Atlanta Jewish Times - 6th District Voter Guide

Atlanta 6th District Special Election Voter Guide

INSIDE Ossoff ���������������������������������������������3 Abroms ����������������������������������������� 4 Slotin & Edwards �������������������������6 Kremer & Wilson ������������������������7 Quigg & Keatley ���������������������������8 Hill & Gray �����������������������������������9 Hernandez & Pollard ����������������10 Llop ���������������������������������������������� 11 Grawert & Handel ���������������������12 Wiskind ���������������������������������������14

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18 Are Seeking Price Seat Voters in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District will have plenty of choices with 18 candidates on the ballot for the special election April 18 to replace Roswell Republican Tom Price.

Price resigned from Congress after the U.S. Senate confirmed him as President Donald Trump’s health and human services secretary Feb. 10.

Gov. Nathan Deal announced the election date within hours of Price’s switch from the legislative to the executive branch, and qualifying for the ballot was held Monday to Wednesday, Feb. 13 to 15.

Sweeping from East Cobb through North Fulton to North DeKalb, the 6th District encompasses one of the core areas of Jewish Atlanta.

The district has long elected Republicans to Congress. Before Price, Sen. Johnny Isakson held the seat, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was the 6th’s representative before Isakson. John James Flynt Jr. in 1976

was the last Democrat elected by the 6th, which had different borders then.

Eleven of the candidates for April’s election are Republicans: Judson Hill, who had to resign from the state Senate to run; Mohammad Ali Bhuiyan, who hopes to be the first Muslim Republican in Congress; William Llop, who lost in the GOP primary in the 11th District last year; Dan Moody, a former state senator; Keith Grawert, an Air National Guard pilot and Air Force veteran; Amy Kremer, an East Cobb activist; Bob Gray, a Johns Creek City Council member and tech business executive; Bruce LeVell, a jeweler who led Trump’s national diversity efforts last year; David Abroms, a Jewish entrepreneur in the energy industry; Karen Handel, the former Georgia secretary of state who also has run for Senate and governor; and Kurt Wilson, a small-business man who is challenging fellow candidates to join him in signing a term-limits pledge. Tom Price’s wife, state Rep. Bet-

ty Price, announced Wednesday that she is not running.

Five Democrats are on the ballot: Jon Ossoff, a former congressional staffer who is Jewish and has the backing of Reps. Hank Johnson and John Lewis and the Daily Kos; Ron Slotin, a Jewish former state senator whose campaign kickoff is at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, at Hudson Grille in Sandy Springs; Richard Keatley, a Navy veteran and college professor; Rebecca Quigg, a cardiologist and health reform advocate; and Ragin Edwards, who works in sales in the tech industry.

Another prominent Democrat, former state Rep. Sally Harrell, announced in December that she was running, but changed her mind.

The field also includes two independents: Alexander Hernandez, who works in film production and has positioned himself as a progressive; and Andre Pollard, a computer systems engineer who presents himself as the first

candidate of the Tech Party.

If no one gets a majority April 18, the top two vote-getters will advance to a runoff June 20.

The $5,220 qualifying fee is a small percentage of the cost to win the seat.

With all the candidates on the same primary ballot, they’ll have to fundraise and spend heavily to stand out from the crowd, and Democrats see an opportunity to flip the seat by making it a referendum on Trump.

If a Democrat reaches that headsup contest in the Republican-leaning district, as seems likely with Jon Ossoff’s surge, national attention and money are expected to pour into one of the first electoral tests of the Trump administration.

On the following pages are profiles of all the candidates except Moody, LeVell and Bhuiyan.

Moody and LeVell did not respond to interview requests; Bhuiyan canceled a scheduled interview. ■

58,000 Jews Spread Across Affluent 6th District A national spotlight is shining on Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, which votes April 18 to replace Tom Price, the Roswell Republican who became secretary of health and human services.

The 6th is carved from eastern Cobb County, northern DeKalb County and northern Fulton County and includes all or parts of Tucker, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Milton and Roswell.

District lines were redrawn af-

ter the 2010 census, with the current boundaries taking effect for the 2012 election.

According to a report on voting trends, in recent 6th District primaries “about 68 percent of voters voted in one or more Republican primaries and 32 percent voted in one or more Democratic primaries.”

Based on data compiled in 2013, the Berman Jewish Data Bank reported that 58,000 Jews accounted for 8.38 percent of the district’s 691,975 residents, the highest percentage of Jews in any

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of the state’s 14 congressional districts.

Nearly half of metro Atlanta’s Jews live in the 6th.

The Census Bureau’s 2015 American Community Survey put the district’s population at 729,643, split evenly between men and women.

The median age was 37.6 years, with the largest concentration being 35- to 54-year-olds.

According to the survey, 70 percent of the district’s residents were white, with 13 percent African-American and Hispanic, respectively.

The survey also reported that 77 percent of the district’s residents were born in the United States and 32 percent were born in Georgia.

Just 0.5 percent of the voting-age residents were military veterans.

The median income was $83,844, with 5.4 percent of the district’s families living below the poverty standards set by the government.

In terms of education, 92 percent of those 25 and older had graduated from high school, and 59 percent had earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. ■

8 on 32nd District Ballot

Most residents of Georgia’s 32nd Senate District will cast only two votes in the special election April 18, but they will have 26 candidates to sort through.

After 11 Republicans, five Democrats and two independents filed to run for the 6th Congressional District seat vacated by Roswell Republican Tom Price when he became U.S. health and human services secretary, eight others jumped into the 32nd District race in East Cobb and western Sandy Springs by the deadline Friday, Feb. 24. (A sliver of Sandy Springs along the river is in the 32nd District but not the 6th and will have only one election on the ballot.)

Five are Republicans: consultant Hamilton Matthew Beck, railroad conductor and lobbyist Matt Campbell, neuroradiologist and financial adviser Roy Daniels, orthopedic surgeon Kay Kirkpatrick and tax lawyer Gus Makris.

Three are Democrats: TV director Exton Howard, family law lawyer Christine Triebsch and pediatrician Bob Wiskind.

Republican Judson Hill resigned the Senate seat to run for Congress. ■

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Ossoff Tries to Flip the 6th Depending on your politics, Jon Ossoff is either the Great Blue Hope or the Great Blue Hype.

National newspapers and magazines write about him. Cable television talking heads talk about him. People he has never met send him money.

“It’s got very little to do with me and everything to do with the times,” Ossoff told the AJT. “Times” begins with “T” and that stands for … Trump.

Ossoff is one of five Democrats, 11 Republicans and two independents thrown together in the April 18 primary to succeed Republican Tom Price, who resigned to become health and human services secretary, as the congressman from Georgia’s 6th District.

Unless one candidate wins a majority, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff June 20.

Many Democratic hopes to win a seat Republicans have held since 1979 are pinned on Ossoff, 30, just five years older than the minimum age to run for the House. Supporters use the hashtag “Flipthe6th.”

“It’s humbling and, at times, overwhelming but ultimately inspiring.

I think what I feel is responsibility to make people proud, given how many people are showing support,” said Ossoff, who chooses his words carefully.

Ossoff’s campaign reports 7,500 registered volunteers and $3.5 million in campaign funds, with an average donation of $28. That includes more than $1.18 million raised (as of March 10) from nearly 66,000 donations via the liberal Daily Kos website.

The Daily Kos pitch begins: “Want to fight back against Trump and scare the hell out of Republicans in Congress at the same time?”

The Democratic National Committee thinks enough of Ossoff’s chances to deploy professional staff to the district.

“Folks are looking at this race as a very high-stakes election,” Ossoff said.

He rejects the notion that the primary is solely a referendum on President Donald Trump. “It’s much more complicated than that, and people in the 6th District have much broader and complex concerns than simply their views of Trump.”

Nonetheless, Ossoff said, “he’s always the elephant in the room.”

Price won a seventh term in November with 61.7 percent of the 326,005

votes cast. Trump, however, received only 48.3 percent of the district’s vote, compared with 46.8 percent for Hillary Clinton.

Ossoff grew up in the Northlake area of northern DeKalb County, where his parents still live. He celebrated becoming a bar mitzvah at The Temple.

After graduating in 2005 from the Paideia School, Ossoff received a bachelor’s degree in 2009 from Georgetown University in Washington, where he studied at the Walsh School of Foreign Service.

He worked as deputy communications director on Hank Johnson’s successful campaign to replace fellow Democrat Cynthia McKinney in Georgia’s 4th Congressional District.

In 2007, while still a student, Ossoff began working as a legislative aide for Johnson. He continued in that position, handling military and national security issues, after graduation from Georgetown.

In 2013, Ossoff earned a master’s degree from the London School of Economics.

Since then, he has been the chief executive officer (and a 50 percent stakeholder) of Insight TWI, which produces documentaries focusing on government corruption and conflict around the world.

“I am passionate about work that has an impact, and I could have gone a few different directions after working on the Hill and getting my master’s degree in economics,” Ossoff said. “Ultimately, the ability to produce content that not only reports what’s going on in the world, but exposes corruption and criminality, and often results in the prosecution and conviction and incarceration of the criminals and corrupt officials, has been the most satisfying work I’ve done in my life so far.”

During the campaign he has recused himself from editorial involvement and minimized his business role.

