Joannah Hollis recounts life on the campaign trail

Published 11:18 pm Friday, January 29, 2021

For several months in 2020, Joannah Hollis was involved in one of the biggest political campaigns of her life.

Even though she wasn’t the candidate, she represented one during a time that will linger in the pages of Georgia history. 

Hollis, a Milledgeville businesswoman, was a surrogate speaker for Republican Sen. David Perdue during his recent reelection bid.

Hollis formerly served as chairwoman of the Baldwin County Republican Committee and has been actively involved within Georgia GOP circles for several years.

“It was a very bizarre campaign with the COVID-19 pandemic and all,” recalled Hollis during a recent interview with The Union-Recorder. “But once some of the restrictions started getting lifted, we started having more events and were finally able to go many more places. I was a surrogate speaker for David, and served on his steering committee, as well.”

The 72-year-old Perdue found himself in the fight of his political career with democratic challenger Jon Ossoff during the November general election.

Neither of the candidates garnered the necessary votes needed to avoid a runoff election, and thus, the campaign lasted even longer.

“Because I’ve known David as a close personal friend for many years, I was able to go out and speak to a number of groups about his character and share some of his political beliefs,” Hollis said. “I tried to fill in for him because certainly, he couldn’t be everywhere all day, every day, despite trying.”

One of Perdue’s campaign swings stopped at Lake Sinclair in Baldwin County and brought out supporters and local elected officials and political candidates.

Hollis formally introduced Perdue to his well-wishers.

“That was very enjoyable because I got the opportunity to talk about David to people I’ve personally known for a long time,” said Hollis.

At the time, Perdue found himself trying to juggle his obligations on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and a political battle like none he had ever encountered.

All eyes seemed to be pierced on Georgia, and with good reason.

Georgia’s two senators, Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, both find themselves in runoffs against Democratic opponents. Perdue was being challenged by Ossoff, while Loeffler was being challenged by Raphael Warnock.

Like Republicans everywhere, Hollis knew if the challengers were to win over the GOP incumbents what it would mean as far as the makeup in the U.S. Senate.

During the runoff, Hollis was hired by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) on a full-time basis for both Perdue and Loeffler, working as a regional field director. She also continued her role as a surrogate speaker on behalf of Perdue.

“We ran the largest ground game that has ever taken place in any state in campaign history,” said Hollis.

She recalled hiring dozens of people from out-of-state who wanted to come to Georgia, “who felt very convicted about helping to make a difference.”

Hollis said while working in the positions she held during the last two major elections in Georgia that she learned a lot.

“You see through it — those who are in it for themselves versus the ones who truly want to make a difference for everyone,” said Hollis, whose knack of speaking on behalf of Perdue was something she said came naturally for her.

It wasn’t scripted when she talked about what the two Georgia lawmakers wanted to do for those in the Peach State.

“I never took it for granted, but when something comes natural to you, you don’t spend a lot of time reflecting on how it is or special it is.”

In December, Hollis was asked to speak before former Vice Pres. Mike Pence was to speak on behalf of Perdue and Loeffler at a campaign rally.

“I already knew what I wanted to say and everything,” said Hollis. “But I think God really shook me a day or two before Pence’s visit because of all the exhaustion and stress, everything just caught up with me. I could not think. My brain could not process a speech of what exactly I wanted to say. I then got nervous and my heart started racing at the thought of walking up onto the stage. This went on for a while and was very perplexed by it.”

 Hollis said she thought she got a taste of how a lot of people feel at the thought of doing something like she originally had been asked to do.

“And then I got worried and thought have I lost it — this natural thing that I had been so blessed with to have — what was I going to do,” Hollis said she asked herself. “I got down on my knees by my bedside and I prayed and told God if I’m supposed to do this type of thing, Lord, I’m asking you, like, please send to me what it is I’m supposed to say.”

Hollis said she prayed about it because she knew that her natural ability to speak before large crowds was something she considered to be a gift from God.

Immediately after praying about it, Hollis said she sat on her bed, got on her cellphone, and suddenly the words she wanted to convey came pouring out.

“It was amazing,” said Hollis. “It reminded me of a singer who has the ability to sing, but all of a sudden couldn’t sing. And then suddenly, they get their voice back or they get over being stage frightened.”

Although Perdue and Loeffler ultimately lost their reelection bids, Hollis believes in their message. 

She said having known David Perdue and his family for many years made his loss more disappointing to her personally, not just as someone working on his behalf to help get him reelected.

“People, in general, felt that David was safe, because he had the name recognition, a proven record, and he had served for six years,” Hollis said. “I think a lot of voters felt confident that he could win reelection. But with Kelly, people didn’t really know her.”

Asked what her plans are going forward, Hollis said: “I’ve dabbled back and forth with politics and I keep coming back to it. This year’s election, particularly in the runoff, it challenged me, but not anything that I wasn’t totally up for. It made me realize just how much I do care about people and policies. I think I’ve had those levels of conviction and what not with it, but when I was working 15-hour days and crisscrossing the state and doing so many other things, I didn’t even put on any sort of social media or anything because I was just in auto-pilot mode.”

 She described it as a time of getting up from a short night of rest and sleep to packing right away, getting ready and looking forward to another eventful day on the campaign trail. 

“It made me realize that in some ways I was made for this,” said Hollis. “I’d always thought that people would just kill to be able to do this. But on the campaign trail, I realized that there are so many people who would rather do anything but that sort of thing.

“It’s a calling,” she continued. “It’s like being called to the ministry or politics or with music because you have to deal with so many things, and you have to weigh in on so many people’s different opinions, etc. because they become affected by things in which you have influence over.”