Month: June 2026

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Milton Coalition Endorsement for Georgia House District 47 Seat: Brian Cochran

Posted on by Milton Coalition

I am enthusiastically endorsing Brian Cochran in the Republican run-off for the Georgia House District 47 seat.  This is only my fourth endorsement in 10+ years of community advocacy; I set a high bar for endorsements.

In my previous post, I described the single issue that has been defining the District 47 run-off:  Gambling Dark Money intended to subvert the integrity of our local elections.  I will not say more (at this time) about this issue.  Belatedly, this issue is now being properly addressed.  That is good for everyone: citizens and the candidates.  (See Note 1.)

This post’s focus is on Brian Cochran.  Over the past few weeks, I have had the pleasure of re-acquainting myself with Brian, who was my neighbor many years ago.  Brian is an impressive young man.  A Georgia Tech graduate, he currently works as robotics engineer.  He has deep AI expertise and his campaign pitch for prudently regulating AI is resonating with voters.  Brian is self-managing and (mostly) self-financing his own campaign.  He has enthusiastic, young, unpaid volunteers pounding the pavement for him.  No campaign consultant intermediaries; no wealthy donors; no PAC-purchased canvassers.  He is running an amazing DIY campaign.  There is an appealing authenticity and infectious fervor infusing Brian’s campaign.  You can feel the enthusiasm.  Brian is the Train-That-Could chugging uphill against the political establishment. 

Alveda King (far left) with Brian Cochran (far right)

What I most like about Brian Cochran is his focus on liberty and his courage and tenacity in fighting for our rights.  While a student, Brian filed a free-speech lawsuit against Georgia Tech . . . and against all odds, he won.  GIT settled the case for $50,000, but more importantly GIT agreed to fundamentally change its rules for student organizations.  No longer would GIT distribute money based on whether the university agreed or disagreed with an organization’s political, religious, or ideological views.  Henceforth, GIT would maintain viewpoint-neutrality in distributing funds.  Although his lawsuit focused on the First Amendment right to free speech, Brian also scored victories for freedom of religion, freedom to protest, and freedom of assembly . . . three other First Amendment Rights. Impressive!  (See Note 2.)

Through his actions, Brian demonstrated admirable bravery.  Brian is a fighter and a man of integrity.  He is comfortable being an outsider and a scrappy underdog.  Americans love an underdog.  Brian has the courage of his convictions.  That is critically important.  Through his lawsuit, Brian had to navigate state government and often experienced indifference, obstruction, and sometimes even hostility.  He wants to change that.  He has an understanding—that can only be gained through experience in the trenches—of the ever-present threats (e.g., Gambling Dark Money) to our republican democracy and our basic civil liberties.  Brian understands the most important role of government, as articulated in the Declaration of Independence, is to “secure” our “inalienable rights.”  We need a champion for our rights like Brian Cochran in the Georgia Assembly.

Brian has not received any support from gambling PACs nor are any PACs conducting campaigns on his behalf.  Brian has made his position on gambling clear:  he will actively oppose expansion of gambling in Georgia, including past-the-buck referenda being proposed by cowardly elected representatives that want to shirk their legislative responsibilities.  Brian is beholden to no one, except the citizens of District 47.  I am confident Brian will represent citizens with competence, compassion, and integrity.

As always, thanks to my readers, voters, and sentient citizens. Thanks to both candidates, Jack and Brian, for running to represent the worthy citizens of District 47; both are fine young men.

Advocating For Citizens,

Tim

Note 1: There is an opportunity to reset the election once the run-off has passed. So far, the Dark Money issue has eclipsed all other issues in this election. However, the Gambling issue’s importance in the general election can be dramatically diminished; both Miller and Cochran are taking appropriate steps to do so. Both have categorically stated their opposition to gambling expansion, including through referenda. The Gambling PAC issue needs to be put behind us; there are other important issues that need vetting.

