Press Releases
Official statements and news from the Gerry Purcell for Insurance Commissioner campaign. Stay tuned for additional releases and other information. |
Sunday, March 21st, 2010
Gerry Purcell’s Strategy to Fight Health Care Takeover
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Ready to Fight Against A Government Takeover of Health Care And For Common Sense Health Care Reform
I am profoundly disappointed by the actions of the Democrat-controlled Congress today on the so-called “health care” legislation. We all support the right to spirited debate on the basis of principle. However, recent weeks have not been about principle, nor have they been about reform, but about tyrannical power instead. The foundations of our Republic have been undermined by practices of manipulation, deception and outright bribery. Today, liberty has been hijacked by legislative thuggery on an unprecedented scale.
Liberty lives on, though, through millions of determined citizens who are stepping up to lift up the banner once again. We will fight, and we will fight hard. If I am honored to be elected as Georgia’s next Insurance Commissioner, I will help lead the battle:
- We will fight through LITIGATION, challenging both the individual mandate and the back room bribery of special deals favoring one group or state over another for the sake of political expediency.
- We will fight through the LEGISLATIVE process, making overturning this contemptible legislation our top priority, after Republicans regain both the Senate and House in 2010.
- We will fight through the APPROPRIATIONS process, refusing to fund programs that ultimately guarantee our financial ruin.
- We will fight through the RULE MAKING process, fighting it sentence by sentence. This requires a leader with recognized expertise in health care.
Continue Reading ->
Monday, March 15th, 2010
Gerry Purcell Overwhelmingly Wins Reagan Day Straw Poll
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 15, 2010
Continues Impressive Streak of 11 Consecutive Straw Poll Victories
In a straw poll conducted at the Union County GOP’s Reagan Day Dinner, Insurance Commissioner candidate Gerry Purcell took home the top honors, sweeping to a resounding victory, earning 47% of the total votes cast. No other candidate reached double digits.
This big win is but the latest in a string of grassroot poll victories by the Purcell team, having won eleven straight straw polls conducted for the Insurance Commissioner’s race.
Said Purcell on this most recent success, “I am grateful to Union County. This latest poll clearly shows that when our message is heard by the voters, we win by strong margins. And, we are winning in every part of the state. I will continue to advocate free market solutions for reforming insurance and offering a plan to protect our insurance and health care market from a federal takeover. With the help of voters across the state who are ready for new leaders, we will win on July 20, 2010 and take our campaign to victory in November.”
For media inquiries, please contact Rob O’Neal at (404) 428-6076 or rob@gerrypurcell.com.
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
Gerry Purcell Endorsed By Large Grassroots Group
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Wins Coveted Backing from Cobb County 912 Project
The Cobb County 912 Project has awarded Gerry Purcell their endorsement to be Georgia’s next Insurance Commissioner.
“The 912 Project in Cobb County is pleased to endorse Gerry Purcell for Georgia Insurance Commissioner,” said Cobb 912 Project chairman Tricia Pridemore. “Gerry’s commitment to our principles and values make him a logical choice to bring true citizen leadership to this office.”
Introduced in March of 2009, The 912 Project, begun by media personality Glenn Beck, was launched in an effort to return America to a set of core principles and values espoused by the Founding Fathers and trumpeted in the national unity so prevalent on Sept. 12, 2001, following the horrific attacks of 9/11 in New York City.
Among the movement’s treasured values are Honesty, Humility, Sincerity, and Personal Responsibility — values the Cobb County 912 Project found evident in Purcell’s free-market, solutions-driven conservative approach to governance.
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Monday, February 8th, 2010
Gerry Purcell Statement on Governor’s Plan to Reshape Georgia Government
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, February 8, 2010
“Better Government in Georgia is NOT More Centralized Government”
Last week, Governor Sonny Perdue unveiled his plans to propose legislation that would appoint — rather than elect — four statewide constitutional officers. Those offices would include Insurance Commissioner, Labor Commissioner, Agriculture Commissioner, and State School Superintendent.
I oppose this legislation.
This proposal comes at a time when liberty minded citizens are railing against Washington, D.C. for consolidation and centralization of power. This proposal, while done in the name of creating efficiencies, appears to be a power grab in the Peach state.
What we don’t need in Georgia is an imperial Governorship. Keep in mind, too, that
over the years, the Georgia Legislature has shown little appetitive for challenging vetoes from the Governor, even on important legislation like the jobs bill last year.
