Georgia House of Representatives District 46 candidate surveys, 2022
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This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for Georgia House of Representatives District 46 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidates and election results
General election
General election for Georgia House of Representatives District 46
Incumbent John Carson defeated Micheal Garza in the general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 46 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | John Carson (R) | 59.8 | 17,920 |
 | Micheal Garza (D)  | 40.2 | 12,057 | |
| Total votes: 29,977 | |||
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Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
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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.
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Micheal Garza (D)
We have to view the health of our entrepreneurs and small business community as vital to powering our state economy, sustaining investment in our schools and communities, and revitalizing areas long ignored.
Rather than demonize teachers and our public schools, we should be committed to providing educators with the tools and resources they need to provide a world-class education to our children. This means more school counselors, smaller class sizes, and increasing teacher retention rates especially in vulnerable districts.
Since S.B. 202, our state has been the flashpoint of a nationwide struggle for voting rights. At the core of this struggle is a viewpoint espoused by the Georgia House majority that our elections are less secure when more people vote. I support measures to make it easier to vote and harder for politicians to cheat by taking steps to remove partisan state-level officials from the processes that govern elections. This includes repealing S.B. 202 and putting a Constitutional amendment on the ballot to create an independent commission for redistricting.
Rather than demonize teachers and our public schools, we should be committed to providing educators with the tools and resources they need to provide a world-class education to our children. This means more school counselors, smaller class sizes, and increasing teacher retention rates especially in vulnerable districts.
Since S.B. 202, our state has been the flashpoint of a nationwide struggle for voting rights. At the core of this struggle is a viewpoint espoused by the Georgia House majority that our elections are less secure when more people vote. I support measures to make it easier to vote and harder for politicians to cheat by taking steps to remove partisan state-level officials from the processes that govern elections. This includes repealing S.B. 202 and putting a Constitutional amendment on the ballot to create an independent commission for redistricting.
Micheal Garza (D)
Public Education: Studies have shown that 4th grade literacy and household family income are two of the biggest indicators in the success of students later in life. Unfortunately, Georgia has large disparities in literacy scores particularly in high poverty districts. Students in those districts usually have larger class sizes, higher teacher turnover, and teachers with less experience than those in other districts. With targeted investments in these districts and committing to fully funding our schools state-wide, we can eliminate these disparities and provide opportunity and better outcomes for all children regardless of zip code.
Gun Safety: Every time I see a school shooting, I am reminded of every morning when I drop off my five-year-old at school watching her disappear inside the doors knowing that there's a possibility that her school could be the next hit with gun violence. I don't want to take away the guns of law-abiding gun owners. I do think we can do more as a state to promote safe gun storage to keep unsecured firearms out of the hands of children or thieves. I do think we can do more to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and those who have shown to friends, family, or law enforcement that they're a danger to themselves or others.
Micheal Garza (D)
In my personal life, it has to be my parents. My father is no longer with us, but he was an amazing example growing up of the power of service to others. He was a volunteer soccer coach for many years, mostly coaching girls soccer in Texas. He's recognized in the area as being a pioneer of the sport - almost every high school in the area eventually won state titles in women's soccer. I remember a time when he was asked to coach a soccer team in a nearby city that had no coach and more than a dozen kids would be told they could not play for another season. My dad stepped up. Even though it was 15 miles each way, he became the coach for a team of kids that he had never met – driving there and back twice a week for practices over the span of three months. He only had one request for doing this – that I get to be on that team so he could spend more time with his oldest son.
My mother made countless mums, crafts, and other homemade items for friends and family throughout the year. I remember being accepted to a talented and gifted program at Duke University in seventh grade. I thought I wouldn’t be able to go because the tuition and airfare would be a few thousand dollars. That didn’t faze her. My mom and aunts got to work making hundreds of homemade tacos and burritos they sold to people in the community and raised the money in no time. To this day, my mom will make a meal for someone who is going through a bad ordeal or just because she wants to show she cares.
Micheal Garza (D)
The first time I remember having an interest in politics was in listening to my father's old collection of records in the 80s. One of them contained speeches of President John F. Kennedy. I remember being taken by the way he confronted issues head on and challenged Americans to join him in doing better, particularly on issues of civil rights.