“I saw what Congress can achieve, but I also saw Washington at its worst, and I left and did not anticipate returning,” Ossoff said. “When I learned that the congressman from the district where I grew up would be vacating, I sat down with Congressman John Lewis, one of my mentors, and he encouraged me to run. He said he would support me if I did. And I thought to myself, ‘If not now, when?’ ” Ossoff repudiates comments Johnson made last July, likening Jewish settlements in the West Bank to “termites.”

Jon Ossoff faces questions after qualifying for the special election Feb. 13 at the state Capitol.

“Those remarks were deeply offensive, and he apologized for them. I’m on the ballot, not Hank Johnson. I don’t speak for Hank Johnson. I didn’t work for Hank Johnson when he made those statements,” Ossoff said.

“I am a committed supporter of Israel as a secure homeland for the Jewish people. My position is unequivocal, and people should judge me in this election by what I say and what I stand for.”

When it comes to Israel and the Palestinians, “our goal still has to be a two-state solution. Two states living peacefully side by side, achieved by bilateral negotiations,” he said. “I think the U.S. has a strong leadership role to play in bringing the two parties together.”

Republicans have labeled Ossoff as a left-winger out of touch with the 6th District. Ossoff presents himself as a centrist.

“I am going to Washington to find solutions for the 6th District, and I will work with anyone who offers solutions that are in the interests of the 6th District. I will not shy away from criticizing any politician, whether the

president or others, for betraying the public interest, for conflicts of interests. Ultimately, I’m here to deliver for the people who elect me, not to engage in partisanship,” Ossoff said.

The National Republican Campaign Committee at one point circulated an email with the subject line “Ossoff the carpetbagger,” noting that Ossoff lives outside the district.

He moved out of the district so that his girlfriend of 13 years, a thirdyear student studying gynecology and obstetrics at the Emory University School of Medicine, could walk to campus, where her hospital rounds begin at 4 a.m.

Republicans also released an advertisement that features a video of Ossoff in a musical “Star Wars” skit while a student at Georgetown.

“It’s legitimate for people to ask that question, but given that I grew up in this district, that I’ve been registered to vote in this district all but three years of my adult life, that I’m 10 minutes from the District boundaries, no, it doesn’t concern me,” Ossoff said. “My roots, my ties to the district, are deep and strong.” ■

Letter to the Editor A Vote for Ossoff

VOTER GUIDE - APRIL 14 ▪ 2017

By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com

I am supporting 6th District Democratic congressional candidate Jon Ossoff because Jon is a promising candidate who is very intelligent and poised and is a phenomenal speaker. I have had the opportunity to meet him three times, and I believe he is what our community needs to turn things around for Georgia.

I am feeling very unsettled with what I am hearing from the Trump administration. This is our chance as a community to tell the world that the people in Georgia’s 6th District do not agree with how the White House is running our country and do not share President Donald Trump’s values. Jon will be our voice in Washington.

— Sandi Strasberg, Dunwoody 3

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Holocaust-Survivor Grandparents Inspire Abroms

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com When David Abroms turned 30, he took time to think about what his maternal grandfather, Simon Nagrodzki, was doing at the same age.

He was living in a displaced persons camp in Germany, the sole Holocaust survivor of a family of 11, with the wife he met in the camp, Helen, and an infant daughter.

A year later, the Nagrodzkis reached Birmingham, via New York and New Orleans, and made a new life on a tailor’s earnings. They were poor, but they sent all their children to college and instilled family and Jewish values.

“We’re his legacy. We’re standing on his shoulders and my grandmother’s,” Abroms, 33, a Republican candidate for the 6th District congressional seat, said in an interview in February.

“When I look at my blessings, it was my family and my family’s dedication to a strong family and to education.”

Abroms grew up in Birmingham, attended a Jewish day school, and got degrees from the University of Miami

and the University of Alabama-Birmingham. He first moved to Atlanta in 2008 to work as an accountant. After going back and forth, he settled David Abroms here in 2011 to launch Freedom Fueling Solutions, which converts vehicles from gasoline to compressed natural gas.

It was the kind of business in which he could work with hands, explore technology and energy policy (he acknowledges a habit of reading energy legislation) and make good money (after hiring his first employee, he lived for several months with a cousin and subsisted on ketchup-and-cheese sandwiches to get the most caloric bang for his buck, but now can invest $250,000 of his own money into his campaign).

But it was also a chance to do good by cutting vehicle emissions and reducing dependence on foreign oil.

That desire to do tikkun olam stems from his grandparents, who went through so much so he could live in freedom, Abroms said, and connects

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to his decision to close the business — something he was working toward anyway — and run for office.

“I have an opportunity that my grandparents didn’t. My grandparents did not have a voice. They didn’t have anyone to stand up for them, and they didn’t have anyone to protect them, and they lost their entire families,” Abroms said. “I have a voice. I have a chance to stand up and have my voice heard and speak for people that can’t speak for themselves.”

The Holocaust also feeds into Abroms’ free-market principles. “The free market is the best tool that we have as Jews to protect ourselves because a free economy lends itself to a free politic, and also the free market is not antiSemitic. The free market is not racist.

The free market cares about one thing: the value you can add.”

Abroms presents himself as part of a new generation of conservative leadership and as someone who won’t go “squishy” on his principles. But that doesn’t mean he won’t compromise.

He said compromise is a core American value; that’s how we got the

The Jewish Breakfast Club Featured Speaker

ERIC ROBBINS Eric Robbins was hired as president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta in May of 2016.

VOTER GUIDE - APRIL 14 ▪ 2017

He moved to Atlanta in September 2005 to run Camp Twin Lakes, which provides camp experiences to nearly 10,000 children a year with serious illnesses in collaboration with other nonprofit organizations. Under his

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Leadership, the camp expanded from one location to three and moved into areas such as programs for military veterans and their families and a group home opened with Jewish Family & Career Services for special needs adults.

Before taking over Camp Twin Lakes, Robbins worked in the New York area. He was associate executive director of the Jewish Community Center MetroWest in northern New Jersey from the start of 2000 until he took the Twin Lakes job, and he was deputy executive director of New York’s Educational Alliance, a wide-ranging service agency with Jewish roots, for about four years. Robbins also earned a master’s in social work from Yeshiva University during his time in New York.

Constitution. It’s important for people of good will on both sides of an issue to focus on solving important problems, such as health care and the unsustainable national debt, rather than play political games or refuse to work with a particular person or institution.

He said it was a mistake for the Democrats to pass Obamacare without Republican help, and it would be a mistake for Republicans to move ahead with the necessary repeal of the law without getting Democrats involved in crafting the replacement, which should include coverage for existing conditions and for children up to age 26 as well as interstate insurance sales.

Having seen the Environmental Protection Agency in action with his vehicle conversion business, Abroms is a believer in less regulation and improved education, including vouchers as a solution for failing schools. He is optimistic that doing more to help people being left behind by economic changes will make it easier to solve problems such as illegal immigration by creating opportunities for more legal immigration within a system of se-

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He likes that Democrats are talking more about the Constitution, freedom and the separation of powers. “I think there’s a revival of liberty coming in the country,” Abroms said, “and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

He’s trying to offer the 6th District a hopeful message, the kind that attracted him to Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign last year.

“I do think America has a bright

www.atlantajewishtimes.com future and bright days ahead of us if — if — we can take care of some of these serious problems before us.”

A former AIPAC intern who took a Birthright Israel trip sponsored by the group, Abroms said he supports a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians involving land swaps, a demilitarized Palestinian state, security assurances in the Jordan Valley and Palestinian acceptance of Israel as a Jewish state. It’s up to the Palestinians

to accept the deal.

He has a history of involvement with Federation and Chabad in Birmingham, and, while he’s not a member of synagogue here, he does join his cousins Candy and Steve Berman at Temple Sinai.

Otherwise, aside from his campaign and his business, Abroms has his Sandy Springs condo, his rescue dog, Sam, his love of 1990s-era country music, and his Ford F-150 pickup truck

(able to run on gasoline and natural gas), which is “just barely broken in” at the 170,000-mile mark.

Even if he doesn’t beat the odds of an 18-person ballot to win the election, Abroms said he plans to stay involved in solving the issues facing the United States. “I’m doing this because I love my country. I’m doing this because I want to stand up and be heard. Not only do I want I vote, but I want a voice.” ■

High Cost of Trump-Era Politics to compressed natural gas.

During Democrat Ron Slotin’s kickoff event at Hudson Grille in Sandy Springs on Saturday night, Feb. 18, his campaign manager said it would

Editor’s Notebook

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

take at least $500,000 to run a successful race. Presumably, that total didn’t include the extra cash needed for the inevitable runoff June 20 between the top two vote-getters, regardless of party (all 18 candidates are on the same ballot).

At least one Republican super PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund, has helped Ossoff claim the mantle of the Democratic hope by running silly ads featuring decade-old footage of Ossoff having fun in college.

It was always going to be tough for Slotin and fellow Democrats Ragin Edwards, Rebecca Quigg and Richard Keatley to emerge from the crowded ballot and at least make the runoff between the top two vote-getters June 20. But seeing Democrats and Republicans alike obsess over Ossoff has caused frustrations that erupted into public view Sunday, March 12, at a Democratic forum held by the group Needles in a Haystack.