Note 2:  Since 2018, most of my consulting work has been in higher education.  Based on my higher education experience and expertise, I can tell you that Mr. Cochran’s victory against GIT and the state of Georgia is astonishing.  To take on the professoriate (and its acolytes) and win is quite a feat of daring and courage.  Cochran outsmarted the self-annointed intelligentsia.

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Media Exposure of Gambling Dark Money’s Damage to Democracy

Posted on by Milton Coalition

Using Dark Money, Gambling Corporations are mounting a Pearl-Harbor-style assault on our democracy . . . the likes of which we’ve never seen in Georgia.  And if successful, we will see a proliferation of similar onslaughts in future elections.  The consent of the governed will be effectively blotted out by the purveyors of Dark Money.  Now is the time for ordinary citizens to oppose Special Interests that are using deception and manipulation to finagle their agents into the state legislature.  Don’t let gambling PACs choose your representatives! 

So why the Pearl Harbor analogy?  Isn’t that over-the-top?  Not in the least.  This Gambling Industry PAC-Attack is a huge assault and it is a surprise assault.  $10M+ (and growing) is being injected into 30+ selected state legislative races . . . that’s $300,000+ per race.  And based on what I’ve seen (e.g., 18 PAC-financed mailers . . . so far), District 47 is seeing this level of spending.  The state PAC behind this dark money attack (Republican-tilted American Conservative Fund Action Georgia) is the largest Georgia PAC in both contributions and expenditures.  And when combined with the smaller Democrat-tilted American Future PAC (which traces its funding back to the same Win For America Super-PAC and the same gambling corporations as its conservative counterpart), the dark money pot tops $10M.  This is nearly twice the second biggest Georgia PAC, the Georgia Democratic Party, at $5.6M.  Why is this a sneak attack?  First, gambling is never mentioned in any campaign promotional media for candidates.  And gambling is never mentioned at the PACs’ websites.  Second, you must wade through three layers of PACs before you identify the malefactors:  three gambling corporations lurking at the 4th layer.  Third, these PACs were all established within the past 8 months.  (American Future, the Democrat gambling PAC, wasn’t registered in Georgia until April 17th.)  The recency element is important because there are time lags that watchdogs (like me) must deal with.  The intent of these PACs is to attack with minimal advance notice (just like a military attack) to maximize the element of surprise . . . perhaps people won’t notice or act until it’s too late. 

Fortunately, some watchdogs were paying attention.  Sentient reporters began sounding the alarm in early February.  Over a period of several weeks, the gambling corporations’ master plan was gradually revealed and exposed:  $41+M in gambling dark money to be spent on state legislative races in selected states where gambling is illegal, including Georgia, Alabama, and Texas.  By mid-April (before early voting started on April 27th), several excellent articles had been published by national media that shone a bright light on the Gambling Dark Money invasion.  And since then, articles have abounded that expose the Gambling Industry’s plot to hijack elections.  Unfortunately, in some cases, the media reports read like obituaries or post-mortems, reflecting Gambling Dark Money’s deathblows in numerous state legislative races.  In Georgia, only two of the Gambling PACs’ candidates failed to win outright or else advance to the run-off.  That, citizens, shows the overriding influence of this Dark Money.  Hopefully, District 47 voters will more discerning . . . at least, now that they are aware of the situation and the clear-and-present dangers.

So don’t let any politician tell you that he didn’t know what was going on.  Nobody is that clueless.  “American Conservative Fund” (or “American Future” in Democratic races) appears on all promotional materials for the Gambling PACs’ anointed candidates.  To ascertain the truth, one need only insert “American Conservative Fund” (or its variants) into one’s favorite search engine . . . or use easily searchable online state and federal campaign filing repositories . . . or both.

I could lay out the whole ugly Dark Money story for you here, but I won’t because other watchdogs have already done my work for me.  Following are 37 articles plus several other useful/interesting links.  I have organized the articles by geographical groupings and chronologically within a grouping.  For each article, I provide the title, the publishing date, and a website link.  (Unfortunately, a few articles require a subscription.)  The titles of articles that I think are especially compelling are in bold, red font.  The first grouping are national press articles.  These provide a broader perspective from experts and experienced watchdogs; these are the best reading.  The articles from Georgia provide the basics, but I would suggest instead reading the reporting from Alabama, which is deeper and more insightful.  Finally, I have provided a few articles from other states.