From the recent headlines from the Gold Dome, I think most of us would agree that Georgia does need better government. Before we take more power away from the people, though, let’s consider some other ideas:
FIVE POINT PLAN FOR BETTER GOVERNMENT IN GEORGIA
1. Terms limits of 12 years for all state and legislative elected offices
2. Pass “Sunset Laws,” which would require that every state agency re-justify its existence every ten years, on a staggered basis
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Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Gerry Purcell Calls on Commissioner Oxendine To Reject The Climate Survey Mandate On Georgia’s Insurers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Last March, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) adopted a “mandatory requirement” that insurance companies disclose to regulators the financial risks they face from climate change and the actions they are taking to respond to those risks.
All insurance companies with annual premiums exceeding $500 million would be required to complete and submit an Insurer Climate Risk Disclosure Survey every year, starting in 2010.
Regrettably, Georgia has only a few insurance companies with headquarters within our state, but those that are should not be subjected to mandates that are motivated by the conjecture and hysteria of the questionable “science” of climate change. Until we separate truth from hyperbole regarding climate change, we should avoid punishing Georgia’s businesses and consumers with costly regulatory requirements.
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Tuesday, July 7th, 2009
Gerry Wins Big In Cobb County!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, July 7, 2009
MARIETTA, GA – Participants in the straw poll at the Cobb County Republican Party’s annual Fourth of July Barbecue overwhelmingly supported Gerry Purcell, Republican candidate for Insurance Commissioner in 2010. With over three hundred votes cast in the poll, Purcell took a clear plurality and garnered more than twice the total of any other candidate for the office of Insurance Commissioner.
“The Cobb County GOP Barbeque on the fourth of July is consistently one of the largest in the state,” Purcell said. “The results of the straw poll are a clear indicator that Georgians are ready for some new voices and new leaders for our state, and for a Commissioner who is an experienced health care reformer with a track record of results using free-market solutions. I am honored by their support.”
The yearly Cobb County Republican Party Barbecue is known as a “must-attend event for Republican office seekers.” With 315 votes cast for six candidates in the Insurance Commissioner straw poll, Purcell won 48.5 percent of the total. The next highest percentage of votes received by a candidate was 20.3 percent. The vote result is as follows:
Gerry Purcell – 153 votes (48.5 %)
State Senator Ralph Hudgens – 64 votes (20.3%)
Stephen Northington from Cobb County – 55 votes
State Senator Seth Harp – 31 votes
Mayor Harold Logsdon – 8 votes
John Fuchko from Cobb County – 3 votes
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Thursday, March 26th, 2009
Gerry Purcell Announces Campaign For Georgia Insurance Commissioner
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Gerry Purcell of Alpharetta, Georgia announced today that he is running for the office of Georgia Insurance Commissioner. The office will be open in 2010 as the Republican incumbent, John Oxendine, is running for Governor.
Purcell is nationally known for his advocacy of health care transparency. Having worked over the years to help both employer and government plans save millions of dollars on health care and pharmacy costs, Purcell is a fierce advocate for restoring and protecting the patient and provider relationship, for Georgians having broad access to health insurance options, and for protecting the privacy rights of consumers.
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Wednesday, October 8th, 2008
Gerry Takes To The Airwaves With “Taking Back America” Radio Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Next Monday, Gerry Purcell will be hosting a new 8:00 AM drive time radio show called Taking Back America on AM 1620 Radio Sandy Springs. The program will bring conservative clarity to the complex issues of our day and the historic choice we have on November 4.
“As we consider our big decision about running for Georgia Insurance Commissioner in 2010, this program will give us a great opportunity to speak with voters in Georgia and across the country about the most important issues of our day. There is a lot of noise out there, and my hope would be to bring some common sense clarity. We are losing our country – as one by one our historic underpinnings collapse right before our eyes. Now is not the time for mediocrity or the time to allow pessimism to keep us from our duty. We are in a tough battle, but the consequences of failure are beyond our worst imaginations. It is time to take a stand and take back America.”
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Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
Gerry Interviewed by Bill Bennett on AM 1620 Radio
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Back by to popular demand, Gerry spent another hour with nationally known health care commentator and expert Bill Bennett, who tackles the toughest issues in health care every week. In this interview, Gerry begins to lay the ground work for transforming health care in Georgia through the private market. A few straight talk highlights:
*We don’t have a heath care crisis in America, we have a health care cost crisis. This is a $2.2 trillion issue. It will take nothing short of transformation to fix it. We have to be aggressive and we have to start now.
*To fix healthcare, we must deconstruct the layers of healthcare costs that have been added over several decades, without destroying the health care quality we all enjoy. We deconstruct it by following the money and comparing the spend to the results.
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