“I knew I was going to have to

take on the Republican political machine,” Slotin said, but not Democratic Washington insiders. “You don’t know anything about this district.” He cited Sen. Bernie Sanders’ uphill, unsuccessful campaign to defeat Hillary Clinton for the presidential nomination as another example of those insiders picking a candidate, obstructing the process and offending voters.

The national Democratic fixation with Ossoff shouldn’t be held against him, but it also shouldn’t be decisive in the choice of a candidate. I hope our articles and various forums and guides will help voters in the 6th (myself included) make their decision.

Slotin, who has the experience

Ossoff, Abroms and Slotin — 17 percent of the candidates in this wide-open election — are Jewish.

While that Jewish involvement might be reflective of the makeup of the 6th District, which sweeps through some of metro Atlanta’s most Jewish areas — including East Cobb, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Brookhaven, Alpharetta and Johns Creek — it’s still unusual in Georgia. As we’ve written, our state has few Jewish legislators who could jump into the race to try to follow in the footsteps of Elliott Levitas, who represented an Atlanta-area district in Congress from 1975 to 1985.

I live in the 6th District, and I

By Nate Beeler, The Columbus Dispatch

and connections in the district to have entered the race with the reasonable hope of being the progressive voice his party would rally around, criticized national Democratic organizations for rushing to support one candidate instead of letting the democratic process play out.

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From the time Donald Trump announced he would nominate Tom Price for health and human services secretary, we knew national politics would make the election to fill Price’s congressional seat extra-special.

After all, the voting April 18 represents one of the first chances in the nation for people to respond at the ballot box to the start of the Trump administration, and it comes in a congressional district, the 6th, with a history of electing conservative Republicans going back 40 years to Newt Gingrich’s first victory. Despite that history, and despite Price’s easy re-election in November, it’s also a district that nearly backed Hillary Clinton over Trump for president.

That combination of factors guaranteed national interest, which in turn guaranteed big money being spent to try to flip the seat to the Democrats or to preserve its Republican status.

Democrat Jon Ossoff has benefited from the early endorsement of Rep. John Lewis, which led to the progressive website Daily Kos backing him and raising money for him online.

Ossoff said in an interview Wednesday, Feb. 22, that he already had more than $1.8 million in donations, as well as more than 5,000 volunteers (a total that topped 6,000 by the time he went door to door to meet potential voters in the district Feb. 25). By the end of March, his fundraising had reached $8.3 million, an unprecedented amount for a Georgia congressional election.

Republican David Abroms said in an interview Feb. 22 that he has committed $250,000 of his own money to his campaign — this from a man who a few years ago subsisted on cheese-and-ketchup sandwiches while living with a cousin so he could put everything he had into a business converting gasoline-powered vehicles

don’t know whether any of these three men will be my next congressman. I don’t know whether I’ll vote for any of them. But I wouldn’t be embarrassed to be represented by any of them — in part because, unlike most of Jewish Atlanta, all three of them are Southern 5 Jews by birth and upbringing. ■

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Slotin: Progressive Issues Are Right for 6th District

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com One Democrat’s bid for a comeback has paved the way for another Democrat to give politics one more try.

But while Hillary Clinton’s presidential run came only eight years after she failed in a bid for the same office and less than four years after she left the office of secretary of state, former state Sen. Ron Slotin, 53, has been out of politics more than 20 years, last appearing on a ballot when he failed to unseat Rep. Cynthia McKinney in 1996.

With his two children in high school and his “Votin’ for Slotin” campaign slogan ready to go, the native Jewish Atlantan and Sandy Springs resident has found a promising opening — with Clinton’s unintended help.

Clinton’s loss allowed Donald Trump to nominate 6th District Congressman Tom Price (R-Roswell) for health and human services secretary.

If the Senate confirms Price, a special election will be held to fill his seat.

The fact that Clinton lost by only 1 percent in the 6th District, a Republican bastion, has given Slotin hope.

“I was waiting for the right time

Ron Slotin has criticized the support national Democratic organizations have given to Jon Ossoff.

and the right opportunity, and this is it,” Slotin said.

His strategy is simple: All the candidates, regardless of party, will be on one ballot, so he’s hoping for several Republicans to split the conservative vote while he finishes in the top two to make a runoff. Then, with the nation watching the outcome of one of the first congressional races since November, he wins the runoff and sends Trump a message “that a majority of voters want a fiscally smart, socially progressive agenda that represents the mainstream voters of America.”

In an interview with the AJT, Slotin said he will have an edge in name recognition not only because he served in the legislature and ran for Congress, but also because of his lifelong involvement in a Jewish community that is concentrated in the 6th District.

The district runs from East Cobb in the west to Johns Creek and Suwanee in the east and from Brookhaven in the south to Milton in the north. Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Roswell and Alpharetta are part of the 6th.

Slotin guessed that 70 percent of Jewish Atlanta is in the district, providing him a solid base of support. His involvement with the basketball boosters at Lassiter High School, where his children go, and with youth basketball in East Cobb expands his ties beyond the Jewish community, as does his career as a small-business owner in marketing and as chief marketing officer for an executive search firm.

Slotin said people will remember him for being accessible as a legislator, “the main criterion you want in an elected official,” and for being the hardest-working campaigner.

But he said most of his support will reflect his progressive agenda with

fiscal responsibility, a combination he said represents the district’s beliefs.

“There’s a whole host of issues where I see the government going the wrong direction, so this is what has spurred me to get involved and go into government again,” Slotin said.

He said those issues address the district’s quality of life or reflect a progressive agenda, if not both: a vision for transportation that relies on public transit instead of roads; support for public school systems and teachers against vouchers and other school-choice initiatives; resistance to any weakening of protections for clean air, clean water and green spaces; and protection of the elderly, women’s reproductive rights, and marriage equality, including opposition to any federal religious liberty legislation meant to legalize discrimination against LGBTQ people.

Education and transportation aren’t typically federal issues. But Slotin said he could provide the leadership to pull state and local officials together to act on transportation and to ensure the Atlanta area maximizes its share of federal funding, and he vowed to fight any federal policy changes that would undermine local school control. ■

Edwards: Georgia Needs Women in Congress

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

VOTER GUIDE - APRIL 14 ▪ 2017

Four women are running in the 6th Congressional District special election April 18, including Democrat Ragin Edwards, who says Georgia has a long way to go toward gender equality.

Georgia has no female representative in Congress, and the Peach State ranks 49th out of the 50 states for women elected to state and federal office.

“I have two daughters, and I feel that women are being ignored and undervalued today,” Edwards said. “We’re the only group in the world treated as second-class citizens anywhere you go. I want my daughters to grow up in a country where they can get paid the same as a male counterpart and where they don’t have to worry about their rights being taken.”

Georgia has elected only five women to Congress, most recently Democrat Cynthia McKinney, who left office in 2007 after losing the party primary in the 4th District to Hank Johnson.

6 Running on a campaign slogan

Ragin Edwards, who grew up in East Cobb, is hoping to be the sixth woman ever elected to Congress from Georgia.

of bringing government back to the people, Edwards’ top priorities are improved education, tax legislation that favors the middle class, and racial and gender equality.

She does not support repeal of the Affordable Care Act but said it does need to be fixed to lower premiums.

Edwards grew up in East Cobb and graduated from Pope High School before enrolling at Georgia Tech. She then moved to Washington, where she completed her degree at Nyack College.

She moved back to East Cobb to raise a family a few years ago and now works as a senior manager of global sales operations at a technology services firm.

“I’m able to put myself in the shoes

of the people that different laws will effect,” she said. “I understand how small things can effect certain groups of people astronomically. I understand how it is to work for a global organization and how regulations that are put on the company don’t allow them to thrive.

That perspective is one that most of the candidates don’t have.”

She has some famous family. Her cousin Eugene Jacques Bullard was the first black fighter pilot in the world; he flew for France during World War I. Her grandmother was a well-known minister in Rochester, N.Y., where she fed the homeless and founded a nonprofit for women who were victims of sex trafficking.

Edwards visited Israel with her mother and a Christian tour group in 2008 and said it was the best trip she has ever been on.

“You read the Bible, and then you see where everything happened,” she said. “It really helps you put everything in perspective. For such a small country, it’s amazing how much goes on there.”

She said the United States has probably done more harm than good the past few years in trying to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

The 6th District has elected Republicans since 1978. But Edwards, running as a Democrat, said that if elected she would take all viewpoints into consideration.

“I do tend to vote Democratic, and I have certain values that align with my party in terms of equality and education,” she said. “But I’m not a person who won’t listen to the other side.

Representatives are supposed to align with their district, not the other way around.” ■

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By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com When Al-Qaida terrorists knocked down the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and struck the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 Americans, Amy Kremer’s daughter didn’t know all that day whether her mother was one of the casualties.

Kremer, then a flight attendant with Delta, had flown to Grand Cayman on Sept. 10, then spent the night in a hospital after falling ill instead of flying back to Atlanta the same day as usual. Set to go home Sept. 11, Kremer was stuck when all air traffic was grounded after the terrorist attacks.

She was safe, but the experience brought home for her the importance of homeland security.

She thus supports efforts to annihilate Islamic State, thinks it was wrong to unfreeze $100 billion or more of foreign assets for terror sponsor Iran under its nuclear weapons deal, recognizes the importance of standing strong with Israel as the United States’ No. 1 ally in the Middle East, opposes admitting refugees from Syria and other countries where terrorists are active, and insists on tough immigration enforcement to stop terrorists from slipping into the United States.

