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Casey Cagle
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 8, 2007– |
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| Governor | Sonny Perdue |
| Preceded by | Mark Taylor |
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| Born | January 12, 1966 Gainesville, Georgia |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Nita Cagle |
| Profession | Businessman |
Lowell S. "Casey" Cagle (born January 12, 1966 in Gainesville, Georgia) is an American politician, a member of the Republican Party, a conservative, and a former member of the General Assembly in the U.S. state of Georgia. He is best known as the underdog candidate who, on July 18, 2006, defeated conservative political activist Ralph Reed in the 2006 Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia. Cagle defeated Democrat Jim Martin November 7, 2006], to become the first Republican Lieutenant Governor in Georgia's history.
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According to his legislative biography, Cagle was raised by a single mother and "attended eight different elementary schools by age six but persevered to graduate from Hall County's public schools." He attended Georgia Southern University and Gainesville State College but did not earn a degree at either institution.
His legislative biography describes Cagle as a "self-made business leader in the real estate and banking industries." At age 20, Cagle bought his first business, a retail clothing store which he later expanded to multiple locations. He founded Southern Heritage Bank in 1999 and served as its Chairman until 2004 when it merged into Gainesville Bank & Trust (GB&T) in 2004. Cagle joined the Board of Directors of GB&T in 2005. According to filings, his estimated net worth is $3 million.
In 1994, at age 28, Cagle ran for the Georgia Senate in a district that included Hall County and parts of Dawson County and Forsyth County. He upset the Democratic incumbent, Jane Hemmer, and became the youngest member of the State Senate. He was re-elected five times. He served as Chairman of the State Senate Finance Committee.
Lt. Governor Cagle has recently filed paperwork for the Republican nomination for Georgia's Governor. It is speculated that Lt. Governor Cagle will run against Insurance Commisioner Oxendine for the Republican Nomination.
In early 2005, Cagle declared his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia. He was opposed in the Republican primary by nationally known Christian conservative activist Ralph Reed. Initially considered the underdog, Cagle emerged as a serious challenger to Reed. Reed accused Cagle of negative campaigning, blaming Cagle for unfavorable media attention arising from the federal investigation into the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal.[citation needed] On July 18, 2006, Cagle defeated Reed in the Republican Party primary. Cagle won 56% of the vote Reed's 44%, according to final results. He then went on to successfully face former state legislator Jim Martin, in the general election. Cagle's tenure in the role of Lieutenant Governor has been tainted slightly by the inability of the Georgia legislature to reach agreement on a meaningful solution to the state's transportation problems. Many believe that rivalry between Cagle and House Speaker Glenn Richardson may have contributed to the legislative stalemate.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Mark Taylor (D) |
Lieutenant Governor of Georgia 2007 – present |
Incumbent |
| Georgia Senate | ||
| Preceded by Jane Reynolds Hemmer (D) |
Georgia State Senator from 49th district January 1995 – January 2007 |
Succeeded by Lee Hawkins (R) |
| Order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Richard Codey |
United States order of precedence as of 2007[update] |
Succeeded by Michael Fedele |
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