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Bob Christian
Bob Christian (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Georgia's 7th Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Biography
Bob Christian served in the U.S. Army from 1993 to 2003.[1] Christian's career experience includes working in restaurant management.[2]
Elections
2024
See also: Georgia's 7th Congressional District election, 2024
Georgia's 7th Congressional District election, 2024 (May 21 Republican primary)
Georgia's 7th Congressional District election, 2024 (May 21 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Georgia District 7
Incumbent Rich McCormick defeated Bob Christian in the general election for U.S. House Georgia District 7 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Rich McCormick (R) | 64.9 | 275,907 |
 | Bob Christian (D) | 35.1 | 149,535 | |
| Total votes: 425,442 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Charles King (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 7
Bob Christian advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 7 on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bob Christian | 100.0 | 20,958 |
| Total votes: 20,958 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Chris Capparell (D)
- Brandon Miller (D)
- Shelly Abraham (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 7
Incumbent Rich McCormick advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 7 on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rich McCormick | 100.0 | 47,063 |
| Total votes: 47,063 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Christian in this election.
2022
See also: Georgia's 6th Congressional District election, 2022
General election
General election for U.S. House Georgia District 6
Rich McCormick defeated Bob Christian in the general election for U.S. House Georgia District 6 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rich McCormick (R) | 62.2 | 206,886 |
| Bob Christian (D) | 37.8 | 125,612 | |
| Total votes: 332,498 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Georgia District 6
Rich McCormick defeated Jake Evans in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Georgia District 6 on June 21, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rich McCormick | 66.5 | 27,455 |
 | Jake Evans | 33.5 | 13,808 | |
| Total votes: 41,263 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 6
Bob Christian defeated Wayne White in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 6 on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bob Christian | 55.5 | 18,776 |
 | Wayne White | 44.5 | 15,025 | |
| Total votes: 33,801 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Kimberly Reuter (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 6
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 6 on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rich McCormick | 43.1 | 48,967 |
| ✔ | | Jake Evans | 23.0 | 26,160 |
 | Mallory Staples | 9.0 | 10,178 | |
 | Meagan Hanson | 8.4 | 9,539 | |
 | Eugene Yu | 6.5 | 7,411 | |
 | Blake Harbin | 3.7 | 4,171 | |
 | Byron Gatewood | 3.0 | 3,358 | |
 | Suzi Voyles | 2.3 | 2,646 | |
 | Paulette Smith | 1.0 | 1,123 | |
| Total votes: 113,553 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Harold Earls (R)
- Eric Welsh (R)
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Bob Christian did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Christian’s campaign website stated the following:
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Immigration Without borders, there is no country. A strong border and a well-regulated immigration system is necessary for the security of a country. However, border security does not have to be inhumane. Immigrants leave behind everything they know – most especially fear – to get to the United States. People arrive with nothing but the dream of a better life for themselves and their families. The same dream that all of us have. The American Dream. I will never support separation of children from their families during the already traumatizing process of immigration. It is time for a thorough rebuild of the current immigration system as it has obviously begun to fail us. I recognize the need for a pathway to citizenship for immigrants already established in the United States and for those brought here as children. I believe that a secure border built through a massive investment in technology and manpower is the most effective a wall that can be built. Women's Rights Women continue to be treated as second-class citizens almost 100 years after being guaranteed the right to vote in the United States. These are our mothers, our sisters, and our daughters. The continuing threat to reproductive rights, the degradation of medical rights in individual states, and now, attacks on family planning and in vitro fertilization. To add insult to injury, women are still paid only 86% of the wages earned by men. I believe it is far past time to acknowledge women as equal citizens in our society. I will work diligently to ensure every woman has the right to make her own, private medical decisions. I know that the conversations between a woman and her doctor should remain between them alone, and that no person should be denied medical treatment considered necessary for their own well-being. Lastly, I will be a loud voice for equal pay for equal work regardless of gender. LGBTQIA Rights The unprecedented assault on the rights of LBGTQ+ Americans is unacceptable in a country that professes to be the land of the free. In the last five years, there has been a rise in parents being denied the right to take care of their children, children being denied the right to medical treatment, and people are being denied the right to simply exist in our public spaces. In 2023 alone, over 500 bills were introduced across