THOMASVILLE — A Republican Georgia gubernatorial candidate told a Thomasville audience Tuesday the Peach State has too much.

“I am a traditional conservative who believes there is too much Washington (D.C.) in Atlanta and too much Atlanta in the rest of the state,” said Ray McBerry, addressing a crowd of about 300 at Thomasville Municipal Auditorium.

McBerry was the keynote speaker at a citizens meeting sponsored by the Thomasville Times-Enterprise, the eighth in a series.

McBerry said he was raised a Christian and to have an abiding love in the Bible and constitution.

The GOP candidate finds it exciting that Georgians are waking up like the rest of the nation.

Loud applause was the reaction when McBerry asked how many in the audience thought Georgia would be better off with a lot less federal government interference.

State rights and the 10th Amendment are not new topics for McBerry. He has been discussing the subjects for a decade.

“The states are the entities that are supposed to stand up to Washington,” he explained.

He said the 10th Amendment can solve a number of issues: Obama’s health care plan, illegals attempting to vote, water battles and the right to bear arms.

McBerry told audience members their vote in this year’s gubernatorial race will be the most important in their lives. A conservative governor is needed to block Washington antics, he added.

A number of amens punctuated McBerry’s remarks. He received a standing ovation at the end of his address.

McBerry called for a repeal of income and property taxes and replacing the taxation methods with a state sales tax. Illegals who should not be here would have to pay a sales tax, he pointed out.

Also, he said, eliminating property and income taxes would cause businesses to want to come to Georgia.

Members of the audience let McBerry know they agreed with his belief that to keep and bear arms is a God-given right.

The audience also agreed loudly when the candidate said he would put in a Georgia jail any federal agent who tried to take a firearm from a law-abiding Georgian.

“You better find a governor who will stand up at the state line, if necessary, to defend Georgia’s right to bear arms,” he said.

Instead of furloughing teachers, McBerry called for furloughing Georgia Department of Education bureaucrats.

“I don’t believe it is government’s responsibility to create jobs for you,” he said.

McBerry said that as a gubernatorial candidate, he previously considered not holding public office a shortcoming. He now considers not being an elected official an asset.

“If Georgia is to become a shining light, we need to get the federal government out of our lives,” McBerry said.