Demetrius Rucker

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Demetrius Rucker

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Ashford University, 2019

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1995 - 2021

Personal

Birthplace

Chicago, Ill.

Religion

Baptist

Profession

Retired

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Demetrius Rucker (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Georgia House of Representatives to represent District 117. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Rucker completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Demetrius Rucker was born in Chicago, Illinois. He served in the U.S. Army from 1995 to 2021. Rucker earned a bachelor's degree from Ashford University in 2019. As of 2022, he attended a graduate program at Trident University.

Elections

2022

See also: Georgia House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Georgia House of Representatives District 117

Lauren Daniel defeated Demetrius Rucker in the general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 117 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lauren Daniel (R)	50.7	13,335
		Demetrius Rucker (D)	49.3	12,949

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 26,284
= 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 Georgia House of Representatives District 117

Lauren Daniel defeated Noelle Kahaian in the Republican primary runoff for Georgia House of Representatives District 117 on June 21, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lauren Daniel	50.3	1,743
		Noelle Kahaian	49.7	1,721

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,464
= 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 Georgia House of Representatives District 117

Demetrius Rucker defeated Mya Speller Cullins in the Democratic primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 117 on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Demetrius Rucker	54.6	2,588
	Submit photo	Mya Speller Cullins	45.4	2,153

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,741
= 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 117

Lauren Daniel and Noelle Kahaian advanced to a runoff. They defeated Clayton Carte and Lester Clark in the Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 117 on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lauren Daniel	39.4	2,854
✔		Noelle Kahaian	29.3	2,121
	Submit photo	Clayton Carte	17.5	1,264
	Submit photo	Lester Clark	13.9	1,004

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,243
= 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.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Demetrius Rucker completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rucker's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Demetrius Rucker, and I am a Veteran, Father, and Servant Leader. After more than 20 years of military service, I choose to relocate to Georgia because of its robust environment to raise a family, and of course, the hospitality. The eldest of two, I was raised in a two-parent home. My mother, a school bus driver who taught me the value of hard work and chasing my dreams. My father, a pastor, small business owner who taught me about faith and family. I am running for House District 117 because a call to service made a difference in my life, and I will bring the same passion to serving those in my community. I hold a BA in Orgainzational Management. My Top 3 initiatives (include but not limited to), Veterans, Economic stability/development, and Health Care. I will always be approachable, available, and accountable to my community. I am NOT a politician, but a neighbor, father, veteran, and YOUR servant leader.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• This is the point where I ask you to clear you mind. Put aside the politically charged “R" or “D" behind the name, and let’s talk as neighbors. My only motivation for running for HD 117 is to represent this district and serve the people in it. I’m reminded of the passage on Jackie Robinson’s tombstone that reads, “A life is not important, except its impact on the lives of others,” that means something to me.
• I’ve been a service-oriented person, and have been, since the day I raised my right hand to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies both foreign and domestic. I come from humble beginnings, my mother a school bus driver, my dad a pastor and small business owner. I have no agendas, personal or political, and my allegiance only lies with the people I serve; my leadership and transparency are at your service.
• Lastly, my job is not to make statements and have you listen, my job is to listen to the people. I am NOT a politician, I am a veteran, I am your neighbor, and I am your next servant leader. Thank you.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Veterans - I support HB 298 (Veterans Bill of Rights). One of the biggest area Veterans need assistance in remains mental health. Veterans are a population of our community that have active and ongoing mental health care needs. As a veteran, I will bring a personal perspective to the house that only a veteran can bring.

Economic stability/development - I support HB 116 (Minimum Wage Increase). Georgia is 1 of 2 states that does not plan on raising the minimum wage. We need to level the playing field for small business, cut out some of the “red tape” for opening a small business, and give more access to government contracts, especially minority owned, women, veterans, and the disabled. Lastly, invest in STEM training in our school so we're able to bring more quality jobs to Georgia with opportunities for apprenticeships.

