THOMASVILLE — Listening to Dr. Ben Carson speak during her doctoral graduation inspired Kandiss Taylor to follow his path and run for office. 

Dr. Carson, now the secretary for the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, ran for president in 2016. Taylor is criss-crossing the state, speaking to groups and individuals about her campaign for U.S. Senate.

The Appling County educator — she is the student services coordinator for the school system there — brought her campaign to the newly-opened Thomas County Republican Party headquarters on Tuesday. 

“I’ve put 33,000 miles on my car,” she said. “I have visited 80 percent of Georgia. The reason why is because I don’t have millions of dollars, and I have to do it on my own and my friends and people who support me.

“I’ve outworked them all.”

Taylor is one of several Republicans in the running for the seat currently held by Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who is in the field. There are 21 candidates seeking the seat.

Taylor has raised just more than $11,000 in her race. Loeffler has amassed a campaign war chest of more than $17.5 million, the vast majority of self-financed, and U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, another Republican in the race, has more than $3.7 million in campaign money to spend. Among the Democrats, Raphael Warnock has more than $4 million for his campaign, and Matthew Lieberman has compiled more than $1.2 million in campaign contributions.

“I’ve already turned down mega money from PACs and lobbyists,” Taylor told Thomas County Republicans. “They wanted me to sign a bunch of things I didn’t want to sign. One of them told me, ‘you’ll never make it, little girl.’ I said, ‘watch me.’”

Taylor is a staunch supporter of term limits and the fair tax and also offered her praise for President Trump.

“I’m real. And that’s why President Trump won. Because he’s real,” she said. “We have put people in office and they have not taken care of us, They’ve taken care of themselves. They’ve taken money from lobbyists and special interests.”

As a term-limits supporter, Taylor said, if elected, she will serve no more than two terms in the Senate — a U.S. Senate term is six years — before returning home.

“I’m a big proponent of term limits,” she said. “It is the American dream to work hard and be a billionaire. It is not the American dream to go into office and become a millionaire.”

Taylor and her husband Ryan have three children and the day before she received her doctorate, she miscarried. She was determined to receive her diploma but didn’t know anything about Carson, the commencement speaker. 

She later served as a county rep for Carson’s campaign.

“He spoke and I was floored for two hours,” she said. 

Taylor began her career as a third grade teacher and said she is in favor of school choice and opposed to Common Core.

“I’m all for us having freedom to do what we need to do,” she said.

“It’s going to take a lot of legislation for what that looks like with the state.” 

Editor Pat Donahue can be reached at (229) 226-2400 ext. 1806.