Attorney in the state to sue predatory lenders, shut them down, seize their assets and kick them out of Georgia. He prosecuted corrupt public officials, including his former assistant chief of police, more than a dozen police officers, and was co-counsel in the trial of former DeKalb County Sheriff Sidney Dorsey. As D.A. in Albany, Hodges brought the conviction rate of child predators from below 50% to nearly 100%. He has tried death penalty cases and is the only prosecutor in the race.

Ken Hodges has served as President of the District Attorneys Association, the Prosecuting Attorneys Council, and was named District Attorney of the Year in 2002