the United States, including here in Georgia, that directly attack trans and gay citizens of our country. I will work to ensure that the rights of the LBGTQ+ community are protected in the same manner as the rights of all American citizens. Specifically, I promise to propose legislation to clarify the Obergefell ruling protecting same-sex marriage and legislation to strengthen current anti-discrimination laws at the national level. Climate Change We can see the evidence of the undeniable climate crisis with our own eyes. Massive fires burn endlessly across the mid-west while devastating storms, in the form of more and increasingly powerful hurricanes, leaving behind billions of dollars in damage. Years of research clearly show a rise in catastrophic weather events both here and around the world. The empirical evidence should not be up for debate. Legislators like Rich McCormick cherry-pick their sources to justify their attempts to calm Americans that this man-made problem is mental and not environmental. Our changing climate has become a national security risk. Continuing events in Ukraine have driven home the need for the United States to rapidly shift from our fossil fuel-based energy economy into reliable, renewable and clean energy sources. These efforts can exist at the same time for maximum benefit. While we research and improve renewable technology, we can continue to rely on the traditional resources modern America was built on. There is room at the table for everyone in this conversation. The United States must immediately take on the task of healing our broken Earth. Continuing to expand our renewable energy sources is a priority for me. I will work directly with the energy and oil companies to craft policy to allow for that transition. We can take control over our resources by subsidizing the creation of geothermal energy sources, modernizing the nation’s electrical grids so states with abundant clean energy can sell it freely, and increase the investment into EV charging grids along our federal highways while creating jobs. Israel & Palestine Because of the Hamas terrorist attacks of Oct 7, 2023, the 80-year conflict between Israel and Palestine has escalated into open warfare in the streets of Gaza. The historical animosity between Jews and Arabs extends 100s if not thousands of years beyond the modern timeline. It is a nuanced and complex situation that has vexed the United States, Israel, Palestine, and the Arab world for multiple administrations under the leadership of both American political parties. Israel has every right to defend itself against Hamas and I support the right of all nations to respond when faced with direct assault. But Israel must openly recognize that the Palestinian people are not Hamas and Israel must take every action necessary to mitigate the damages caused to civilian infrastructure. Furthermore, US aid to Israel should be made contingent on Israel’s willingness to allow for international aid and food supplies to be provided to the Palestinian people. If Israel truly wishes to respect the tenets of democracy and western civilization, then there must be a plan for a cease-fire, a two-state solution, an autonomous Palestine, and an acknowledgement that both the Israeli and Palestinian people have the right to exist as free and independent nations. Voter Rights Atlanta is the cradle of Civil Rights. It is difficult to see Georgia at the forefront of attacks on the fundamental right to vote. In the wake of the 2020 election and the spread of the “Big Lie”, our nation has seen an unprecedented series of attacks on the fundamental right to vote. Our vote is our voice — and it is under assault. According to the Brennan Center for Justice “legislators in at least 27 states have introduced, pre-filed, or carried over 250 bills with restrictive provisions.” Lawmakers tried to deny food and water to voters standing in long lines for hours. In the land of Southern hospitality, legislators have refused to allow people with young children to move to the front of voting lines, forcing families to stand in hours-long lines, unable to leave for fear of losing their place and, possibly, being late for work or critical appointments. I will support passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. At the same time, I know there is a need for more action. It is time to explore the Constitutionally granted power of the United States Congress to at “any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of choosing Senators.” It is time to stop being afraid of the American people. It is time to listen. Foreign Affairs The global assault on democracy is reaching a crescendo. Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, the Israel/Palestine conflict, and the rising threats to Taiwan are only the latest examples. Over the last four years there has been a definitive rise in tyranny, autocracy, and despotism around the globe in the wake of presidential foreign relations that would not be tolerated in any other time in American history; former president Trump embraced leaders and regimes in North Korea, China, and the Soviet Union. The penultimate attack on democracy took place on the steps of our very own Capitol. The United States must retake our position as the champion of the free world. It is time to use the power of our alliances in both Europe and Southeast Asia to present the world with a unified front in the face of naked aggression – not divide or disengage from them. It is time to redouble our investments in fledgling democracies, such as Ukraine, and it is time to permanently shift our economic polices away from despots and tyrants in a clear statement that we no longer support the evil that exists in this world. Gun Safety First and foremost, Democrats are not coming for the guns. What we are coming for is safe and