Patti Dozier/Times-EnterpriseRepublican gubernatorial candidate Clay Tippins (far right) chats with supporters Connie Blackburn (clockwise), Bill Blackburn, Rozzie Davis, Ed Davis and Rankin Smith Jr. at a Tuesday campaign fundraiser at Glen Arven Country Club. 

THOMASVILLE — Republican gubernatorial candidate Clay Tippins, a political newcomer, said he would be better at taking down criminal networks than candidates who have a history of activity in the political arena.

Tippins, an Atlanta resident, said he was a Navy SEAL “a couple of times,” a role he believes would be useful as Georgia governor.

A SEAL from 1996-2000, Tippins returned to SEAL duty as a reservist from 2010-16, when he served in Iraq and was involved in “meaningful things,” such as hunting down ISIS networks.

The 44-year-old native Georgian ran a large technology business in Atlanta until he stepped down to seek the state’s top office. He held a campaign fundraiser Tuesday at Glen Arven Country Club.

“I felt like my background is better suited to where we (the state) is and where we’re headed,” Tippins said.

Georgia ranks No. 1 nationwide in sex trafficking, he said, adding that heroin and illegal gang networks also plague the state.

The candidate said that methods he learned to take down destructive activity would be applicable in stopping criminal networks.

Sex-trafficking begins on the Internet, then explodes, Tippins said. His administration, he said, would find out who was behind the activity.

Said Tippins, “Take them down, and convict them.”

In one year, 541 million opium pills were sold in Georgia, he said, adding that the state is not doing all it should to determine origins of the pills being prescribed at elevated rates. The path to finding out who overly prescribes the pills could be improved, Tippins said.

Using data and analytics would bring a new approach to learning who is responsible for the flow of opiates, including heroin, he added.

Teaching in Georgia has a 45 percent turnover in the first three years on the job, the candidate said. 

“We would use data to figure our why teachers are leaving,” he said.

Tippins is a proponent of making the Savannah port capable of receiving larger vessels and ensuring the ships come to the Georgia port instead of ports at Charleston, South Carolina, and Jacksonville, Florida.

He said each dollar spent on the port project — two years behind schedule — will bring back $7.

A native Georgian, Tippins is a proponent of improving broadband services in rural Georgia.

An all-American swimmer and high school national champion, Tippins earned a swimming scholarship to Stanford University, where he graduated with honors.

Married with two children, Tippins mentors children through the Boys and Girls Club of America and serves as a national trustee in the organization’s southeast division.

Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1820