When I discuss issues of injustice and disparity, I am certainly inspired by the Letter from Birmingham Jail written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It's an exceptional essay on freedom, oppression, and civil obedience.
And my favorite book of all-time and which still sits on the shelf behind my desk is To Kill a Mockingbird. I think the common theme in all three is to stand up for what you believe in and stand up for what is right even in the face of certain public opposition from those who want to keep the status quo.
Micheal Garza (D)
Honesty, integrity, empathy, responsiveness, and a willingness to accept criticism, especially from yourself.
Micheal Garza (D)
As someone who grew up in a strong working class family with limited means, I know the value of hard work and leaning on a community that sometimes has to lean back on you. I believe this upbringing mirrors that of most working class families so I can speak personally to issues that matter to families across this state. I'm a good listener and can empathize with others. I stand up for what is right, something I have done throughout my life and certainly in the last several months in speaking before state house and senate committees and our local school board. And I come to wanting to run for this office from the right place - out of a place of love for my fellow Georgians and a desire to make the lives of others better.
Micheal Garza (D)
Being available to constituents whether by phone, email or by frequent town halls especially to those with different viewpoints.
Showing up during the legislative session with a focus on helping make the lives of those in our state better. Constantly seeking out knowledge from policy experts and those touched by the bills we debate, i.e. talking with educators, administrators, students, and school counselors when discussing policies that have an affect on public education.
Going back to constituents explaining why we voted the way we voted on bills during the legislative session.
Micheal Garza (D)
When I think of legacy, I think of how I would want my daughter to remember me and that reminds me of how I remember my father. I want her to think of me as someone who left this world just a little better place than how I found it. I want to be an example to her of how we can make our community around us better by showing love, compassion, and empathy to others. I want her to see how we can positively affect the lives of others through kindness and acts of service.
Micheal Garza (D)
When I was 10 years old, I remember being in school watching the launch of the space shutter challenger when it exploded shortly after launch. It was a shocking moment for us all, especially for me as I had wanted to be an astronaut early on. In fact, I had written an essay to NASA about how to become one and they sent me a map of the moon as well as other images from previous missions.
Micheal Garza (D)
My first job was in IT support for an elevator company where my father also worked. It started as doing various data entry and computer support tasks for the headquarters. I quickly learned how to use Microsoft Access from a textbook and was able to maintain a large shipping database used to send elevator parts to various branches throughout the United States. I had that job for just under 2 years.
Micheal Garza (D)
To Kill a Mockingbird. I first read it at a time when I was learning about the civil rights era. I particularly enjoy this quote: "Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what."
I'm also a huge fan of Stephen King, Isaac Asimov, and the poetry and short stories of Edgar Allan Poe.
Micheal Garza (D)
What kid from the 80s didn't want to be Ferris Bueller?
Micheal Garza (D)
Any song from the movie Encanto. My daughter loves the movie and is constantly playing songs from it on our Alexa devices.
Micheal Garza (D)
I've usually been more reserved and an introvert throughout my life. I've never been one to make public speeches, although in work settings I do take charge especially when having to lead project teams in meetings. It's certainly been a challenge to speak in front of groups of dozens of people, including sitting legislators at the State Capitol. But I'm learning to grow into that role and be more comfortable in it.
Micheal Garza (D)
I believe that it is one that commands a bit of respect both ways, with an understanding that the governor and each legislator are elected officials sent to Atlanta by voters throughout the state - that any attempt to silence or marginalize either branch is in effect silencing the will of voters. There will certainly be a time when the governor and the majority in the legislature are from different parties, which makes it more important that this level of respect exists. There should be open dialogue especially around portions of the governor's agenda where potential agreement exists.
Micheal Garza (D)
It starts with sustainable growth of our economy in a way that grows our tax base to fund vital things like public education, healthcare, support services for citizens, etc. We've been too heavily reliant on bringing in out-of-state corporations and industries through billions of dollars in tax breaks yearly. Yet, we're next to last in the country when it comes to success of our small businesses.
We're also one of the few states left in the country who has not opted in to Medicaid expansion. We are ranked near the bottom when it comes to the uninsured rate of citizens with almost 1.5 million Georgians uninsured. By 2026, 25% of rural Georgians won't have healthcare. Those Georgians are also losing healthcare facilities in their areas through the closing of hospital systems across the state. And we could be facing a nursing shortage with many planning to leave the profession after 2 years of mismanagement of the pandemic.