responsible gun ownership. The right to bear arms cannot justify the fact that gun violence has become the number one cause of death for children between the ages of 1 – 19 in the United States. In 2021, there were 48,830 gun related deaths, the highest number ever recorded, and that number is going up. Gun ownership without accountability and responsibility has become a scourge on our society. Americans are living their lives in fear that they will be the next victim of a senseless crime. Students go to school wondering if this is the day they have to use the active shooter skills they learn. Young adults are suffering from PTSD remembering when they lost friends and classmates while praying for their own life. As a responsible gun owner and a former military man, I know the importance of both training and weapon safety. As a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate, I will push for legislation to strengthen common sense gun laws such as closing the gun show loophole, ending the Charleston loophole, and re-introducing the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban.[3] |
” |
| —Bob Christian’s campaign website (2024)[4] | ||
2022
Bob Christian completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Christian's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Upon leaving the service, Bob set out to raise a family and pursue his own version of the American dream. Much like we all do. His career in restaurant management proved rewarding in other ways besides money (there is a quiet satisfaction in feeding people), and he understands the difficult decisions facing families in the paycheck-to-paycheck economy. Bob knows that no matter how hard you work there are, sometimes, just not enough hours in the week.
Bob returned home as soon as his career allowed and has lived in north Georgia for the past seven years, settling into Dawson County five years ago. He is a family man, having raised two daughters. Emily, is happily chasing her dreams in Colorado where she has started her own family, while Ann will be graduating high school this spring. Bob has been married to his wife Frances for twenty years and everyday of his life has been better since he met her.- The recently passed infrastructure bill presents the Sixth District with a unique opportunity to expand every level of infrastructure, whether that be roads and bridges or by upgrading our digital networks. We need a representative to fight for the future of north Georgia, not rehash the battles of the past.
- Covid-19 exposed cracks in the healthcare system of the United States. Ranging from a lack of preparedness to a startling lack of access in both rural and urban communities. Now is the time to learn the lessons of the past two years and continue working towards the goal of equal access to quality healthcare for all Americans..
- Mental illness has become a silent pandemic in our nation. Suicide has spiked among veterans, middle-aged rural women, and young people aged 10-34. This plague must be brought into the open. I will fight tirelessly to ensure that mental health care becomes as common as dental care in the United States.
Through the overall experiences of my life: a life of service, a life of work, and a life of sacrifice I believe I am well positioned to take those first steps in restoring civility to our national house. We must find common ground, and we must find common sense solutions to the myriad of problems facing us. If we continue this race to the bottom then all of our fears will come true and the great experiment of American Democracy will be lost the the fires of history.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Christian's campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Community Rebuilding Trust in Law Enforcement Bob agrees with President Biden that it is time to fully fund the police and rebuild the trust between the ordinary citizen and the individual police officer. Bob has already begun those conversations by reaching out to the Sheriffs in the communities he hopes to represent in an effort come up with common ground from which we can build effective solutions. Any solution will start with and require the men and women who patrol our streets on a daily basis. The time to rebuild trust is now. The 2nd Amendment Bob has been around guns his whole life. He grew up in a military family and served his country for over a decade during his own military career. Bob is a gun owner and would never deny the individual right to self-defense. Bob firmly supports the 2nd Amendment. Bob does believe the words “well-regulated” allow for common sense solutions to the legitimate concerns of the general population. Solutions such as closing the gun-show loophole; curtailing common carry; and leveraging new technology to increase the effectiveness of the laws already on the books are all solutions that will keep the strength of the 2nd Amendment intact while keeping our communities safer. Education Our places of learning should never be places of silence. The history of the United States is imperfect. Intermixed with our greatest achievements are some of our country’s darkest days. It takes difficult, honest and often painful conversations to teach these lessons accurately, and it takes extremely dedicated, loving, and selfless individuals to walk this line in public education. We should be passing legislation that makes teacher’s jobs easier, not harder. Classrooms should be safe for all students, not just a select group, to allow teachers to facilitate proper discussions. Bob believes that libraries and media centers should reflect a multitude of voices on subjects to allow students to fully explore the world of knowledge. Bob is reaching out to teachers across the 6th District to bring together the best ideas and bring common sense back to our classrooms.
