Joyce Marie Griggs

Joyce Marie Griggs (independent) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Georgia's 1st Congressional District. She did not appear on the ballot for the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Joyce Marie Griggs was born in Bethel, North Carolina. Griggs served in the U.S. Army and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel. She earned a B.A. from North Carolina Central University. Griggs' career experience includes owning a business.^[1]

Elections

2024

Georgia's 1st Congressional District election, 2024 (May 21 Democratic primary)

Georgia's 1st Congressional District election, 2024 (May 21 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Incumbent Earl Carter defeated Patti Hewitt in the general election for U.S. House Georgia District 1 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Earl Carter (R)	62.0	220,576
	Patti Hewitt (D)	38.0	135,281

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 355,857
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Nicholas Brookins (G)
Joyce Marie Griggs (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Patti Hewitt advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 1 on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Patti Hewitt	100.0	25,082

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 25,082
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Joseph Palimeno (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Incumbent Earl Carter advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 1 on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Earl Carter	100.0	51,629

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 51,629
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Griggs in this election.

2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Incumbent Earl Carter defeated Wade Herring in the general election for U.S. House Georgia District 1 on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Earl Carter (R)	59.1	156,128
	Wade Herring (D)	40.9	107,837

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 263,965
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

George Litchfield (Conservative Party)

Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Wade Herring defeated Joyce Marie Griggs in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Georgia District 1 on June 21, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Wade Herring	61.9	12,880
	Joyce Marie Griggs	38.1	7,918

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 20,798
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Joyce Marie Griggs and Wade Herring advanced to a runoff. They defeated Michelle Munroe in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 1 on May 24, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Joyce Marie Griggs	48.6	21,891
✔	Wade Herring	38.0	17,118
	Michelle Munroe	13.4	6,043

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 45,052
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Joseph Palimeno (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Incumbent Earl Carter advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 1 on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Earl Carter	100.0	80,757

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 80,757
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2020

Georgia's 1st Congressional District election, 2020 (June 9 Republican primary)

Georgia's 1st Congressional District election, 2020 (June 9 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Incumbent Earl Carter defeated Joyce Marie Griggs in the general election for U.S. House Georgia District 1 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Earl Carter (R)	58.3	189,457
	Joyce Marie Griggs (D)	41.7	135,238

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 324,695
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Joyce Marie Griggs defeated Lisa Ring in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Georgia District 1 on August 11, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Joyce Marie Griggs	55.9	15,958
	Lisa Ring	44.1	12,594

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 28,552
= 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 U.S. House Georgia District 1

Lisa Ring and Joyce Marie Griggs advanced to a runoff. They defeated Barbara Seidman in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 1 on June 9, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Lisa Ring	46.0	28,916
✔	Joyce Marie Griggs	40.7	25,593
	Barbara Seidman	13.3	8,337

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 62,846
= 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 U.S. House Georgia District 1

Incumbent Earl Carter defeated Daniel Merritt and Ken Yasger in the Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 1 on June 9, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Earl Carter	82.2	65,907
		Daniel Merritt	16.4	13,154
	Submit photo	Ken Yasger	1.4	1,153

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 80,214
= 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

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Joyce Marie Griggs did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Joyce Marie Griggs did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Griggs' campaign website stated the following:

“

-Creating Jobs and attracting more industries

-Strengthen and protect our infrastructure and the Ports in our district

-Protecting and funding our small businesses

-Improving and providing accessible and affordable health care for all people

-legislation to lower the age requirement for Medicare

-Supporting criminal and social justice reform

-Assist Local and State governments with funding for education

-Support our service members and their families, veterans, and our local Military bases

-Demand and support Gold Star wives entitlements

-Demand accountability from the Department of Veteran Affairs concerning Health Care and claims adjudication

-Support our children and senior citizens

…Ensure all children have access to daycare

…Insure senior citizens get the help they deserve

-Advocate for a safe and clean environment

…Protect our coastlines and waterways

…Sustaining our Farming and Fishing/Scrimping industries

-Supporting our Agriculture and farms

-Supporting Immigration reform

-Fighting for gun safety laws yet protecting our 2nd amendment rights^[2]

”

—Joyce Marie Griggs' campaign website (2022)^[3]

2020

Joyce Marie Griggs completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Griggs' 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.

Joyce Marie Griggs grew up in rural/agriculture Bethel North Carolina and attended the public school system. Her mother (also a domestic worker) and father were farm workers and worked where they could find work. She is one of ten children and all worked in the farm fields. Her mother stressed critical life values such as hard work, honestly, integrity and education. After graduating from high school, she attended college at North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C. earning a B.A. -Sociology in 1973 and M.A. in Counseling in 1974. In 1991 she graduated from John Marshall Law School in Atlanta with a J.D. Degree.

Her military experience includes a Direct appointment as a 2nd Lieutenant US Army in 1976. Griggs was an intelligence officer. Military schools includes:Women Officers Orientation Course Military Intelligence Basic Course Military Intelligence Tactical Officer Course Psychological Operations Officer Course Civil Military Operations Course Military Intelligence Advance Course Command and General Staff College Course Combined Arms Service Staff School Intelligence Collection Management Course Intern-Defense Advance Research Project Agency (DARPA) She deployed to Iraq three times in support of the Global War on terrorism and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. In 2013 she retired as a Lieutenant Colonel with 33 years of service.

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?