Micheal Garza (D)
Certainly experience in government is a benefit, but it's not the only one. I think there's a tremendous benefit to being new to government and bringing fresh perspectives to the legislature. There are no axes to grind. No personal scores to settle.
Micheal Garza (D)
Absolutely, on both sides of the aisle. Building those relationships leads to a building of trust and understanding. It's much easier to respect another person's point of view even if it differs from mine if I understand how that person has come to have that point of view. In my previous work in project management, relationship building was crucial when getting teams of a dozen people together to agree to timelines and deliverables to launch a product.
Micheal Garza (D)
I personally favor taking elected officials completely out of the process of drawing maps for the districts they represent. We should put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that calls for an independent commission made up of an equal number of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents tasked with coming to consensus around a set of maps for Congressional, state house, and state senate districts. We should also require all local maps be submitted only with a majority vote of that locality's local legislators. In 2022, the state legislature overrode its own local delegation rules for the first time in the state's history by having a minority of legislators in Cobb County draw maps despite a set of maps existing that had the support of a majority of Cobb legislators.
Micheal Garza (D)
Education Committee - I'd love to be able to help steer the direction of public education in this state.
Science and Technology Committee - My extensive background in telecommunications and technology makes this a perfect fit.
Small Business Development Committee - My experience as a small business owner and someone who facilitates the building of other small businesses could be an asset to this committee.
Micheal Garza (D)
N/A
Micheal Garza (D)
I'm not sure there is anyone in particular who I would want to model myself after. There are certainly legislators who I admire. There's of course John Lewis who was a fierce defender of the rights of us all, especially voting rights. And more recently there's Senator Jon Ossoff. I might identify with him more because I've seen his transformation from a soft spoken, reserved candidate in the Georgia 6th race in 2017 to the more polished statesman that he is now as a Senator. As a first-time candidate with no political experience, I hope that I can perhaps experience that same progression.
Micheal Garza (D)
I have absolutely no aspirations to run for a higher office than the state legislature. My family is the most important thing in the world to me as are the people I meet daily in the community and in my volunteer work. I have no interest in anything that would take me too far away from those things. Plus I think that the work in local and state politics has more of a direct impact on people's lives.
Micheal Garza (D)
I was doing door-to-door canvassing for a state candidate last year in a nearby district. In one interaction, I met an elderly woman named Beverlee who had a variety of medical issues including just having had an organ transplant within the last month. She had not received her absentee ballot as she normally does and she was crushed that we were past the time that she could request another. This is a woman who lived through the civil rights era, and she took her right to vote seriously. We ended up talking for a half an hour where she told me about her son who was suffering from PTSD as an Iraq war veteran. Fortunately we were able to find both on a good day and were able to assist her with getting to the polls.
We became friends and I've since spent a few more times with her discussing her love of horror novels, her own writing career, and another passion of hers - politics. We've talked during the good times and the bad. I've been able to use my connections with volunteer organizations to help her with groceries and nutrition-based meals at times especially in those months when her prescription drugs took out a huge chunk of her income. My experience with Beverlee has shown me that there are people out there in need through no fault of their own, whether it is because of an unforeseen medical event, or a job loss, or disability, etc. And their stories must be heard if we're going to make good policy as lawmakers.
Micheal Garza (D)
My daughter tells me the same joke every single day. "Dad, what is black and white and red all over?" "A penguin holding its breath."
Micheal Garza (D)
The Georgia Constitution is clear that the governor of the state can declare a state of emergency and that the legislature can terminate this at any time via a resolution.
Micheal Garza (D)
Compromise can be necessary and can be good, but I think compromise for the sake of compromise can lead to poor outcomes. There has to be some point of commonality, some common ground, some common agreement that a problem exists, or some common goal. This legislative session, we've seen good compromise and bipartisanship around things like funding for mental health, pay raises for teachers, and expansion of post-partum Medicaid to 12 months to combat Georgia's high maternal mortality rate. We've also seen issues where no compromise can exist, like in the anti-CRT bills that deny the existence of systemic racism and continued attacks on voting rights.
See also
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