I met Pam last year during one of many trips to Macon, Georgia.
Pam has two daughters on their way to college, one of whom was expecting. Like so many family members across Georgia, Pam planned to raise her grandchild while her daughter received an education. 1/ #gapol
As I talked with Pam, I watched her eyes sparkle as she spoke of all she wanted for her daughters and about their aspirations: One, to become an educator; the other, to work in law enforcement.
I couldn't help but wonder what Pam wanted for her own life. 2/ #gapol
When I asked, she looked at me like I was crazy. "I just told you everything that I want."
I clarified: "But Pam, what do you want for yourself?"
She paused. After a few seconds, she replied: "I don't know. No one has ever asked me that question before." 3/ #gapol
Then, Pam told me about her dream to start a daycare facility to help women like her daughter and to help other children get a head start.
I am running for #GAGov for Georgians like Pam in places like South Macon – where politicians rarely go and prosperity hasn't been. 4/ #gapol
I am running for governor to build a state where Georgians like Pam both know what their goals are and have the freedom and opportunity to pursue them. Because all too often, our circumstances fence us in. We allow the reality of what is dictate what could be. 5/ #gapol
We must imagine more for Georgia. Yes, it's important to have large companies build new headquarters here. But it's also critical to invest in Pam, Inc.
I see the promise & potential of GA in folks like Pam – a potential waiting to be unlocked. All we have to do is ask. 6/ #gapol
Until I am in office and able to make our shared vision a reality, I will keep asking, traveling the state and talking to folks, treating ALL Georgians like we are worth the investment. Because I know that we are. 7/ #gapol
In November, I ask for your vote. But today, I ask for your help.
When we stand united and stay focused – knocking on doors, reaching out to our friends & neighbors, never letting up or giving in – we win. Thank you for standing with me (and with Pam) in the months to come. 8/
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On the campaign trail, I often brag about my five siblings—because they're all extraordinary people.
My younger brother Walter is brilliant, dynamic, and one of the kindest people I’ve ever known. He also struggles with a drug addiction and has been in and out of prison. #gapol
Around 5 yrs ago, we found out that Walter has bipolar disorder. He was first diagnosed in prison, but he likely first presented in high school. He went undiagnosed and untreated because my family lacked health care, the means to address his illness, & the language to discuss it.
Unable to access the help he needed, Walter self-medicated. Over the years, he made bad choices to support his drug habit, and he ended up in prison.
Walter’s ambition fell in the face of his addiction. And when he was released from prison, Walter stumbled & eventually returned.
Make no mistake: You did this. Activists in South GA organized, collected signatures, & petitioned elected leaders. Folks elevated this story to the national level, ready to drive people they've never met to polling locations in a place they didn’t know before last week. #gapol
We celebrate this victory, but our work continues.
Many Randolph County residents will still have trouble voting on Election Day. Many more still don't have a reason to get out and try—and Randolph is but one of many GA counties considering plans making it harder to vote. #gapol
Decisions to close polling places are not a matter of cost, but a question of priorities. Your right to vote is priceless, and we have to keep fighting to protect it. Because any effort to suppress the vote or depress voter turnout should be met with outrage & action, not apathy.
Your right to vote is yours. It is a right our ancestors fought and bled for, and we have no choice but to continue that fight.
It is time to pick a side, to pick up the baton, to fight like our future depends on it—because it does.
We can win, but only if we all step up right now.
To reach every voter, knock on every door, give rides to the polls. To fight until everyone knows the power of their vote, has a reason to use it, and sees what is at stake if they do not.
Not-so-fun-fact: Every year Georgia doesn’t expand Medicaid, we miss out on $3 billion (billion, with a “B”) federal dollars meant to pay for Georgians' health coverage. That’s $8 million left on the table every day. Here's why that matters. 1/ gbpi.org/2018/georgia-r…#gapol
240k Georgians earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but too little to receive subsidies available under the #ACA. They fall in a “coverage gap.”
Medicaid expansion would close that gap, providing health coverage to 473k more Georgians in '19. 2/ #gapolgbpi.org/2018/fast-fact…
But back to the $3 billion/year. The $8 million Georgia leaves on the table every single day could be used to keep our rural hospitals open, expand access to mental health care, and reduce our alarmingly high maternal and infant mortality rates. 3/ #gapolpolitics.myajc.com/news/state--re…
In recent months, there has been a conversation about whether the Democratic Party is searching for its soul. We have a soul, and we’ve known where our soul is for a very long time. 2/ #gapol
Our soul lies with the workers who toil and wonder if they’ll ever make enough money to support their families. Our soul rests with the immigrants who hide in the shadows, lest they be stripped from their families. 3/ #gapol