Elevate interests that empower all people in the 1st Congressional District
Take care of those who served (Veterans, Active Military and Family members). Insure timely and efficient VA claim processing.
Strong leadership that is proactive and a strong voice for the people

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

-Quality and affordable health care, Increase funding for rural hospitals

- Environmental Justice and Climate Change. Provide increase resources for Environmental Justice to vulnerable, marginalized and minority communities
-Criminal and Social Justice Reform
Criminal justice reform on the National level flowing to the local levels.
a. Revamp federal sentencing guidelines
b. Change the drug sentencing policy surrounding the war on drugs

  c.Push for fair sentencing for all Promote equal pay for women and all people

Economic Empowerment- Support job creation and training. Promote a living wage and increase the federal minimum wage. Support equal pay for women

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

My mother first and foremost because she was a godly mother and a woman of integrity who stressed loyalty, hard work and family. She kept the family together in spite of the poverty and hardship. I would also say that Harriet Tubman was one I admired a lot because she was such a fighter, an abolitionist and political activist. I have a kindred spirt with her because she was such a warrior and made critical changes in the world. I admire her so because we have a lot in common, she served in the Union Army and was a spy. I served in the Army and was an intelligence officer. She was often referred to as little Moses because she delivered her people from the grips of slavery.

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

The Greatest Salesman in the World-A guide to a philosophy of salesmanship and success-Og Mandino
Something Needs to Change-A call to make your life count in a world of urgent need-David Platt

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

Listen to the people.

To be able to lead in a crisis and proactive leadership.

A leader must maintain a "servant" spirit.

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

Local, nacional and international experience. As an Army Intelligence Officer I interacted with numerous agencies on a local, national and international level. My military leadership experience as a Lieutenant Colonel would make me a successful officeholder.

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

Walk in integrity, transparent and service to constituents.

What legacy would you like to leave?

A legacy of service to others.

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

The assassinated of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. I was 16 years old. My mother was crying inconsolably and we did not know why until later. Other ladies in the community came to our house and all cried. I cried, my brothers/ sisters and other children in the community. It was a very sad day because we had lost such a great leader. I will never forgot the impact it had on me a 16 year old girl. I vowed then that I would fight for all people. This set the stage for my military service and untimely becoming a lawyer, advocating for those who could not advocate for themselves.

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

Working in the fields in N.C. starting at 5 years old. I worked in the fields until I left home for college at the age of 17. I also did some babysitting while in high school. When I got to college I worked two jobs, one on campus in the student union and one in the kitchen at a restaurant in Durham, N.C.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Holy Bible. It offers inspiration, hope and consoles the soul.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Our world needs you. Kirk Franklin. It depicts how we as human are helpless and need God's help. It speaks to what is happening today.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Overcoming racial and gender barriers.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

The process for redistricting should consider "communities of interests". The process should be open, transparent and allow communities to provide input. Community participation is important because they make up the districts.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The US House of Representative is unique in the fact that it represents a district unlike the Senate which represents the entire state. The emphasis is on that District in that state. This allows the Representative to focus more on a smaller group of constituents.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. Career politicians are at times very difficult to deal with and often do not want to embrace change.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

National Security to include protecting the freedoms many lost their lives for. Protecting and defending the Constitution. Restoring America as a World leader.

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

I would like to serve on the following committees not necessarily in order:

Armed Services
Veteran affairs
Intelligence
Appropriations
Agriculture
Climate Crisis
Foreign affairs
Small Business

Judiciary

If you are a current representative, why did you join your current committees?

NA

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

I believe in term limits. 3 terms or 6 years is an appropriate term length for representatives.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I believe we should have term limits because it should not be a career. Elected officials are supposed to be servants for the people. Career politicians are not good for our democracy.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

I would be interested in joining the leadership in the U.S, House of Representative.

House Majority Whip or House Democratic Caucus Chair are roles I'm interested in serving.

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

Barbara Jordon the first Southern African American woman elected to the US House of Representatives. She was a Lawyer, educator and political who was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement.

Both sitting representatives 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?

Yes, a dear mother in Waycross, GA son went missing over three years ago and the Justice system failed her and allowed the case to go cold. Many stories of how the criminal justice system has failed many families.

Many residents in the district expressed their desire to have a Veteran and a woman serve as their Congress person.

Heartbreaking to hear about the lack of healthcare (especially in rural areas).

Communities sick because of pollution caused by large factories.

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.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Joyce Marie Griggs campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. House Georgia District 1	Withdrew general	$788	$942
2022	U.S. House Georgia District 1	Lost primary runoff	$40,518	$45,326
Grand total			$41,306	$46,269
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 8, 2020
↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
↑ Joyce Griggs 2022, “Home,” accessed April 4, 2022

[show]

Georgia's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Jon Ossoff (D)

Raphael Warnock (D)

Representatives

District 1

Earl Carter (R)

District 2

Sanford Bishop (D)

District 3

Brian Jack (R)

District 4

Hank Johnson (D)

District 5

Nikema Williams (D)

District 6

Lucy McBath (D)

District 7

Rich McCormick (R)

District 8

Austin Scott (R)

District 9

Andrew Clyde (R)

District 10

Mike Collins (R)

District 11

Barry Loudermilk (R)

District 12

Rick Allen (R)

District 13

David Scott (D)

District 14

Marjorie Greene (R)

Republican Party (9)

Democratic Party (7)

[bio2020-1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 8, 2020

[quotedisclaimer-2] Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[3] Joyce Griggs 2022, “Home,” accessed April 4, 2022

[1]

[2]

[3]

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Joyce Marie Griggs

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Endorsements

2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 1

2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 1

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

2022

Campaign website

2020

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

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