I imagine an America like Georgia’s 4th District, where the sound of the Redan Blue Thunder Marching Band echoes off Stone Mountain and reaches into Clarkston, where new Americans build their lives and claim their share of the American Dream. Where the Confederate generals carved into Stone Mountain no longer look down on the bigoted, oppressive society they fought to preserve, but on a district defined by love, community, and cooperation.

I imagine an America like Georgia’s 4th District, where in Peachtree Corners business, technology, education, and government come together to build partnerships for the future. Where people know that not all businesses are bad, but corporations like Biolab, freed from common-sense EPA oversight and coating our neighborhoods with noxious fumes, must be held accountable.

That is why our representative must fight not just in the House of Representatives but across every level of power. Because Congress shares authority with the president, and the president nominates Supreme Court justices. We can keep electing Democrats, but if the Court rules that women no longer have autonomy over their own bodies, the women of the 4th District will suffer.

It is not enough to bring home money for community projects. Yes, nearly a million dollars for the Almond Branch Wastewater Treatment Project in Rockdale County matters. But what happens if a president freezes all pending federal grants, including those from the EPA? Donald Trump has tried before. What if he decides that $800,000 for a women’s shelter is “too woke” and cancels it? That is what is at stake.

Coco and I moved into Georgia’s 4th District when we purchased our home about five years ago. In 2020, the GOP-led General Assembly tried to gerrymander the state, attempting to erase a Democratic district to give Republicans more power in Washington. A federal court struck it down as blatantly discriminatory. But on December 28, 2023, new maps were accepted that moved Coco and me into Georgia’s 5th District by a single street. After much discussion, we decided the Republican Assembly would not choose where we stand, and I chose to challenge Hank Johnson.

I understand why some people believe representatives should live in the district they serve. But Congressman Johnson’s ineffective leadership, combined with a Democratic Party that has allowed Donald Trump to rise and nearly eliminate our democracy twice on its watch, convinced me this was the challenge I had to take on. 

The person representing the 4th District can be a powerful force nationwide. This district is home to nearly 10,000 small businesses. It is diverse, it is cooperative, and it deserves a dynamic voice that tells the truth everywhere and leads effectively in the House of Representatives. That means working with people of different beliefs to improve lives. When that is not possible, because Trumpists would rather America suffer than allow a Democrat to succeed, we will take our message directly to the people. We will keep speaking the truth until citizens demand that their representatives pass laws that uphold America’s promise: the God-given rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.