Still, it was not Osama bin Laden but Barack Obama that compelled Kremer, a lifelong East Cobb resident, to become politically active. She was one of the founders of the modern Tea Party movement and spent the past eight years organizing rallies, campaigning around the country, and fighting the Affordable Care Act with Rep. Tom Price and others.

Kremer, a Republican, said she never aspired to be in Congress even as others encouraged her to run, but then Price resigned the 6th District seat to lead the Trump administration’s ACA repeal efforts as health and human services secretary.

“I can’t go out and encourage others if I’m not willing to do it myself, so here I am,” she said in an interview.

Kremer, who was born at WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, graduated from Lassiter High School and went to Auburn University, said she’s “a home-grown peach.”

“I believe we’re a conservative district” that wants a small government living within its means, she said.

“Washington should work for us.”

K r e m e r was an early supporter of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign but said she is not 100 percent in agreement with the president and is not running to be a yes-woman in Washington. She said it’s disgraceful that the Republican-led Congress has failed to send Trump legislation to sign, but she opposed the failed Affordable Care Act repeal bill, which she joined other conservatives in calling “Obamacare Lite.”

Repealing the ACA is not the only issue on Kremer’s agenda.

She wants to abolish the Department of Education and send its money to the states as block grants. She wants to cut regulations, especially at the Environmental Protection Agency, so that American businesses can compete fairly with foreign competitors. For economic and national security reasons, she sees the need to pay down the $20 trillion national debt and continue to reduce imports of oil. She wants to cut the income tax rates on individuals and corporations and insists on offsetting any new investments in infrastructure with spending cuts elsewhere.

“We need to live within our means,” she said.

She supports peace through a stronger military, with the hope that such strength will deter enemies.

“I’m a principled conservative, and you know where I stand,” Kremer said.

And she stands against the ACA. Kremer said Republicans were elected to repeal and replace Obamacare, but they are squandering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to effect change in Washington because they’re “afraid of their own shadow” and obsessed with re-election.

The repeal legislation must go through the normal legislative process, unlike the ACA and the failed Republican bill, she said.

The ACA replacement has to lower premiums, cut drug costs and allow the purchase of insurance policies across state lines to increase competition but remove the mandate to have health insurance.

“It’s about choice and free-market solutions,” Kremer said. ■

Wilson: Term Limits Are Key to Reform D.C.

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com Solving the nation’s many problems begins with one simple act, in the eyes of small-business man Kurt Wilson: the passage of the 28th Amendment, limiting members of the U.S. House and Senate to two four-year terms of office, just like the president.

It’s an idea Wilson, running as a Republican in the 6th Congressional District, didn’t care for 25 years ago but now embraces it as the only way to replace career politicians with normal concerned citizens in Washington and restore the United States to its proper place as “the greatest country that’s ever been on the face of the Earth.”

Term limits, the elimination of special pensions and health insurance for members of Congress, and the reduction of legislative sessions to three or four months would break up the “House of Lords” mentality on Capitol Hill, Wilson said. That shift, in turn, would enable Congress to reverse the national debt, balance the budget and create a surplus, repeal the 16th Amendment and institute a flat income tax or a fair consumption tax, and derail and defund the federal bureaucracy.

Wilson, who has lived in north Fulton since 1986 and has a business that operates five Zaxby’s franchises in Alabama and develops commercial real estate, is running to be one of those citizen legislators and to effect change as a “junior flunky congressman” because he said a win for a candidate on a term-limits platform in the 6th District would gain national attention.

“We need a reformation,” he said.

Although he is a conservative Republican propelled by a fervent Episcopal faith, Wilson didn’t start that way.

He grew up in a liberal household, and he was unchurched until the family ended a period of at least yearly moves when his father became the vice president of academic affairs at the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 1972.

Wilson said he’s not sure whether his mother was motivated by the needs of her three children or wanted to close a gap in her political résumé (she ran for Congress as a Democrat in 1976), but the family began going to the Episcopal Church. “I took to it like a fly to sugar,” Wilson said. “G-d kept showing Himself to me in ways of love that were humbling and motivating.”

His father never cared for church,

Wilson said, but he did try to convert to Judaism twice. “The rabbi said, ‘Why would I want you to be a Jew? You’re not a very good Christian.’ ” In addition to religion, Wilson said his parents gave him two gifts: a voracious appetite for reading and a blind spot for differences of race, religion and ethnicity. He didn’t know that two of his parents’ three close friends he called “uncle” were Jewish until he was grown up, and he didn’t think anything of going to a black friend’s house or having the friend at his house.

“I remember being called a bleeding-heart liberal,” Wilson said.

He was an underachiever through high school, and his father had the answer: the Army. Wilson enlisted in the Army Reserve in April 1980, and he said basic training turned him into an overachiever. He got an ROTC scholarship for his junior year in college and intended to be a career officer. But a physical found asthma, and he was discharged before his senior year.

Wilson thinks the country would benefit if everyone did military service after high school, following the example of Israel. Young people would gain a sense of patriotism and a connection to something bigger than themselves, and if most of the nation had a connection to someone in the service, there would be more pressure not to go to war except in cases of vital national interests.

National service isn’t the only thing Wilson admires about Israel. As a Christian, he said, he honors the Jewish people and their state as G-d’s favorites.

“My stance is pro-Israel, pro-Israel, pro-Israel, and the United States is its strongest ally and will continue to be its strongest ally, but not just in talk, but in terms of making sure that the state of Israel stays viable and protected militarily, economically, politically,” Wilson said.

He doesn’t have much sympathy for the Palestinians because of their unwillingness to accept Israel. “That two-state nonsense? If Israel negotiates that, fine,” he said. “Our job is to sup7 port Israel.” ■

VOTER GUIDE - APRIL 14 ▪ 2017

Kremer Warns of GOP Wasting Its Chance

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Physician Quigg Aims To Heal Health Care

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

VOTER GUIDE - APRIL 14 ▪ 2017

Congressional candidate Rebecca Quigg is ready to pit her expertise on the Affordable Care Act and health policy against any of her 17 rivals.

“We need a doctor in the House who wants to give health care coverage to patients in America, who wants to fight to keep the law we have, improve it and expand it to cover everyone,” said Quigg, who lives in East Cobb and has worked the past four years as a health reform advocate and ACA consultant, from helping people enroll for health coverage to forcing insurers to meet their coverage requirements.

“There couldn’t be a more perfect time for someone like me to run.”

Quigg ended her 25-year career as a cardiologist and moved with her younger son, Gregory, to the Atlanta area three years ago from Chicago, where she directed the heart transplant program she created at Northwestern University. Her goal was to find the right school for Gregory, who has a central auditory processing disorder.

Pope High School proved to be the perfect fit because of its special education program and its competition marching band, in which he played tenor saxophone. He will graduate in May, then study engineering in college.

Her son’s experience has demonstrated to Quigg the value of public education and some of the deficiencies requiring more funding, such as the counseling departments. But it was health care that pulled her into Democratic politics for the first time.

She attended a fall conference at which Republican Rep. Tom Price and Sen. Johnny Isakson talked about the need to raise the retirement age to save Social Security, an idea Quigg rejects.

Quigg discussed her disagreement with Price after the meeting, then asked him why he voted against letting Medicare negotiate drug prices, as Medicaid and the Department of Veterans Affairs do. Price cited the high research and development costs paid by drugmakers; Quigg responded with the huge profits they make.

The discussion stuck with her when Donald Trump picked Price as his health and human services secretary. Quigg opposes most of what Trump says and does, but she said putting Price in charge of the nation’s 8 health care might be his worst move.

Rebecca Quigg moved to East Cobb so her son could attend Pope High School.

So she organized a downtown protest of his nomination Jan. 15. When she got a positive response to her comments about health care a few days later at a protest outside Price’s Roswell office, she decided to run for his seat.

“I will speak out as soon as I’m there about what the truth is,” Quigg said, criticizing ACA misinformation from members of Congress. “The American people have been lied to.”

She said premiums have skyrocketed because ACA opponents have refused to enforce the law’s cap on annual increases. But the two Democratic physicians in the House have been silent, Quigg said, and the 16 Republican physicians have gone along with repeal efforts.

“The thought that we would lose all those benefits is very overwhelming, and I’m set to fight for this,” said Quigg, a Pittsburgh native who had to go into debt to put herself through Washington and Jefferson College and Penn State’s medical school. “I know the facts of this law.”

The race to replace Price is her first political battle, but Quigg has her parents as examples of fighting for what’s right. Her father served in the Army Air Forces in World War II, then became an iron worker, and her mother won equal pay for equal work.

As the daughter of a veteran and as a physician who worked in Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, Quigg is adamant about getting veterans the best care possible.

She said she also is passionate about resisting Trump administration efforts such as undermining public education, delaying or stopping Muslim refugees, and dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency, but health care remains the heart of her campaign.

“If Georgia wants a person in Congress that happens to be a physician and an expert on this law, that can actually speak directly to the issues rather than gather from other people who may not be correct,” she said, “then they should elect me.” ■

Navy Veteran Keatley Urges Global U.S. Role

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

None of the candidates for the 6th Congressional District seat has served in the Israel Defense Forces, but Democrat Richard Keatley has come closest.

