Georgia House of Representatives District 74 candidate surveys, 2022

Elections in Georgia, 2022

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This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for Georgia House of Representatives District 74 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

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• Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Georgia House of Representatives District 74

Incumbent Karen Mathiak defeated William Harris in the general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 74 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Karen Mathiak (R)	63.7	16,332
		William Harris (D)	36.3	9,306

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 25,638
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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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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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?

William Harris (D)

Increase Wages

Expand Healthcare

Legalize Cannabis

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

William Harris (D)

I have a higher education in business and economics and focus a lot of my attention on the organization and development of worker cooperatives which stimulate our local economy and prevent the wealthy elite from exporting our work overseas. I advocate for marginalized groups to ensure that they're given the tools and resources so that they can liberate their communities. I seek true and actual freedom for the folks living here which can only be achieved when we're allowed to own our property, ensure livable wages, and minimize government overreach in our private lives.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

William Harris (D)

"What is Communalism" by Murray Bookchin (1994)

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

William Harris (D)

I represent the working class in both policy and in material condition. I'm not rich by any means and have spent the majority of my life sharing in the same struggle for survival that most everyone else has. Having my finger on this pulse allows me to better understand the needs of the people living in our district and I ensure that my platform positions and future policymaking focus on these people.

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

William Harris (D)

There is only one core responsibility: to do the most good for the communities that represented us with heavy consideration of the state and national needs included.

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

William Harris (D)

I was in middle school when the September 11 attacks happened

What is your favorite book? Why?

William Harris (D)

The Powdermage series by Brian McClellan. I don't often read fiction but it's the one book series I couldn't put down until I finished reading them cover-to-cover

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

William Harris (D)

Millennials and Zoomers are the hardest working and most productive generations in human history but we're also the least paid generations compared to the size of the economy. This has resulted in pushing most of these generations into a class of perpetual renters and wage-laborers who are otherwise unable to get a fair shake at life. Suppressed wages have destroyed our local economies and the consolidation of property into the hands of a wealthy elite have impoverished these two generations for decades into the future.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

William Harris (D)

The Senate structure was created to maintain lopsided power dynamics in representation. In an ideal representative institution we would have a single unicameral state legislature. In the state of Georgia a Representative to the assembly is expected to adequately represent around 60,000 individuals. A unicameral legislature could more effectively allow for better local community representation.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

William Harris (D)

Computer-based redistricting processes that explicitly and intentionally form competitive districts as to not allow for political strongholds to form.

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

William Harris (D)

Compromise should always be one of the first avenues of policymaking we should attempt to achieve but we should NEVER compromise on certain issues if it means that the compromise would harm marginalized communities or peoples.

See also

More about these elections:

• Georgia House of Representatives elections, 2022

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