Health Care - It’s time to expand Medicaid no matter the socioeconomic status of our citizens; Georgia is one of 12 states that has not done so. Combine that with hospital closures, our family member, friends, and neighbors will be impacted the most. Expanding Medicaid is the greatest tool to closing the health coverage gap, and them access to health care. Your elected officials should always start with the end in mind, and that is “people,” and we need to operate as a team to accomplish that task.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my mother a lot. She taught me the essence of hard work and being self-sufficent. Present day, she still gets up every morning and drives a school bus.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Anyone elected to office has these four responsibilities: listen, learn, help, then lead.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

While in the Army, after completing basic training, my first duty station was Korea, and it remains the first historical event I remember. Originally from Chicago, the plane trip to Korea was the first time I had ever left the country, I was 18 years old at the time

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was working for Habitat for Humanity while I was in high school. I work for the company my last two years of high school, and then I joined the Army.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

A governor is the chief executive officer of an entire state, and state legislatures consider matters brought forth by the governor or introduced by its members to create legislation that becomes law. The gensis of this relationship is to keep the end in mind, and that is ALWAYS, the people. The ideal relationship is one where [both] parties come to medium, it doesn't have to be a perfect medium. However, it should encompass legislation that is advantageous to people.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

No

What process do you favor for redistricting?

I support HB 186 which outlines certain important procedures to the redistricting process which calls for two hearing – both open to the public – one in the highest populist district and one in the second highest populist district, with at least two members of the General Assembly in attendance. Additionally, I would host educational town halls with citizens, county and city officials and reapportionment representatives to display potential map changes and get feedback from all stakeholders.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

I do. Professional disagreement are expected. However, it’s how we rise above our differences to compromise and make decisions on behalf of the people within our communities that make us leaders. Leaders who engage in partisan divides, won’t accomplish the issues impacting the people in their communities. My job is to protect your rights and limit the issues effecting your prosperity. You and your families can achieve MORE when your elected officials compromise and rise above their differences to fix the issues facing the community. As a senior leader in the Army, the military taught me the positive affects of problem solving, teamwork, and conflict management.

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.

Note: Rucker submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on October 17, 2022.

Show past responsesHide past responses

May 4 submission

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Demetrius Rucker, and I am a Veteran, Father, and Servant Leader. After more than 20 years of military service, I choose to relocate to Georgia because of its rich history, economic potential, robust environment to raise a family, and of course, the hospitality of its people. The eldest of two, I was raised in a two-parent home. My mother, a school bus driver who taught me the value of hard work and chasing my dreams. My father, a pastor, small business owner, and retired transit authority worker taught me about faith, family, and fighting for what is right. I am running for House District 117 because a call to service made a difference in my life – and I know I can make a difference in my community. As a veteran, I took pride in being a servant leader to soldiers foreign and domestic, and I will bring the same passion to serving those in my community. I bring over 20 years of veteran awareness, professional leadership, emotional intelligence, conflict and organizational management. My Top 3 initiatives are Veterans, Economic stability, and Health Care. I will always be approachable, available, and accountable to my community. I am NOT a politician, but a neighbor, father, veteran, and YOUR servant leader.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• My heart aches for my fellow brothers and sisters in arms who remain homeless. We need to provide resources to reduce risk factors like substance abuse disorders and mental health issues, improve VA benefits and facilities, and provide homeless veterans with skill and job training.
• I’ll fight for equal pay, higher wages, and closing the gender pay gap. We need to level the playing field allowing small business owners to have access to more government contracts. Lastly, we need to bring more quality jobs to GA, as we steadily move towards technology, so should our jobs.
• I support the expansion of Medicaid and Peach Care, but I also support affordable healthcare rates for all. Typically, those without access to primary care wait until their illness has progressed to a later stage to seek care in an emergency room. This expansion would help address the racial, ethnic, age, and income-based healthcare disparities that are present in Georgia's current healthcare systems.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Veterans:

With a total of 25 years in the military, I possess a personal and in depth knowledge of the difficulties and problems veterans face all over our community.

