Georgia State Senate District 29 candidate surveys, 2022

Elections in Georgia, 2022

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This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for Georgia State Senate District 29 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

• Click here to see candidates and election results.
• Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Georgia State Senate District 29

Incumbent Randy Robertson defeated Ellen T. Wright in the general election for Georgia State Senate District 29 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Randy Robertson (R)	66.2	48,339
		Ellen T. Wright (D)	33.8	24,628

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 72,967
= 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?

Ellen T. Wright (D)

Jobs need to come to this area, but they need to be sustainable jobs, not seasonal or periodic. We do not need any more layoffs or plant closings. We need to support the small entrepreneurs.

Affordable housing is hard to find. Ordinary people cannot find a place to even rent with the prices like they are. We need to find a solution so that people can house their families without working 2/3 jobs.

Healthcare is a huge issue out in the rural areas. Maternal care has to be addressed. Pediatric care goes right along with it. People cannot work and take time off to drive 2-3 hours to the doctor then wait 2-3 hours. They not only lose wages, they could lose their jobs. This has got to change.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Ellen T. Wright (D)

Jobs, affordable housing, rural healthcare, election security and access, broadband, infrastructure, and public schools are all interests of mine and I am passionately interested in them all. It is hard to say which ones are more important because they're ALL important and interrelated. Our district needs all of this and more. It will be difficult to compete with the rest of Georgia, but somehow it will have to be done. We need to address this issues and do it now.

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

Ellen T. Wright (D)

Several people for different reasons: Greta Thunberg for her dedication and courage, Malala for her courage and quiet wisdom, Ellen Sirleaf Johnson for her leadership and ability to forge alliances, Angela Merkel for her steely strength, Hillary Clinton for her steadfastness in spite of all the garbage thrown at her, Elizabeth Warren-her persistence, of course!, AOC for her intelligence and outspoken passion, and so many more. So many women are stepping up and standing up. So many good people are saying "enough" and simply won't stand down. If you have ethics and moral standards, this is something that you have to do. I am one of those people. I have had enough.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Ellen T. Wright (D)

#1 The Voters elected you. Remember that.

1. 2 The Party is not the Voters. See #1.
2. 3 You owe the Voters something.

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

Ellen T. Wright (D)

Tenacity, Compassion, Dedication, Persistence, Intelligence, Integrity, Honesty

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

Ellen T. Wright (D)

The Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba. I don't remember much about it, but it scared me and my sister so badly that the fireworks for the Fourth had us screaming. I think we were 7 &5.

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

Ellen T. Wright (D)

I worked for Rich's department store at Greenbriar selling sewing machines for one summer. I didn't sell a single one.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Ellen T. Wright (D)

Eragon Dragonrider

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

Ellen T. Wright (D)

Communication is a two-way street. It needn't always be completely amicable. In fact, I would be suspicious if it was.

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

Ellen T. Wright (D)

We're going to be facing a lot of debate about election security here in Georgia. That's a given. We will also be trying to compete for bringing in more industry, expanding our healthcare system and hardening it against future challenges, bringing our educational system back up to par without using tax money for vouchers, finishing installing broadband statewide, and overhauling our infrastructure. All of this is going to be massively expensive and people are going to be impatient for their corner of the patch to get theirs NOW.

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

Ellen T. Wright (D)

Maybe, maybe not. It certainly helps to have a basic understanding of civics.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Ellen T. Wright (D)

To an extent, yes. There's always going to be a cooperative element to the process. But you do not want to be so beholden to someone that they can dictate your votes. That is defeating the purpose of you being there.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Ellen T. Wright (D)

Third-party NON-PARTISAN. There is no way for partisan redistricting to be good for the voters.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Ellen T. Wright (D)

Probably Healthcare. I'm not sure.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Ellen T. Wright (D)

I don't think so.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Ellen T. Wright (D)

not yet.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Ellen T. Wright (D)

I'm inclined to say to granting. Oversight? That might work.

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

Ellen T. Wright (D)

It can be. I do not believe that it is, however, REQUIRED. There are some things that are non-negotiable.

See also

More about these elections:

• Georgia State Senate elections, 2022

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