During his seven years as an engineering officer in the U.S. Navy, while his frigate, the USS Donald B. Berry, was in port in Haifa, he served a week on an Israeli navy gunboat rather than do maintenance on the boilers.

“It was really small. I got a bit seasick because it was so small,” the Tucker resident said. But the experience gave him a good understanding of Israel’s vulnerable position, and his time with the Israeli crew of about 15 sailors helped him appreciate the variety of views about the settlements and the conflict with the Palestinians.

“I believe that the two-state solution is … the only viable way to preserve the Jewish state without forcing (out) all of the Palestinians,” Keatley said.

Unlike some of his opponents, he said the United States does have a role as a mediator in trying to bring peace to Israel and the Palestinians, much as Jimmy Carter helped Israel and Egypt reach the Camp David Accords.

That role extends globally for the world’s largest military and economic force, said Keatley, whose Navy service included time with NATO. “For 70 years the United States has been a stabilizing force,” he said. “No one wants to be the policeman of the world; that’s a negative way to look at it. But our leadership role has helped bring about the spread of democracy in countries where despotism reigned.”

Having not only served overseas in the Navy, but also studied for several years in Naples and Paris, Keatley has a broad view of America’s role. A tendency toward isolationism under President Donald Trump worries him, as does a plan to throw more money at the military just to look strong.

He’s concerned that the United States is turning away vulnerable refugees and labeling them undesirable even though they’re the least likely people to be terrorists. He cited the parallel fellow Democrat RuthE Levy drew to the fate of Jewish refugees who unsuccessfully fled the Nazis.

“Part of being a leader in the world is doing the right thing and helping people who need help,” Keatley said.

Helping people applies at home

The open 6th District seat accelerated Richard Keatley’s plans to run for Congress.

as well for the Georgia State professor, who has taught Italian and French here since 2004.

Keatley used a Navy ROTC scholarship to earn an engineering degree from Virginia Tech, then supported himself through independent study and a doctoral program at Yale. He’d like to see a national program to trade debt-free college for service. An engineering student might participate in a summer co-op with public works projects, then work with a public or nonprofit agency for a couple years after college, for example.

In addition to avoiding student debt and accomplishing needed public service, the program would ensure that students are learning skills that align with employment opportunities.

In addition, “national service helps the idea of national identity,” Keatley said. “People become more American by being exposed to people from different places.”

If elected, he will have one staffer assigned to do nothing but handle problems and concerns brought by military veterans, who too often run into stall tactics from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Keatley was planning to run against Tom Price in 2018 after being frustrated by the feeble Democratic opposition in 2014 and 2016. When Price resigned to become health and human services secretary, those plans were accelerated.

He thought the jungle primary of all 18 candidates on one ballot would benefit an outsider like himself, but he got a lesson in party politics when Democratic institutions and leaders lined up behind Jon Ossoff, who has raised $8.3 million so far.

Most observers assume Ossoff will make the likely runoff between the top two vote-getters, but that second-place person could be a Republican, a Democrat or an independent.

“I hope it’s me and Jon,” Keatley said. “Then we’ll see if they want a young whippersnapper, or they want a veteran.” ■

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Hill Hopes to Help Israel From a Bigger Stage

Gray Finds His Purpose On the Campaign Trail

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

No one running in the 6th District race for Congress has risked more politically than Republican Judson Hill, who resigned a safe seat in the state Senate to try to succeed Tom Price.

In some ways, his decision to seek higher office also is a risk for Israel.

Hill was Israel’s strongest supporter in the Georgia General Assembly. Since 2005, he had been the driving force behind several pro-Israel measures, including legislation forcing Georgia to divest from companies doing business with Iran and a law last year that barred companies boycotting Israel from winning state contracts.

The Israeli Consulate General presented him the Friend of Israel Award one Yom HaAtzmaut, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called Hill to thank him for his efforts.

“For me, support for Israel is extremely important. It’s in my heart, and I believe in it,” said Hill, who has visited Israel twice and who bases his devotion to the Jewish state on the Bible.

“The people of Israel are strong advocates for most of the same principles that I stand on: families and faith and integrity and affordable health care that works, getting government out of your life, reducing your tax and regulatory burden, putting an end to illegal immigration and protecting your borders.”

Hill, an East Cobb resident and member of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, said he hopes to have a bigger impact on the U.S.-Israel relationship and in opposition to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement in Congress, but support for Israel didn’t drive him to be the first Republican to announce a campaign for Price’s seat.

“I just feel we have a unique opportunity here in our country to really chart a new course, fundamentally reform Washington, D.C., get our country back on the right track,” said Hill, who is running as a conservative reformer with a record of getting legislation passed and of putting the interests of his constituents first. He once lost a leadership position in the Senate because he didn’t follow the party’s wishes.

Hill doesn’t plan to change that willingness to be his own man in Washington. For example, he said he would have voted against the failed Republican legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act, in part because it wouldn’t

Judson Hill has endorsements from Sen. Marco Rubio and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

have immediately implemented the replacement for Obamacare.

Health care is one of Hill’s strong issues. He wrote state legislation for health insurance to cover existing conditions, be portable from job to job, and be available for purchase across state lines, and he co-wrote a bill to reduce the frivolous malpractice lawsuits that lead doctors to practice expensive defensive medicine. He also wants federal legislation to keep the provision for children to stay on their parents’ policies until age 26.

Health care legislation, he said, should focus on the patient and the patient-doctor relationship while removing bureaucrats from decisions about care. The measure should lower costs and increase access and choice.

Ultimately, Hill would like to see health insurance severed from employment so that people take the coverage they want from job to job.

From support for the military and veterans to the creation of balanced budgets to a reduction in government regulation and tax rates, Hill emphasized that he has a record of actions to back up his words.

The military support is personal.

His wife, Shelly, is the widow of a man who died while serving in the Navy, and Hill serves as an officer in the Georgia State Defense Force, where he puts his legal expertise to work helping families prepare for military deployments.

“We need to stand up for veterans for the rest of their lives,” said Hill, who agrees with President Donald Trump that the defense budget needs to be increased to properly equip U.S. troops.

“They made a commitment. We need to keep our promise to them.”

In an 18-candidate field, including 10 other Republicans and a Democrat, Jon Ossoff, who has raised more money than the other candidates combined, Hill said voters have an important responsibility. “We need to select the conservative who can win this race. The issues are too complex, they’re too important, to send someone there to learn on the job.” ■

Bob Gray acknowledges that it sounds hokey, but in running for Congress from the 6th District, he’s on a mission from G-d: to save the American dream amid protests, violence and the effects of illegal immigration. “It’s not a country I recognize anymore.”

Gray, a longtime tech executive, doesn’t have divine visions. But a few years ago the book “Halftime” by Bob Buford led him to ponder his purpose and his legacy. He worked on a personal mission statement that led him to the conclusion that G-d wanted him to step onto the field of political battle.

He won a seat on the Johns Creek City Council in July 2014, knowing it was the start of a journey but not where the path led. “I didn’t know this opportunity would present itself, but you have to recognize when G-d opens and closes doors and try to step through.”

The timing is good for Gray, who grew up in Buffalo, because his oldest daughter graduated from the University of Georgia last year, and his three other children are in college and, as he put it, “transitioning off the payroll.”

As required by state law, the Republican resigned from the City Council in February to join 17 others on the April 18 ballot in the special election for Tom Price’s former House seat.

As much as any other candidate, Gray has aligned himself closely with President Donald Trump.

He said Trump made 22 promises in his speech to a joint session of Congress, and Gray agreed with all of them.

Part of the reason, he said, is that both are businessmen. People in business are interested in results, whereas the lawyers who often become career politicians are interested in the debate.

Gray said Trump is the kind of disruptor Washington needs to make the dramatic changes that will help pay down the inconceivably large debt, such as cutting welfare and eliminating the Education Department.

Gray has a vision for the next era of the U.S. economy, driven by innovation in artificial intelligence, data analytics, robotics and the Internet of Things. The productivity gains will be impressive, he said, but they will require a workforce with different skills.

That means changing education now to get ahead of the disruptions.

We need to emphasize options

Bob Gray says the lure of time with future grandchildren will limit his terms in Washington.

beyond four-year colleges after high school, he said, citing an eight-week coding boot camp that all but guarantees a job for at least $50,000 a year.

Gray also advocates school choice and wants states and local school districts to control education funding.

In health care, the problem is the cost, Gray said. He wants to apply freemarket principles to increase competition and thus expand choices, lower prices and increase quality.

Part of the solution, he said, is for people to recognize that health insurance, like auto insurance, should be used to mitigate the risk of something bad happening. It shouldn’t apply to standard maintenance (oil changes and tune-ups for cars, checkups and standard screenings for people).

Gray said he would have unhappily voted for the Republican legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act because, as Ronald Reagan said, 80 percent of something is better than 100 percent of nothing. But Gray blames House Speaker Paul Ryan for the bill’s failure.

Perhaps proving Gray is an optimist, he said he is confident Congress will resolve health care before he takes office, allowing him to focus instead on economic issues. He wants to cut corporate income taxes from 35 percent to as close to zero as possible and replace the individual income tax with a national consumption (or sales) tax. He also proposes deregulation of the health care, financial services and energy industries to spur job growth, but in an environmentally responsible way.