Support for homeless veterans with skill and job training

Mental health support and awareness

Work with federal leaders to improve VA benefits and facilities

Health Care:
I understand how much of a toll surprise medical bills, expensive drug costs, and inaccessible health insurance can have on families

Expand Medicaid to help close the health insurance gap

Work to help lower the cost of insulin and prescription drugs

Expand access to affordable quality healthcare coverage

Economy and Jobs:
Coming from a working class background and a small business family, I know the value of hard work, the importance of livable wages, and the positive effect entrepreneurship can have on a community

Support local small business owners

Fight for equal pay by closing the gender pay gap

Bring good paying union jobs to the community

Fight for higher wages

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

As a teenager, my first job was working with Habitat for Humanity while in high school. However, my longest tendured job was the United States Army; retiring after over 20 years.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Collin Peterson was the Democratic representative for Minnesota's 7th Congressional District, he was also one of the most bipartisan members of the 115th Congress. Mr. Peterson was not perfect, but his actions made for better discussions and compromise. He was quoted as saying, "I just do what I think is right for my district and the people and I don't get too hung up on the partisanship." I want to model my bipartisanship after Mr. Peterson to generate solutions, and execute what's best for the people in my district.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

In the Army, I was taught that professional disagreements will occur. However, it's how we overcome those disagreements and do what is right for those who place their confidience in our ability to lead that shows our true character. I believe that compromise is not only necessary [but] required for policymaking; people are counting on us to do so.

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.

Note: Rucker submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on May 4, 2022.

See also

2022 Elections

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Government

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Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

Georgia House of Representatives District 117

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Georgia House of Representatives

Leadership

Minority Leader:Carolyn Hugley

Representatives

District 1

Mike Cameron (R)

District 2

Steve Tarvin (R)

District 3

Mitchell Horner (R)

District 4

Kasey Carpenter (R)

District 5

Matt Barton (R)

District 6

Jason Ridley (R)

District 7

Johnny Chastain (R)

District 8

Stan Gunter (R)

District 9

Will Wade (R)

District 10

Victor Anderson (R)

District 11

Rick Jasperse (R)

District 12

Eddie Lumsden (R)

District 13

Katie Dempsey (R)

District 14

Mitchell Scoggins (R)

District 15

Matthew Gambill (R)

District 16

Trey Kelley (R)

District 17

Martin Momtahan (R)

District 18

Tyler Smith (R)

District 19

Joseph Gullett (R)

District 20

Charlice Byrd (R)

District 21

Brad Thomas (R)

District 22

Jordan Ridley (R)

District 23

Mandi Ballinger (R)

District 24

Carter Barrett (R)

District 25

Todd Jones (R)

District 26

Lauren McDonald (R)

District 27

Lee Hawkins (R)

District 28

Brent Cox (R)

District 29

Matt Dubnik (R)

District 30

Derrick McCollum (R)

District 31

Emory Dunahoo (R)

District 32

Chris Erwin (R)

District 33

Alan Powell (R)

District 34

Devan Seabaugh (R)

District 35

Lisa Campbell (D)

District 36

Ginny Ehrhart (R)

District 37

Mary Frances Williams (D)

District 38

David Wilkerson (D)

District 39

Terry Cummings (D)

District 40

Kimberly New (R)

District 41

Michael Smith (D)

District 42

Gabriel Sanchez (D)

District 43

Solomon Adesanya (D)

District 44

Don Parsons (R)

District 45

Sharon Cooper (R)

District 46

John Carson (R)

District 47

Jan Jones (R)

District 48

Scott Hilton (R)

District 49

Charles Martin (R)

District 50

Michelle Au (D)

District 51

Esther Panitch (D)

District 52

Shea Roberts (D)

District 53

Deborah Silcox (R)

District 54

Betsy Holland (D)

District 55

Inga Willis (D)

District 56

Bryce Berry (D)

District 57

Stacey Evans (D)

District 58

Park Cannon (D)

District 59

Phil Olaleye (D)

District 60

Sheila Jones (D)

District 61

Mekyah McQueen (D)

District 62

Tanya Miller (D)

District 63

Kim Schofield (D)

District 64

Sylvia Wayfer (D)

District 65

Robert Dawson (D)

District 66

Kimberly Alexander (D)

District 67

Lydia Glaize (D)

District 68

Derrick Jackson (D)

District 69

Debra Bazemore (D)

District 70

Lynn Smith (R)

District 71

Justin Howard (R)

District 72

David Huddleston (R)

District 73

Josh Bonner (R)

