Georgia House District 100 voters will find Republican incumbent David Clark and Democratic candidate Louisa Shell Jackson on the midterm election ballot.
District 100 was designated as the area west of Lawrenceville in previous years. 2020 redistricting now defines it as the area northwest of Sugar Hill. The seat sits among 180 district positions in the state.
Democratic candidate Louisa Shell Jackson is running against Republican incumbent David Clark. Jackson said having the opportunity to run gives her greater purpose within the community.
“I'm grateful for everything that has been presented to my family, and I wanted to give back,” Jackson said. “And then I have seen a lot of the issues that have been going on. And I feel very much in alignment with my purpose to be able to serve the community in that capacity.”
Clark said putting others first and serving motivates him in this election.
“I love my family, love my community,” Clark said. “Love, you know, being positive, helping people out and being authentic. And I think a big thing on my campaign is in the way I've lived my life.”
Jackson believes that reproductive decisions should be left to parents, stating that previous Supreme Court rulings had overstepped their boundaries.
“It is a woman's right, as well as man's right, to have those discussions and make decisions as far as their families are concerned,” Jackson said. “And I don't think the government should be deciding as to, you know, for a woman to carry a child.”
Jackson also supports the expansion of Medicaid, citing hospital closures and weak insurance coverage options as major reasons.
“We've had closures of hospitals because there's no funding, our governor has held funds … so what happens is, for instance, these people are not able to seek care because there's no funding, you know, they have no insurance coverage,” Jackson said.
Clark said coming from a large family of six brothers and three sisters influenced his outlook on reproductive rights.
“I’m definitely pro-life,” Clark said. “I believe every human is precious, in the womb, outside the womb, you know—I do believe, though, that talking about pro-life, pro-choice … we do it in a caring way.”
Clark condemns government-run healthcare, leaning more toward personal choice and free market options. He believes that families should have the power to choose what plans work best for them, limiting government involvement as much as possible.
Both candidates believe in second amendment rights, but Jackson sees gun control policies as falling short of their original intention.
“I understand that the Second Amendment was meant to protect, that individuals have a right to carry guns to protect,” Jackson said. “But that's really—in reality, that's not what's happening. And I don't think they have had policies in place that really made sense to protect people.”
Jackson stated that new policies must be made that will protect the safety of civilians by applying more stringent control on guns and ban the availability of assault rifles. Clark defined his position as pro-gun, citing his time in the military as a motivator for his belief in the right to bear arms.
“We're seeing this big jump in shootings in some places, but I think, again, it's not the guns—violence will happen,” Clark said. “But it's about getting back to strengthening the families. And I think that will do a lot to help with any violence that's going on, is strengthen families, strengthen communities.”
Education was a topic both candidates showed a passion for. Jackson said that growing up in the Philippines, education was always a cornerstone in her family. She believes that supporting schools is essential and placed an emphasis on adding new technologies to the public school system.
“It's critical for us to support the teachers that provide the environment for our children to learn,” Jackson said. “And so, therefore, I feel that we should fully fund the schools making sure that we support the programs and curriculums that they are developing to further enhance our children's education, to make sure they have the resources for mental health assistance, special needs assistance.”
Clark believes that providing parents with school choice and supporting teachers is vital to creating a positive learning environment.
“I believe in school choice. I'm big on that,” Clark said. “I would like to see us expand that in Georgia, you know, parents being able to say what's best for their kid, right—letting that tax dollar follow the kid. … Education decides where a nation goes, too. You have to have your nation educated.”
Jackson said that having a father as a veteran has influenced her view on how members of the military should be treated.
“I find that we can do so much more for vets and their families,” Jackson said. “I think they need more funding for them to be able to make sure that they have the latest technology, that they have the latest support system for mental health for our veterans, because sometimes, you know, they go through—especially with when they transition back into society—I think we need to provide more resources for them to be able to find jobs, for instance, that's suitable to their background.”
Being a veteran himself, Clark said he has always been a supporter of veteran causes and wants to see them taken care of. He believes there is a lot more the nation can do to care for members of the military.
“[I’m] big pro-veteran, anything we can do to kind of help them out, take some pressure off them, because they give a lot, do a lot and serve and it's not always the best pay. … But I'm definitely a big voice out there with veteran causes, helping out veterans, helping connect them with the VA or other organizations. But I definitely think we need to do a lot more in that, but more on the federal level with the VA.”
You can find out more about the Georgia State House District 100 candidates and their positions by visiting their campaign websites.
Election day is Tuesday, November 8.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2022/11/1142956/inside-georgias-state-house-district-100-race