“The last thing I want to see is a spoiled environment,” said Gray, who called himself an outdoorsman who likes to hunt, hike and ski.

He and his wife, high school sweetheart Susanne, had a special outdoor experience in Israel in the late 1990s: They baptized each other in the Jordan River during a tour of the country.

“The U.S. and Israel are rock-solid global partners,” Gray said. “Together we stand against terrorism and more 9 traditional enemies.” ■

VOTER GUIDE - APRIL 14 ▪ 2017

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Can Mr. Hernandez Go to Washington?

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com Alexander Hernandez is used to working behind the scenes on movie sets, but now that he has stepped into the spotlight by running for Congress, the Dunwoody resident is looking for a Hollywood ending.

It’s the Cinderella story of a working-class, religious son of Mexican immigrants who finds himself in the right place at the right time to bring a new, independent voice to Washington.

“There’s an appetite for an independent. That’s what we’re taking advantage of,” Hernandez said.

Born in Illinois, Hernandez grew up in northern Indiana. His father is retired from a steel mill; his mom owns a beauty salon.

After studying political science, Hernandez switched to film school, earned a degree in Florida, and worked in set decoration in Los Angeles, then in Georgia. He said he was planning to get out of the film industry and try labor organizing and politics when he and wife Adea de Carlo and their two dogs moved to Georgia about a year ago, but fell back into set work until

Tom Price was nominated for health and human services secretary, opening the 6th District seat in Congress.

Hernandez and his wife intended to move to Decatur, outside the 6th District, but the home they were going to rent wasn’t acceptable. At the last minute, they found a place in Dunwoody, in the middle of Price’s district.

The couple did a lot of praying about whether Hernandez should enter the race.

“Whatever happens, you’ve just got to put your faith in G-d and go from there,” said Hernandez, who called himself a nondenominational Christian for whom faith is crucial.

He also called himself the only true independent among the 18 candidates — Andre Pollard also is running as an independent — and said independence is more important to 6th District voters than resistance to President Donald Trump. The resistance, Hernandez said, is just composed of disappointed Hillary Clinton voters and hasn’t gotten much traction in the Republicanleaning 6th.

“An independent has a better chance than a Democrat in this district,” Hernandez said.

Without party affiliation, he said, he can apply common sense to issues and do what his constituents want instead of worrying about party loyalty.

He’s not a pacifist, but doesn’t think the U.S. should be involved in any of its seven current conflicts.

“The best way to help in a humanitarian way is to stop bombing folks, stop getting involved in conflicts,” Hernandez said.

The military has a big enough budget, Hernandez said, even though Americans have lived in fear since Sept. 11, “We’re the United States of America. What are we afraid of?”

He does not support continuing to give Israel more than $3 billion a year in military aid, which he sees as perpetuating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

He said it’s up to the Israelis and Palestinians to decide on the future they want, and the United States, which is not seen as an impartial broker, should stay out of the way.

Back home, Hernandez supports an extensive national program of infrastructure projects to invest in people and take care of such priorities as clean water and bridges that don’t collapse.

The projects should exist already, and

they should not rely on the crony capitalism of tax credits.

He wants to see audacious goals instead of incrementalism. “We have that ambition to do great things.”

Hernandez is wary of a health care bubble that could cause a bigger crash than the housing bubble a decade ago.

He said any health care reform that relies on private insurance in unsustainable. Instead, he’d like to expand a people-operated Medicare to cover everyone.

Despite the bubble talk, Hernandez is an optimist, like a character out of a Capra film.

“We like that no one’s talking about us,” Hernandez said. “Everyone’s focused on the folks with money.

But, frankly, you talk to people on the ground, and they want something different.” ■

Pollard Pushes Tech for American Dream

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

VOTER GUIDE - APRIL 14 ▪ 2017

Andre Pollard represents the American dream: An immigrant who came from English-speaking Guyana at age 10, he has a solid career as a tech professional working in the cloud in development operations, owns a home in Milton, and has a hairdresser wife and four children.

He tries to give back to the community through involvement in groups that support tech startups and app developers, and he teaches free Saturday classes to anyone who wants to learn computer coding with Ruby on Rails.

Now he’s running for Congress in the special election April 18 to replace Tom Price in the 6th District.

“I am District 6. I am everyone in District 6,” Pollard said. “I live in District 6. I’m a homeowner. I live in a community. I’ve got teenage daughters.

I’ve got a 4-year-old in pre-K, Georgia pre-K, thank goodness it’s free. I’ve got a 1½-year-old toddler running around.”

Like other nonpoliticians in the race, Pollard said life is good for him, 10 but he felt compelled to address prob-

lems holding back others in America.

“It became more and more difficult watching TV and yelling at the TV. I just felt so helpless,” Pollard said about the start of the Trump administration. “The whole American brand just got devalued in less than a month.”

When Price resigned to become health and human services secretary, Pollard saw his opportunity.

But he chose to run outside the two-party system, something made easier by the one-primary system used in the special election, with all candidates on one ballot.

“A lot of our problems is the segregation of Republican and Democrat,” he said, because elected officials listen to parties instead of constituents.

Pollard instead launched his own party, the Tech Party, of which he is the only candidate. As the name indicates, the focus is on expanding the integration of technology into society.

Pollard wants to see more women, more minorities, more inner-city youths, more welfare recipients and more people from outdated industries find positions in the tech industry. For example, instead of trying to regain

lost jobs in coal mining, Pollard would like the coal communities trained to design, build, operate and repair robots to take on dangerous mining work.

“We’re definitely going to be turning it up a notch in technology with everything we do,” he said.

Pollard grew up on Long Island and worked his way through community college before finishing a mechanical engineering degree at SUNYBuffalo.

As an example of an immigrant succeeding through hard work, he takes it personally when he sees the American dream under attack.

Pollard moved to Georgia from New York for a contract with AT&T as a Microsoft Exchange consultant. He has lived in Milton for 14 years.

He knows job opportunities exist if people can get the right training because the tech industry must issue so many H-1B visas to bring in foreign workers to fill open positions. Many such workers live just north of the 6th District in Cumming, he said.

He supports a path to citizenship for longtime illegal immigrants, but he also said it’s important for immigrants

to commit to integrating into society.

He doesn’t want to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but he knows the law needs to be changed to address health care affordability because his premiums went up 20 percent. But if elected officials would focus on issues instead of the politics, he said, solutions could be found because there are so many areas of agreement, such as allowing inter-state competition for insurers and covering existing conditions.

He supports military aid to Israel, and he’s hopeful that the Israelis and Palestinians soon will grow weary of conflict and accept coexistance.

Such is the optimism of a candidate who knows he’s a long shot in an 18-candidate field. “I’m a great tennis player,” he said. “I’ll challenge anyone, including Serena Williams.” ■

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POLITICS

Llop: Lower Taxes, Raise the Minimum Wage

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

William Llop is optimistic about his chances in his third run for Congress.

fordable Care Act and said he would have voted for the health care legislation House Republicans failed to pass.

The fourth of 11 siblings, Llop grew up in Atlanta and attended Riverwood High School in Sandy Springs. He now lives in Sandy Springs with his wife and 12-year-old twins in a neighborhood

those freedoms in place,” he said. “It’s like we’re going backward when we need to go forward. We need to rejoice in individual faiths.”

In the 2016 Republican primary in the 11th District, won by incumbent Barry Loudermilk, Llop received only 9.8 percent, but he said he is optimistic about his chances to be one of the top two vote-getters in the April 18 special election and reach the June 20 runoff.

“Having this many candidates favors a person like me,” he said. “I think I have a strong presence in Atlanta, and I already have a decent following. That will help me get over the hump. I only need two out of 10 votes.” ■

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Running on lower taxes and fair wages, Republican William Llop brings 30 years of experience as a certified public accountant to the 18-candidate race for the 6th Congressional District.

The Sandy Springs native ran for Congress from the 11th District in 2012 and 2016 but decided to run in the 6th — he lives just across the district line — when Tom Price vacated the seat to become U.S. health and human services secretary in February.

“I know what the problems are in America as it relates to taxes and regulations, and I know how to fix it,” Llop said. He favors reducing government spending and taxes by raising the minimum wage. He said large companies such as McDonald’s, Sears and Walmart take advantage of government welfare programs that subsidize employees who make minimum wage.

When Llop graduated high school in 1979, the minimum wage was $2.90.

Adjusted for inflation, that number today would be $9.70 per hour, he said.

If elected, he would work to raise the minimum wage to that number.

“Really what big business is doing is getting their labor subsidized off of corporate welfare,” he said. “The employers are the ones taking advantage of minimum wage.”

He said $22 an hour is the living wage, “but $9.70 is a step in the right direction. We can reduce the size of government by getting people off of the system. People don’t want a government handout; they want respect.”

Llop also favors tax breaks for the middle class and a reduction of the corporate income tax rate from 39 percent to 25 percent to spur growth in the economy and produce more jobs.

Immigration reform is another priority for Llop. His father came from Italy in 1936 and served in the U.S. military during World War II. He supports granting legal status to longtime illegal immigrants.

“These people are part of our culture now,” he said. “We need to give them legal status. They came here illegally, but they’ve been here now for 10 and 20 years. We’ve educated their children and given them jobs. We’ve made an investment in these immigrants, and we need to start getting our return in the form of them paying taxes like the rest of us.”

