Not long after Sen. Saxby Chambliss announced his plan to retire at the end of his term, a new crop of Georgia candidates popped up, including Rep. Jack Kingston, who formally declared his candidacy on May 1. This leaves Georgia’s 1st Congressional seat open in 2014, where a competitive Republican primary is already underway.

The conservative 1st District, anchored in Savannah, comprises much of southeast Georgia. The Cook Political Report rates the race as “Solid Republican” with a PVI of “R+9.” In the 2012 presidential election, Mitt Romney won 56% of the district’s vote.

Politics1 lists Bob Johnson, Buddy Carter, Jeff Chapman, Stefan Jarvis, and David Schwarz as the official candidates. Of these 5 Republicans, Dr. Bob Johnson is the first to sign ATR’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge, a written promise to Georgia taxpayers to oppose higher taxes.

ATR will release an official list of federal Pledge signers as Georgia’s July 15, 2014 primary date approaches. When it comes time to vote, the people of Georgia’s 1st District will know which candidates are committed to protecting them from higher taxes.