‘Why couldn’t it be me?’ Here’s who in Middle GA applied for U.S. Senate seat

A blues musician, a nurse practitioner, a hotel store clerk and a sheriff’s deputy are among a handful of Middle Georgians who answered the governor’s call for applications to be appointed to the U.S. Senate.

More than 200 people applied in the week since Gov. Brian Kemp announced he would start accepting resumes to consider candidates for appointment to serve the remainder of Sen. Johnny Isakson’s term. Isakson announced his retirement Aug. 28 is set to retire Dec. 31.

“To ensure an open and transparent appointment process, I am encouraging all Georgians who want to serve in the U.S. Senate to submit their name and qualifications,” Kemp said in a news release Sept. 18. “We will carefully vet the applicants and choose a person who best reflects our values, our state, and our vision for the future.”

Monica Rhymes, a nurse practitioner who lives in Warner Robins, submitted her resume to apply for senator last week.

“It felt like it was like a stab in the dark,” she said. “I am glad that (Kemp) did allow the general Georgia population to apply … I don’t have a lot of political experience but I think, in a way, it could be a good thing.”

There are too many career politicians who cannot relate to working Americans, she said.

“Unless you’ve walked in the shoes of some of those people that have the same issues, you don’t really understand,” said Rhymes, a single parent who works at the Walmart Care Clinic on Harrison Road in Macon. “I just think I could bring a fresh perspective.”

Michael A. Ventimiglia, a chef and frontman of blues band Big Mike and the Booty Papas, applied for senator on a whim after reading about the call for applications in the news.

“When I saw that I thought, ‘Oh, man. Wouldn’t that be cool if somebody that I know could get something like that,’” Ventimiglia said. “Then I said, ‘Hey, wait a minute, why couldn’t it be me?’”

Ventimiglia does not consider himself to be a republican or democrat. Like Rhymes, Ventimiglia said he thinks his lack of political experience is a plus.

Here are other aspiring senators from Middle Georgia along with a few details each of them included in their applications:

• Adrian William Moss: A Houston County sheriff’s deputy who has worked in law enforcement since 2009.
• Rich Bennett: Information technology manager for the Peach County Board of Commissioners.
• Simonia Ridley Blassingame: A U.S. Navy veteran from Forsyth.
• Edwin C. Humphreys III: Retired from General Dynamics Information Technology and is a military veteran of Fort Valley.
• Mark A. Lucas: From Cochran and works at Comfort Suites hotel in Warner Robins.
• Marben Bland: Recent seminary graduate working as a part-time pastor at African Methodist Church in East Dublin.
• Jared Scott Denton: From Cochran and works at Robins Air Force Base and for the Heart of Georgia Metal Crafters in Eastman.
• Andy Drawhorn: General manager at a small business in Macon.

Applications are being accepted online and deadline has not been announced. The resumes are public record are published online at https://gov.georgia.gov/us-senate-submissions.