Llop, who favors restrictions on abortion, would work to repeal the Af-

split between the 6th and 11th districts.

“When I walk my dog in the morning, three quarters of the walk is in the 6th District,” he said. “But our home is actually in the 11th.”

A member of Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Llop said that Israel should be a place open to all religions and that the United States needs to continue to support Israel.

In response to the apparent increase in anti-Semitic activity in the United States, Llop said the key to fighting all forms of discrimination against minorities is better education.

“Our country is based on freedom of expression, and we need to keep

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Grawert Brings Front-Line Experience to Election

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com Keith Grawert knows he’s a long shot to be elected to Congress from the 6th District, but the Republican believes he is the best equipped to defeat Democratic favorite Jon Ossoff in a potential runoff June 20.

“If money weren’t a factor, I’d probably have the best chance of going up against him one on one,” he said.

“That would be an interesting race because we’re similar in age, we have similar stories, and there’s good contrast to what I have done in my life vs. what he has done.”

Grawert, who grew up in Dunwoody, was a student at Duke University when the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks inspired him to join Air Force ROTC. After graduation, he served 14 years in the Air Force and Air National Guard as a pilot with deployments in the Middle East, South Korea and Eastern Europe.

In 2014, he joined the elite 89th Airlift Wing, where he flew senior leaders around the world, including Vice President Joe Biden, first lady Michelle Obama, the secretary of defense and

members of Congress.

He said that serving in the armed forces and flying politicians such as Biden helped him realize there was another way to serve. So when Tom Price was nominated for health and human services secretary, Grawert decided to run for Congress.

What he didn’t anticipate were 10 other Republican candidates, as well as five Democrats and two independents, entering the April 18 special election.

“I know I need to get lucky, but I feel like if I could get my message out there to enough people, I could have a good shot in the race,” he said.

Grawert is frustrated by the lack of progress in Washington and wants to see change. He identifies as a commonsense fiscal conservative and is in favor of smaller government, free markets and lower taxes. He wants to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act but said he was not a big fan of the failed Republican health care plan.

As an Air Force veteran, he said national security is one of the strongest issues in his campaign. For example, he said certain personnel policies he encountered in the Air Force are out of

date and weakening the military.

“I could spend another 25 years in the military, become a five-star general and still not be able to change some of the things that are wrong in the Defense Department,” he said. “If I really want to address some of the issues that I saw in the military, I need to be an elected official.”

Born in Northern California, Grawert moved to Georgia when he was 10. He graduated from Marist in 1999 and double-majored in electrical engineering and economics at Duke before earning a master’s in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech in 2010.

He has been to Israel three times with the Air Force, but Grawert hasn’t been outside Tel Aviv and said he would like to travel more in the country.

“Having been over there and seeing what the Israeli state has to live with on a daily basis in terms of the constant threat, I’m a supporter of Israel,” he said. “In terms of our role in making peace, I think the United States has the power to bring both parties together.”

In response to recent anti-Semitic incidents, Grawert said the federal government needs to send the message

that discrimination against any group is not acceptable.

Should Grawert not make it past the April 18 special election, he has several backup plans. He and wife Lauren are expecting their first child in May and plan to settle in metro Atlanta. He could begin flying for a commercial airline, go back to the military or remain in politics.

“The people that I have worked with in the military, I think, have been inspired by me running in this race,” he said. “Even if I don’t win, I can show people that a normal guy can participate in this process and give it a shot.

Maybe then more normal people will try to get involved in government. That would be a victory for me.” ■

Handel: Familiarity Will Breed Respect

By Elizabeth Friedly efriedly@atljewishtimes.com

VOTER GUIDE - APRIL 14 ▪ 2017

The only Republican woman running in the 6th Congressional District, Karen Handel, likely has one advantage over the other 17 candidates on the ballot April 18: Anyone who has lived in the suburbs north of Atlanta for any extended period has likely heard of her.

“The people of the 6th know me.

They know me very well from my time as (Fulton) County Commission chairman and then again as secretary of state,” Handel said in an interview in her Alpharetta office.

She entered the race on the last day of qualifying in February, when it was clear how crowded the ballot would be, but she said: “It’s an opportunity to really make a difference. This is a unique time in history, I think, in Washington.”

Handel was Georgia’s first conservative female secretary of state, proceeded in that post by only one woman, Democrat Cathy Cox. Handel ran for governor in 2010, losing in a close primary runoff against eventual winner 12 Nathan Deal, and for the U.S. Senate in

2014, finishing third in the Republican primary.

If elected, she would be the only woman in Georgia’s 16-member congressional delegation.

“I take it very much to heart. I never expect anything other than a level playing field,” Handel said.

She views an unbalanced budget as the greatest threat to the country.

She supports a simpler, flatter tax system, preferably the FAIR Tax — the elimination of the federal income tax and the IRS, to be replace by a flat sales tax — and wants less regulation on businesses.

She said with an almost self-conscious laugh, “I would love — even though I’m told by people that it’s not the plushest place to go — I would love to serve on the Budget Committee if I have this privilege.”

Asked what she could do to bring jobs home to the 6th District, she didn’t hesitate in pointing to cutting federal regulation in connection with her strong belief in returning power to the states. She did not cite specific regulations, but Handel said overregulation stifles business growth. “When regula-

tions are left on the shelf to languish for 10, 20, 30 years, they get stale and outdated,” Handel said in calling for a broad regulatory review. “Meanwhile, companies and industries evolve. So you have regulations in place that don’t really apply to how businesses are run today.”

Like many candidates, Handel said she supports term limits, and she wants a stronger U.S. relationship with Israel.

While she backs free trade, Handel also wants a wholesale review of the quarter-century-old NAFTA to be sure Georgia benefits as much as possible.

Regarding Trump administration talk of a border adjustment tax that would make Mexican imports more expensive, Handel said that “as with most things, the details really do matter. On the surface, it sounds really great to say we want to have everything manufactured in the United States. … But we have to recognize that there are a great many industries in the 6th District and the state that would be hurt severely with the BAT. I would put myself in the very cautious category.”

While her time in Georgia and the

district informs the policies she would support, Handel’s personal story also plays a role.

She said her Christian religion is important, sometimes leading her to drive up to two hours to Milner to hear sermons at the Rock Springs Church by Pastor Benny Tate.

“I don’t know that a young girl can leave home at 17 from a pretty difficult situation and make it out on the other side without faith,” Handel said. “It informs how I lead my life.”

Handel cited former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as someone whose leadership style she admires. “I’m not a ‘we have to have everything or we have nothing’ kind of person. She used to say that there was something to be said about relentless incrementalism, and that type of relentlessness is very much a part of who I am.” ■

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Jewish Community Can Flip the Sixth All eyes are on Georgia’s 6th Congressional District for the April 18 special election to fill now-Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price’s vacant House seat — and the Jewish presence within the 6th District is substantial enough that it could swing this election.

The Atlanta Jewish community is uniquely poised to send a strong message, and I invite all 6th District Jewish residents to do their part to send that message by voting for Jon Ossoff.

As in other communities, today’s politics polarize the Jewish community; the issues dividing us provoke fervent emotion and apocalyptic visions, in particular regarding Israel.

Political disconnect within my community stuns us into paralysis to avoid conflict with other members of the tribe or retribution from establishment organizations.

Perhaps the 6th District election can unite us. Atlanta Jews, both within and outside the 6th, are already heavily mobilized in volunteering for Ossoff, individually and as part of both Jewish and non-Jewish organizations. And there is a case to be made that Jews across the political spectrum

should give serious consideration to casting a ballot for Democrat Ossoff — and the case is not that he is Jewish himself.

Guest Column

By Bonnie Levine

We have seen a rise in anti-Semitism after Donald Trump’s election, including vandalism and widespread threats of violence to Jewish institutions, even here in Atlanta (regardless of where some of these incidents came from, the post-Trump uptick is undeniable).

Whether you blame Trump’s own rhetoric for this — and one could argue that in failing to condemn these acts and stubbornly insisting in omitting Jews from Holocaust Remembrance Day, he is at least complicit — anti-Semitic white nationalists believe his administration is their moment.

Many others on Trump’s side of the political aisle are turning a blind eye to this issue.

Even within this race, there is

reason to remain alert. Republican groups have resorted to tactics such as ads with anti-Semitic subtext: “He’s not one of us.” And the timing of the election, set by a Republican official, is conveniently inconvenient for Jews who observe the last day of Passover as a chag.

Donald “You’re Fired” Trump is a man accustomed to doing and saying whatever he wants without recrimination. He manages vindictively, his way or the highway. His ends (be them lies, false promises, fearmongering, or creating chaos and distraction) always justify his means. His leadership cannot be questioned or criticized without harsh recrimination. He brazenly disregards rules, norms and ethical boundaries; he unabashedly elevates his cronies and relatives after eviscerating political enemies for the same.

As a CEO (or reality star), this can be a shrewd business strategy. As a country’s top elected official, it is a few baby steps short of fascism.

This is the situation we face as we head up to April 18.

Even if the idea of running the country as a business intrigues you, we absolutely must remind the president that his role — and the role of his “shareholders” (the American people) — is different now. Unchecked power,

or the perception of it, is unkind to our tribe, emboldening those who hate us for who we are. No matter where we stand politically, we benefit when our elected officials are accountable to us.

