John Turpish
John Turpish (Libertarian Party) ran in a special election to the Georgia House of Representatives to represent District 125. He lost in the special general election on February 13, 2024.
Turpish completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
John Turpish was born in Michigan. He earned a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Central Florida in 2008. His career experience includes working as a software developer.[1][2]
Elections
2024
See also: Georgia state legislative special elections, 2024
General runoff election
Special general runoff election for Georgia House of Representatives District 125
Gary Richardson defeated CJ Pearson in the special general runoff election for Georgia House of Representatives District 125 on March 12, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Gary Richardson (R) | 60.2 | 3,916 |
 | CJ Pearson (R) | 39.8 | 2,589 | |
| Total votes: 6,505 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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General election
Special general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 125
Gary Richardson and CJ Pearson advanced to a runoff. They defeated Jim Steed, Kay Turner, and John Turpish in the special general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 125 on February 13, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Gary Richardson (R) | 37.5 | 1,694 |
| ✔ | | CJ Pearson (R) | 30.8 | 1,390 |
| Jim Steed (R) | 17.6 | 794 | ||
 | Kay Turner (D) | 13.5 | 612 | |
 | John Turpish (L) | 0.6 | 27 | |
| Total votes: 4,517 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Turpish received the following endorsements.
2018
General election
General election for Georgia Public Service Commission District 5
Incumbent Tricia Pridemore defeated Dawn Randolph and John Turpish in the general election for Georgia Public Service Commission District 5 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Tricia Pridemore (R) | 50.3 | 1,937,599 |
 | Dawn Randolph (D) | 47.2 | 1,820,868 | |
| John Turpish (L) | 2.5 | 97,203 | |
| Total votes: 3,855,670 | |||
| = 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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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Georgia Public Service Commission District 5
Dawn Randolph defeated Doug Stoner in the Democratic primary for Georgia Public Service Commission District 5 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Dawn Randolph | 78.6 | 366,727 |
 | Doug Stoner | 21.4 | 99,958 | |
| Total votes: 466,685 | |||
| = 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 election
Republican primary for Georgia Public Service Commission District 5
Incumbent Tricia Pridemore defeated John Hitchins III in the Republican primary for Georgia Public Service Commission District 5 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tricia Pridemore | 53.0 | 280,099 |
| John Hitchins III | 47.0 | 247,980 | ||
| Total votes: 528,079 | |||
| = 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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Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
John Turpish completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Turpish's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.
I'm well aware that Georgians are not in the habit of electing Libertarian legislators, and not just because of the additional legal hurdles the establishment parties chose not to contend with themselves. But if we are ever to see change, we need to broaden our horizons. Republicans and Democrats tend to vote together on many of the issues in the Assembly that don't get a lot of media attention - that's how you get more than 90% of votes cast being "yes".
We need to elect people who know the power of saying "no". I'm one such person. - Libertarians like myself are coalition-builders by necessity. I fully recognize this reality, and am more than willing to reach across whichever aisle works to push for more liberty in whichever way is most practically achievable at the moment. And of course we can't allow perfect to be the enemy of the good, but still must always push Republicans and Democrats to be the best versions of what they have to offer.
- Government must be constrained. In the state government that can mean: pushing back against DC when they act outside the bounds of the US Constitution; reigning in rogue local governments when they're trampling individual rights; investigating and holding accountable government officials of all kinds; and systematizing constraints on the state itself through processes like a sunset clause.
- Justice Reform - too many people are harmed where the rubber of government meets the road of private lives
- Monetary metals - economic markets beg for competition, and none is more fundamental than that of money itself
https://cdn.mises.org/Give%20Me%20Liberty_3.pdf
Respect for human dignity - every individual matters
Transparency with voters, and listening to their feedback.
The first "current events" story I really followed was Desert Shield/Storm. I remember being somewhat confused that some claimed it was about the price of oil, and quite a bit surprised that people who supported the war didn't seem to be full-throatedly disputing the claim.
My first regular job that was designed to be long-term was as a clerk at a gas station.
