Hundreds of Republicans gathered in Perry Saturday to eat fish and discuss politics with GOP candidates on the November 6 general election ballot.
Billed as Georgia's 8th Congressional District Annual Fish Fry, the event was held in the McGill building at the Georgia National Fair Grounds in Perry.
Several Republican candidates seeking statewide office attended the function. They included gubernatorial hopeful Brian Kemp, Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black and Attorney General Chris Carr.
Kemp meets Democrat Stacey Abrams in the general election. Black faces Macon native Fred Swann and Carr takes on Fulton County senior assistant district attorney Charlie Bailey on Nov.6.
As he's done throughout the campaign, Kemp stressed better health care in rural Georgia and enhancing economic opportunities to get better paying jobs.
"That's what this race is all about," Kemp told WMAZ reporters during an interview. "It's about the future. We can't rely on the great place that we are now and the things that have happened under 16 years of Republican leadership. We need to maintain that. I promise that we'll move that to the next level."
In addition to 8th District Republicans, the event drew people from other parts of Georgia, including high school senior Zachariah Wooden of Columbus.
"I believe that Americans should be involved with their political structures and that we ought to do what we can to make sure that those structures are doing the best for American citizens, especially in Georgia," Wooden said.
While Wooden is a young Republican, Martha Bond Branson of Macon pointed out that she's been a die hard GOP faithful for decades.
"I was a Republican when they had conventions in phone booths," Branson said. "Of course, we've grown a bit."
In addition to shaking hands and campaigning, Black promoted Georgia agriculture products and busied himself slicing watermelons for those attending the event.
"Lot of momentum and we're very excited about November 6," Black said. "Believe it's going to be good for the future of Georgia."
Houston County natives David and Sonny Perdue also attended the GOP function. David Perdue is Georgia's junior U.S. Senator. Sonny Perdue, a former Georgia governor, now serves as secretary of U.S. Department of Agriculture.