Setting aside my own views, I respect that Jewish support for this administration exists and that many supporters ground their beliefs in genuine concern for our people’s security.

An Ossoff win will not change that Trump is president. It will not gain the Democrats a majority. It will not upend the policy of the administration, certainly not on Israel.

But this strongly symbolic victory may awaken our leaders, show them that they cannot govern by bullying, that they must dial down the rhetoric and complacency that emboldens anti-Semitic words and actions. We could slow the momentum down the steep slope of authoritarianism that undermines the political power of minority groups and scapegoats the most convenient among them.

Marshaling our community behind Jon Ossoff has the potential to humble the dominant party in Washington — and to show the nation that the people have power, that complacency about anti-Semitism and bigotry will have consequences, that neither Georgia nor the Jewish people can be taken for granted.

Vote Ossoff on April 18. ■

Why I Am Voting for Judson Hill Hill was in the state Senate for over 10 years and had a distinguished record of legislation. He fought for lower home taxes and was instrumental in saving the HOPE Scholarship

Guest Column

By Jeffrey Kunkes

when it was near bankruptcy. He was in the forefront of having the state of Georgia buy $15 million of Israel Bonds. He was a major supporter of the state giving money for Federation’s Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities project, which is the blueprint followed by many states.

Most important, Hill drafted and guided to passage legislation that prevented Georgia from doing business with or investing in businesses doing business with Iran. This past year he was the leader in getting Georgia to stop doing business with entities that

boycott, divest from or sanction Israel.

The Jewish community owes Judson Hill for his bold initiatives, which are being copied in other states.

Also under the Republican leadership, communities starting with Sandy Springs and including Dunwoody, Brookhaven, Johns Creek and Milton were liberated as independent cities, free of a stifling county government.

Under Republican state government, unemployment has dropped, the state budget runs a surplus, and Georgia has made the list of the top five states to do business for five years.

If you have any doubt about this renaissance, drive from Sandy Springs to South Georgia and see the headquarters for Mercedes, then Porsche and finally the Kia factory. When you watch “The Walking Dead” or countless other shows, watch the credits for the “made in Georgia” logo. Only Hollywood is ahead of us in movie and television production.

But the Democrats have put up a new singing group running for Congress: Jon Ossoff and the four nobodies.

The plan is to anoint Ossoff (just as the

party hacks anointed Hillary Clinton and undercut Bernie Sanders) and let the Republicans slug it out. Our district is being invaded by Democratic operatives going door to door and looking like Scientologists praising Ossoff. Millions of dollars are pouring in.

However, there is no there there with Ossoff. Young, yes. Handsome, yes. A bright future, possibly. But accomplishments, no. Lives in the district, no. Legislative experience, no.

I have yet to hear any ideas or policies from Ossoff. I know he served as a staffer with Rep. Hank Johnson, who thinks Jews are like termites, and has the endorsement of Rep. John Lewis, who boycotted the Trump and, oh, I forgot, Bush inaugurations.

Our district deserves better. We do not need an obstructionist, but rather someone with successful legislative experience. Our district has been served admirably by Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Johnny Isakson and Price. We need to keep up this high standard, ignore the noise and coalesce around Hill, who supported the Jewish 13 community when we needed it. ■ VOTER GUIDE - APRIL 14 ▪ 2017

Just when you thought it was safe to walk around the neighborhood and talk again to old friends who voted for the other person, the people of the 6th District are being dragged back into a contentious election to replace Dr. Tom Price, who served this district fantastically for over 12 years but is now the secretary of health and human services.

The primary date is Tuesday, April 18. New political signs are sprouting up like cherry blossoms.

This is an open election in which all candidates run against one another, and, if no one wins a majority, the top two face off in a runoff June 20.

The Republicans have 11 candidates in a field of 18, which shows the diversity and strength of leadership in this district. But this large number could split the vote and allow a Democrat to sneak into the top two.

The top four Republicans are former state Sens. Judson Hill and Dan Moody, businessman Bob Gray, and former Secretary of State Karen Handel.

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Call to Service Leads Wiskind Into Election

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com Bob Wiskind was observing a state Senate debate on the medical use of cannabis oil during this year’s General Assembly when he heard at least three senators incorrectly cite the testimony of the head of the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The AAP is concerned that allowing children with autism to be treated with cannabis oil turns them into lab rats because no studies have been done on the oil’s effectiveness, dosing or side effects, said Wiskind, a former Georgia AAP president who has practiced at Peachtree Park Pediatrics for 25 years.

But that’s not the story the senators told their colleagues.

“They got the facts so terribly wrong that I wanted to be able to just stand up and say, ‘No, that’s not the way it’s been explained to you by people who know it, and that’s not the way reality works,’ ” Wiskind said. (The legislature passed Senate Bill 16, which awaits Gov. Nathan Deal’s signature.)

The chance to be a voice of medical knowledge and in the process help people beyond his pediatric practice inspired Wiskind (www.wiskindforstatesenate.com) to enter the April 18 special election for the 32nd District seat in the state Senate.

The Temple member and Sandy Springs resident is running as a Democrat in a district represented for more than a decade by Republican Judson

Bob Wiskind is one of the few residents of the 32nd Senate District who is outside the 6th Congressional District.

Hill, who resigned to run for Congress.

He is married to gynecologist Anne Wiskind, and they have two children, Sam, 25, and Claire, 21.

Wiskind hopes to appeal to Republican voters who consider themselves fiscal conservatives but social liberals.

“We really do have a responsibility to our fellow citizens, especially to those who … are less fortunate or need a helping hand,” Wiskind said. He sees that as a core tenet of the Democratic Party and a vital teaching of Judaism.

Wiskind grew up in Akron, Ohio, and came to Atlanta 30 years ago for medical school at Emory. He said his political beliefs fit Reform Jewish tradition, such as: • Adequate health care, especially preventive care, is a responsibility of the community.

• Georgia should expand Medicaid as authorized under the Affordable Care Act. The $18 billion Georgia turned away by not expanding Medicaid the past several years would have had an economic impact of $60 billion, Wiskind said.

• State money should not go to private schools through vouchers or the popular student scholarship organiza-

tion tax credit, widely used by Jewish day schools. “It potentially legitimizes discrimination,” he said.

• Transportation solutions, from rail to buses to roads, require coordination.

• The HOPE scholarship must be fully funded.

• The minimum wage should be raised so that it is a living wage.

• The enactment of campus carry for firearms adds danger without any benefits.

• The state, already running on a lean budget (49th on Medicaid spending, for example), should not cut taxes.

“It is my responsibility as somebody who has done well financially to pay taxes to support those who need society’s help,” Wiskind said.

He has a sister who has lived in Israel for more than 30 years and is a strong supporter of the state, although he’s concerned about some government policies, including the support for settlements. He opposes efforts to boycott or delegitimize Israel, and “I’m all for increasing economic ties between Georgia and the state of Israel.”

Family is a key to Wiskind’s decision to try politics. He saw his parents going out to meetings several nights a week because of their involvement in Jewish and non-Jewish community organizations in Akron when he was growing up, and political office offers “the ability to continue to build on the model of service that I saw my parents do and that they passed on to me and my brothers and sisters.” ■

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8 Seek Senate Seat Pediatrician Bob Wiskind (www. wiskindforstatesenate.com) is one of eight candidates in the April 18 special election for the state Senate seat Republican Judson Hill resigned to run for Congress. The three Democrats and five Republicans are on one ballot; if no one gets a majority, the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, will be in a runoff June 20.

The other seven candidates: • Democrat Christine Triebsch, a family-law lawyer who attends St. James’ Episcopal Church, www. christine4ga.com. She wants Georgia to accept the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, supports Planned Parenthood and opposes private management of any public schools.

• Democrat Exton Howard, a TV director for the Weather Channel, extonhoward.com. He proposes a light-rail link from the northwest suburbs to MARTA, supports a higher minimum wage, backs the expansion of Medicaid under the ACA, wants funding for Planned Parenthood, rejects religious liberty measures proposed in recent years and opposes private management of public schools.

• Republican Gus Makris, a tax lawyer who attends Holy Spirit Catholic Church, makrisforsenate. com. He wants to protect the HOPE scholarship, reform the state’s school funding formula, enhance posthigh-school alternatives to four-year colleges, invest in roads and bridges, overhaul government spending to allow tax cuts, and help law enforcement fight human trafficking.

• Republican Hamilton Beck, a financial systems consultant, beckforga.com. He opposes abortion, supports gun ownership and school choice, wants to cut taxes and state spending, and seeks legislation “that will allow for Georgia’s families to thrive.”

• Republican Kay Kirkpatrick, a retired orthopedic surgeon who attends East Cobb United Methodist Church, kayforsenate.com. She wants to help dismantle the Affordable Care Act and to replace the state income tax with the Georgia Fair Tax, a sales tax.

• Republican Matt Campbell, a railroad conductor and union lobbyist who attends North Point Community Church, votemattcampbell. com. He supports transportation infrastructure spending, lower taxes, sufficient funding for all public schools and reduced red tape for small businesses.

• Republican Roy Daniels, a neuroradiologist and financial adviser who attends Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, danielsforsenate.com. He opposes the Affordable Care Act, seeks more business-friendly regulatory and tax policies, wants lower taxes, supports gun rights and opposes abortion.