District 74

Robert Flournoy (D)

District 75

Eric Bell (D)

District 76

Sandra Scott (D)

District 77

Rhonda Burnough (D)

District 78

Demetrius Douglas (D)

District 79

Yasmin Neal (D)

District 80

Long Tran (D)

District 81

Noelle Kahaian (R)

District 82

Karen Mathiak (R)

District 83

Karen Lupton (D)

District 84

Mary Oliver (D)

District 85

Karla Drenner (D)

District 86

Imani Barnes (D)

District 87

Viola Davis (D)

District 88

Billy Mitchell (D)

District 89

Omari Crawford (D)

District 90

Saira Draper (D)

District 91

Angela Moore (D)

District 92

Rhonda Taylor (D)

District 93

Doreen Carter (D)

District 94

Karen Bennett (D)

District 95

Dar'shun Kendrick (D)

District 96

Arlene Beckles (D)

District 97

Ruwa Romman (D)

District 98

Marvin Lim (D)

District 99

Matt Reeves (R)

District 100

David Clark (R)

District 101

Scott Holcomb (D)

District 102

Gabe Okoye (D)

District 103

Soo Hong (R)

District 104

Chuck Efstration (R)

District 105

Sandy Donatucci (R)

District 106

Vacant

District 107

Samuel Park (D)

District 108

Jasmine Clark (D)

District 109

Dewey McClain (D)

District 110

Segun Adeyina (D)

District 111

Rey Martinez (R)

District 112

Bruce Williamson (R)

District 113

Sharon Henderson (D)

District 114

Tim Fleming (R)

District 115

Regina Lewis-Ward (D)

District 116

El-Mahdi Holly (D)

District 117

Mary Santos (D)

District 118

Clint Crowe (R)

District 119

Holt Persinger (R)

District 120

Houston Gaines (R)

District 121

Marcus Wiedower (R)

District 122

Spencer Frye (D)

District 123

Rob Leverett (R)

District 124

Trey Rhodes (R)

District 125

Gary Richardson (R)

District 126

L.C. Myles (D)

District 127

Mark Newton (R)

District 128

Mack Jackson (D)

District 129

Karlton Howard (D)

District 130

Lynn Gladney (D)

District 131

Rob Clifton (R)

District 132

Brian Prince (D)

District 133

Danny Mathis (R)

District 134

Robert Dickey (R)

District 135

Beth Camp (R)

District 136

David Jenkins (R)

District 137

Debbie Buckner (D)

District 138

Vance Smith (R)

District 139

Carmen Rice (R)

District 140

Teddy Reese (D)

District 141

Carolyn Hugley (D)

District 142

Miriam Paris (D)

District 143

Anissa Jones (D)

District 144

Dale Washburn (R)

District 145

Herring (D)

District 146

Shaw Blackmon (R)

District 147

Bethany Ballard (R)

District 148

Noel Williams (R)

District 149

Floyd Griffin (D)

District 150

Patty Stinson (D)

District 151

Mike Cheokas (R)

District 152

Bill Yearta (R)

District 153

David Sampson (D)

District 154

Gerald Greene (R)

District 155

Matt Hatchett (R)

District 156

Leesa Hagan (R)

District 157

Bill Werkheiser (R)

District 158

Larry Parrish (R)

District 159

Jon Burns (R)

District 160

Lehman Franklin (R)

District 161

Bill Hitchens (R)

District 162

Carl Gilliard (D)

District 163

Anne Westbrook (D)

District 164

Ron Stephens (R)

District 165

Edna Jackson (D)

District 166

Jesse Petrea (R)

District 167

Buddy DeLoach (R)

District 168

Al Williams (D)

District 169

Angie O'Steen (R)

District 170

Jaclyn Ford (R)

District 171

Joe Campbell (R)

District 172

Charles Cannon (R)

District 173

Darlene Taylor (R)

District 174

John Corbett (R)

District 175

John LaHood (R)

District 176

James Burchett (R)

District 177

Dexter Sharper (D)

District 178

Steven Meeks (R)

District 179

Rick Townsend (R)

District 180

Steven Sainz (R)

Republican Party (100)

Democratic Party (79)

Vacancies (1)