Handing the Governor virtually unlimited powers during a moderate "emergency" is unacceptable, and those who argued it should not even have an expiration should never receive another vote for anything.
Georgia law makes it virtually impossible for me to run for the US House, outside of special elections.
There's usually a better option for a Gubernatorial candidate.
But the ability to disregard any law, seize any property, be immune from liability, conscript doctors and local police, and on and on ... on a single person's whim? No, I can't foresee any legitimate reason to do such a thing. If the emergency were that grave the government wouldn't be in control anymore anyhow. Certainly that was not the case in 2020.
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.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
John Turpish completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Turpish's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
Bringing consumer choice in electricity to Georgia. Multiple bids for the regulated natural gas provider contract. Ending the Nuclear Construct Cost Recovery fee. I was asked by someone recently what the first 90 days of my time on the commission looks like. While perhaps it may not sound that interesting, I think my answer is a good heuristic for explaining my approach to this sort of position. My first 90 days is about digging in and doing research. Realistically, most of the decisions that come to the PSC are actually made on subcommittees appointed by the commission, who bring recommendations to the commission which are then generally rubber-stamped unanimously. I want to start attending those subcommittee meetings. I also plan on making "personal visits" as the code that established the PSC calls it. Commissioners have the privilege to dig into the goings-on of all regulated entities, even matters they may not legally repeat publicly due to trade secrets protection.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
The question uses "personally" so I'm going to interpret this to be about my role as a voter; not necessarily things that have to do with the PSC. I'm passionately against many of the most egregious government interventions: endless war; mass incarceration; mass surveillance; out-of-control government spending; civil asset forfeiture; state-granted monopolies including on money; occupational licensing; our counter-productive restrictions on movement; zoning restrictions; and trade restrictions. In fact I'm against so many things, one might be inclined to ask what I'm for. I'm for you deciding what's right for you and offering me the same respect. I'm for people seeing a problem, coming up with a plan, and coming together to take action to make the world better in the present or future, without requiring police to enforce compliance with their plan.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
It's an essay: Give Me Liberty by Rose Wilder Lane. https://fee.org/articles/give-me-liberty/ It chronicles her transition from a communist sympathizer to a hero of Libertarians ("Libertarian" wasn't a common word in her day, she wouldn't have used it). Even if you ultimately don't agree with her conclusions, you have to appreciate the compelling way she makes her case. If nothing else, it's fascinating for the historical context. In her work as a freelance journalist she experiences Russia in the wake of the Bolshevik revolution, Mussolini's Italy, a horrifying police state in Hungary, and the mundane every-day waste of merchant regulations in France. When she writes of her mother tempering her impressions of the Westward Expansion, keep in mind that her mother is Laura Ingles Wilder, of Little House on the Prairie fame. But perhaps most importantly, keep in mind as you read she's writing these words at the height of the Great Depression. I've too often heard it's easy for people to advocate personal liberty and free markets at a time of prosperity, but then people turn back to their strong-man saviors when times get rough. Yet here she is, in the most severe downturn our country has ever experienced, stating boldy "Give Me Liberty".
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Respect for the individual and a love for liberty. Everyone will make mistakes, but if they're putting people first on the whole they will wield power better than another. And one cannot truly put people first without respecting our universal need for liberty.
Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?
The office itself is little-known. The utilities regulated by the PSC are a critically important part of our economy that directly impact every resident and every business in our state. Most operate as pure monopolies, enforced by the state, so you have no choice in the matter. You can't shop around. If they misbehave, your only recourse is to appeal to the PSC. Central planning committees are no way to run an economy, but so long as this is the system we live in it is important for us to hold them accountable.
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.
Ballotpedia biographical submission form
The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:
| “ | What is your political philosophy?
I want to put more of the decision-making in the hands of all Georgians, and less in the hands of five very fallible central planners in Atlanta. Is there anything you would like to add? The Commission as it stands now is completely unbalanced. All five commissioners are big-government, establishment yes men, bought and paid for by the utilities they're supposed to be representing. Let's change that.[3] |
” |
| —John Turpish[1] | ||
Campaign finance summary
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form on June 1, 2018
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 5, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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