Citizens, make no mistake.  The infection of the District 47 election with $300,000+ in Gambling Dark Money is THE dispositive issue in the run-off (and general election).  (See Note 1.) It is a huge point of differentiation and eclipses all other candidate distinctions in the run-off.

Advocating Against Dark Money in District 47,

Tim

National Press:

These represent the most expert reporting.  I suggest reading the bolded national articles first.

Georgia:

The first article is not about Gambling Dark Money but provides important situational context.  At the end of the Georgia articles are some links to websites that provide insightful data/statistics on the Gambling PACs.

Following are some interesting websites that provide data/statistics on the Gambling PACs:

https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00927186

https://www.transparencyusa.org/ga

https://www.gafastmoney.com/independent-committee.html?committee=american-future

https://www.gafastmoney.com/independent-committee.html?committee=american-conservative-fund-action-georgia

Alabama:

The best state reporting on gambling Dark Money is issuing from Alabama.  Reporters there figured out early what was happening and have been quite astute in their coverage.

North Carolina:

Pennsylvania:

Ohio:

Note1: The gambling PACs have allocated $10+M to 30+ races in Georgia, so $300,000+ per race. So far, I’ve received no less than 18 mailers for Jack Miler from PACs. Another PAC, AFC Victory Fund, is also conducting a campaign for Jack Miller. So the figure of $300,000 is likely conservative. One organization that tracks PAC spending using AI has estimated about $180,000 has been spent by the American Conservative Fund on Miller. However, there are lags in the processing and reporting of data, so this is a low estimate but gives a sense of the trajectory of spending.

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GA House District 47 Republican Run-off: Candidate Letters

Posted on by Milton Coalition

Citizens and GA House District 47 Voters:

On May 29th, I announced that the Milton Coalition Blog would cover the Georgia House District 47 Republican Run-off Election.  This announcement came in the wake of a 3-way primary election where Brian Cochran and Jack Miller advanced to the run-off.  (Thanks to Phoebe Eckhart, the third-place finisher, for stepping up and running.)  This outcome was surprising to District 47 political watchers, who expected Miller to handily rout his competitors.  I decided I would dig deeper . . .

I requested to meet with both the run-off candidates, and both readily and graciously accepted my invitation.  Last week, I had extended and enlightening conversations with both candidates.  I also began researching the back story of the race.  I was surprised that the Milton Herald has essentially opted out of covering the election, except for articles on Miller and Cochran’s announcements of their candidacies.  That was late February and since then more than 3 months have passed with NO coverage from the Milton Herald.  I cast a wider net and found almost nil coverage from other legacy media outlets . . . or for that matter, from anyone.  This was troubling to me.  The implications for a healthy democratic republic are obvious.  Democracy dies in darkness.  Special Interests fill the information vacuum.

Other than candidate and PAC-issued communications, there was no place for voters to go.  This has also been an issue in Milton municipal elections, which is why for the past three elections, I’ve provided a neutral page that consolidates election information sources in one on-line location.  Although it is late in the primary election season, I decided the Milton Coalition Blog would fill the information void and provide analysis of, and reporting on, the District 47 race.

To that end, I offered to publish the letters of both candidates.  Following are the run-off candidates’ letters without commentary.  My only stipulations were that the letters not exceed 500 words and that both candidates send their letters to me NLT June 4th at noon.  I am providing the letters exactly as written and providing the pdfs of the letters provided by each candidate (for download).  I flipped a coin to determine which letter would be published first.

Please forward this post to family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues that live in District 47.  Please share the blog URL on social media. More informed voters yield better election outcomes.

Thanks to the candidates for their letters and thanks to readers for being informed citizens and voters,

Tim

Brian Cochran’s Letter to Voters

I grew up in rural Milton and am a Georgia Tech alum. I want to protect our community’s rich heritage even as our city grows. I am a robotics engineer, not a politician. This is my strength; my engineer mindset allows me to see practical solutions where others are stuck on political opportunism.