Modern Infrastructure The recently passed infrastructure bill has opened an amazing opportunity by redefining infrastructure as beyond just roads and bridges or streetlights and sewer systems. The Bill lays the groundwork for the rapidly approaching digital world of the 21st century. Bolstering the social safety net will support families struggling to make ends meet in the now well-established gig economy; he believes expanding the transportation network will support communities as they face unprecedented growth; and he believes investing in rural internet access will lead to higher levels of employment and more educational opportunities for the 6th district. Small Business Support A key component of the American Dream is the ability to open and run your own business. Small businesses accounted for 65.1% of net new job creation since 2000 according to the US Small Business Administration, yet it seems that the tax codes, the financial structures, and the tax and construction waivers all favor the big box stores and major developers. It is Bob’s position that the unprecedented level of support for small businesses created during the pandemic should be built upon and made permanent. Bob knows the impact on small business of our overlapping and often burdensome regulations and he will work to streamline those codes to make it easier to own and operate your own version of the American Dream. Building a Better America The rapid technological and societal changes we see every day has the power to be both an incredible tool and a massive burden. The Digital Era is changing how we communicate, how we do business, how we raise our families, and how we go to work. These changes can be both overwhelming and frightening. Building a Better America lays the groundwork for us to face those changes head-on by providing for clean energy and clean jobs for a clean future. Bob supports helping families by redefining work to include the digital employee and the independent contractor, and Bob recognizes the need for investment in securing our nation’s digital networks against our new, modern enemies.
Access to Mental Health Care COVID-19 is not the only plague affecting the country today. Undiagnosed mental illness is ravaging the nation. Suicide rates have spiked for veterans, middle-aged women, and it is now the second leading cause of death amongst people aged 10-34 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Reports, 2019). As a veteran himself, Bob feels the need to expand access to mental health services to all our communities. By introducing behavioral therapists in high schools and colleges to aid in early diagnosis, providing support for counseling services in local community centers, and expanding substance abuse treatment programs, Bob knows we can provide the critical support necessary to those suffering silently from an undiagnosed mental illness. Reforming the Affordable Care Act It has been over a decade since we passed the Affordable Care Act. According to the Center on Budget and Priorities, as of 2020, the data clearly shows an improvement in overall access to healthcare in states that accepted federal funding and expanded Medicaid. It is time to take a hard look at the successes and failures of the Affordable Care Act, and double down on the policies that have been working. It is time to reexamine the balance of power between healthcare providers and insurance companies, and it is time to understand the reasoning behind why some states chose not to participate so that we may continue to ensure that all Americans have access to basic healthcare. Rebuilding after COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic exposed cracks in America’s healthcare system on a national scale. An overall lack of preparation for major disasters. A critical lack of access to healthcare in both urban and rural communities. And a severe shortage of qualified personnel, leaving those who remain overwhelmed and exhausted. Bob recognizes now is the time to update the National Pandemic Strategy to reflect the lessons of the last two years. He will work to expand hospital systems into underserved communities, and Bob believes it is time to invest in the future of healthcare by providing educational incentives and financial relief to those who pursue careers in the medical profession.[3] |
” |
| —Bob Christian's campaign website (2022)[5] | ||
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 18, 2022
- ↑ Christian For Congress, "Home," accessed April 5, 2022
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Bob Christian’s campaign website, “Issues,” accessed April 24, 2024
- ↑ Christian For Congress, “Home,” accessed April 5, 2022
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