Their Voice, Your Vote: Clark Dean says his business background could shape government efficiency

Georgia — one of the original thirteen colonies and, long before that, home to Indigenous nations including the Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee and the Lower Muscogee Creek Tribe — has been shaped by a complex and consequential past. The state’s history spans the Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement, and a political lineage that includes 83 official governors.

Republicans have held the governor’s office for many years, with Roy Barnes serving as the most recent Democratic governor, elected in 1999.

Today, 16 candidates are vying to become Georgia’s next chief executive. The state’s primary is set for May 19, and the general election will follow on November 3, 2026.

As part of the “Their Voice, Your Vote” gubernatorial candidate series, “Closer Look” has invited all candidates to participate in one‑on‑one interviews.

Republican candidate and business executive Clark Dean joined Wednesday’s edition of “Closer Look” and shared his top three priorities:

On government red tape and boosting the economy: “If we brought targeted food processing to Georgia. In a way that would actually create jobs in rural America, rural Georgia, that actually brings population back to those places, allows farmers to monetize the 40% that’s wasted,” Dean said. “It also increases our food supply and ultimately reduces cost right here in Georgia, while stimulating the economy.”

On whether he would expand Medicaid: “The problem is actually the capacity of healthcare to provide people with services. Medicare just gives somebody the ability to pay for care,” Dean said.

“It doesn’t mean that they’re gonna be able to get that care in a timely fashion. And so what we have to do is we have to look at our credentialing programs, allowing not just our physicians and doctors, but physician assistants and RNs and others to actually practice at the top end of their credentials to get better care to people.”

On how he would spend the state’s surplus to revamp how Georgia’s government is run: “ We need to invest those kind of things in these kind of programs that have a continuous return. And one of those things I would spend some of that money on: reforming and refining government, like I talked about before,” Dean said. “Because here’s the thing, if we can reduce the cost of government by 25 to 30%, then that’s like $15 to $16 billion a year in value. So now it’s not just one, it’s every year sustainable.”

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