There are three key areas that I will focus on in my first year as your representative:  First, protecting life. 3000 children are killed by abortion every month in Georgia. We will protect life from conception to natural death. The number one job of the government is to protect life.  This is a cause I am already championing.

Second, I will provide cost of living relief through tax cuts. Too many politicians promise tax relief but lower one tax only to raise another. I will cut wasteful government spending which will allow us to cut taxes across the board. For example, our government’s computer infrastructure is aging and costly; by modernizing our infrastructure, we will cut costs and put money back in your pocket.

Third, AI is coming into our lives. New technology can be powerful, but it can also be dangerous. As a robotics engineer working on self-driving vehicles, I am the only candidate qualified to balance AI innovation with clear safety and accountability standards. AI is being used by doctors to identify new treatments. However, it is also being used for online scams targeting seniors and children, which must be stopped. The new technology needs a good steward to ensure our community benefits and is not being taken advantage of. I have that expertise.

Working at a Georgia startup, I am used to wearing many hats and solving hard problems with new technology. I know how to do more with less, a lesson our politicians need.

My campaign is built on my proven conservative track record. I have long fought for our basic rights to life and liberty. In 2020, I won my First Amendment lawsuit against the State of Georgia to protect our right to Free Speech. My lawsuit taught me to stay vigilant and unyielding.

I am a proven conservative with a plan of action. I have two pieces of draft legislation ready to go on Day One. I am ready to hit the ground running.

I will bring Biblical values to the Gold Dome. I have taken ZERO dollars from Special Interest lobbyists or PACs. I can’t be bought. I work for you.

This letter, every direct mailer, and every advertisement is written and designed by me, not political consultants. When you vote for me, you know exactly who you are voting for: Brian Cochran.

Brian Cochran

678-667-2112

brian@cochranforgeorgia.com

CochranForGeorgia.com

Jack Miller’s Letter to Voters

Dear Neighbor:

My name is Jack Miller, and I am running to be your next State Representative for House District 47.

My wife and I both grew up in this community. I got involved with politics at a young age; I was passionate about the issues, wanted to vote, and, since I was not old enough, decided the next best thing was to get involved and work for Republican campaigns.

That decision set me on a path of service to conservative causes. After my wife and I graduated from the University of Georgia, we returned home to build our careers, start our family, and invest in the community that raised us. In recent years, I created the North Fulton Young Republicans to connect young professionals and families with local issues and demonstrate how conservative policies and local control help places like Milton thrive.

I am running because I believe too many people have lost faith in the American Dream. Young people, especially, are told their voices do not matter and that their future is bleak. Government alone cannot solve that problem, but strong leadership can create the conditions for opportunity. That means lowering the state income tax, freezing and rolling back property taxes, and reducing unnecessary regulations that quietly drive up costs for Georgians.

As a financial planner, I help families manage their finances, plan for the future, and navigate the impact of taxes and government policy every day. That experience gives me a practical understanding of how taxes, regulations, and government spending affect household budgets across our district.

Through my work with the Milton First Responders Foundation, Rotary, and the Milton Historical Society, I have listened to my neighbors and understand their concerns firsthand. I have served this community for many years, and I will never stop working for the place I call home.

If elected, my responsibility will be simple: to represent the people of House District 47 and no one else. I will not answer to special interests, lobbyists, or political leadership. I will answer to my neighbors who sent me to the Capitol.

My opponent is a good man, and we agree on many issues. As President Reagan said, “The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally — not a 20 percent traitor.” While we are competitors today, I respect him and consider him an ally in the conservative cause.

I would be honored to earn your vote. I view public office as a temporary calling, not a career. I am not running to build a lifetime in politics. I am running to serve for a short period of time, fight for this community, and then pass the torch to the next leader. Most importantly, I hope you judge me not only by the legislation I help pass, but by the bad legislation I help stop. Protecting Georgians from unnecessary government expansion is just as important as advancing good policy.

Thank you for your consideration and your vote.

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