In early February, Ben Garcia and his political consulting firm, Magnolia Grove Consultants, were caught in the middle of a political firestorm. Mayoral candidate Joanne Cogle hired his firm in August 2025. A few months later, negative comments surfaced regarding his identification with Christian nationalism, and Cogle was accused of not properly vetting Garcia. That resulted in his firm being fired.
As Now Georgia’s Robbie Watson reported at the time, Cogle said she was taken aback by the controversy surrounding her former campaign manager and said she hires people based on their talent and not their political affiliations.
Several local media outlets reported that Garcia was a self-described Christian nationalist, based on his Instagram post. That description has since been removed, and he now uses “Follower of Christ.” He has also created a YouTube channel, entitled The Ben Garcia Show, with a tagline “A New Conservative Voice.”
During those early weeks of February, social media weighed in, and some assumed that those questioning responses and finger-pointing came from former Mayor Teresa Tomlinson and former City Manager and Mayoral candidate, Isaiah Hugley. Tomlinson’s husband, Trip, is the campaign manager for Hugley.
This was Hugley’s response to those accusations surrounding Garcia in an interview with Now Georgia.
“Well, let me just say I don’t know him. I don’t believe I’ve ever met him. I had nothing to do with whether she fired him. I knew nothing about it until I read it in the news, and so that was the first knowledge I had of anything regarding where he stands with his religion or anything else.” Hugley said.
After researching all the media reports on the story, it seems no one contacted Ben Garcia.
“First, I’m a Christian, and second, I’m an American. My biggest issue with the controversy was that no one bothered to ask me any questions,” explained Garcia.
We also questioned him about the exact meaning of Christian nationalist. Many local voters we reached didn’t know what the term even meant.
What is Christian nationalism?
There is no clean and tidy definition of Christian nationalism since it is not a formal religious denomination or sect with a stated doctrine of beliefs; nor is there any single person or council leading Christian nationalism that oversees followers.
Generally, religious scholars, sociologists, and others who study Christian nationalism describe it as a belief that the United States is a country defined by Christianity.
Garcia believes it is not about the government telling people what to do or think.
“I believe it is about values and taking care of neighbors and loving one another.”
Ben Garcia was born and raised in Upatoi, Georgia. He was the youngest of eight children. His father, Dr. Paul Garcia, was an Army veteran and respected dentist for more than 40 years. Dr. Garcia taught all his children a strong work ethic, and all were raised with a strong faith.
He has been involved in the political campaign process, locally, statewide, and nationally, for eight years, including Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign.
Garcia’s firm has previously represented Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones and John Anker, who is running for Columbus Council District 9 at large. His current clients include Georgia State Senator Matt Brass and State Senator District 29 Randy Robertson, who is Garcia’s brother-in-law.
After the fallout with Cogle, Garcia’s firm has resumed business as usual.
“We have received an overwhelming amount of support. Political campaigns exist for specific amounts of time. Our firm is also expanding to become a full advertising agency for businesses and nonprofits,” said Garcia.
As far as the upcoming election is concerned, Garcia believes the main responsibility of the next Mayor of Columbus, Georgia, is making sure every family is guaranteed safety.
