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Priscilla Smith

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Priscilla Smith
Image of Priscilla Smith

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments
Last election

July 13, 2021

Education

Bachelor's

Trinity University, 1978

Personal
Birthplace
Atlanta, Ga.
Profession
Artist, arts administrator
Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Personal Facebook

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Priscilla Smith (Democratic Party) ran in a special election to the Georgia House of Representatives to represent District 34. She lost in the special general runoff election on July 13, 2021.

Biography

Priscilla Smith was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She earned a bachelor's degree from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, in 1978. Smith's career experience includes working as an artist, arts administrator, writer, actor, musician, and teacher.[1]

Elections

2021

See also: Georgia state legislative special elections, 2021

General runoff election

Special general runoff election for Georgia House of Representatives District 34

Devan Seabaugh defeated Priscilla Smith in the special general runoff election for Georgia House of Representatives District 34 on July 13, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Devan Seabaugh
Devan Seabaugh (R)
 
63.0
 
5,606
Image of Priscilla Smith
Priscilla Smith (D)
 
37.0
 
3,299

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 8,905
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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General election

Special general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 34

Devan Seabaugh and Priscilla Smith advanced to a runoff. They defeated Sam Hensley Jr., David Blinkhorn, and Chris Neill in the special general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 34 on June 15, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Devan Seabaugh
Devan Seabaugh (R)
 
47.1
 
3,339
✔
Image of Priscilla Smith
Priscilla Smith (D)
 
24.6
 
1,741
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Sam Hensley Jr. (D)
 
15.7
 
1,116
Image of David Blinkhorn
David Blinkhorn (R) Candidate Connection
 
11.8
 
839
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Chris Neill (L)
 
0.8
 
54

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 7,089
Candidate Connection = 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.

2020

See also: Georgia House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Georgia House of Representatives District 34

Incumbent Bert Reeves defeated Priscilla Smith in the general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 34 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Bert Reeves
Bert Reeves (R)
 
56.1
 
16,888
Image of Priscilla Smith
Priscilla Smith (D) Candidate Connection
 
43.9
 
13,199

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 30,087
Candidate Connection = 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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 34

Priscilla Smith advanced from the Democratic primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 34 on June 9, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Priscilla Smith
Priscilla Smith Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
5,600

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 5,600
Candidate Connection = 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 34

Incumbent Bert Reeves advanced from the Republican primary for Georgia House of Representatives District 34 on June 9, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Bert Reeves
Bert Reeves
 
100.0
 
6,046

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 6,046
Candidate Connection = 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.

Endorsements

To view Smith's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2021

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Priscilla Smith did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Candidate Connection

Priscilla Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Smith's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I'm a lifelong Georgian, educated in Marietta, GA public schools. I earned my B.A. at Trinity University, San Antonio, TX. I was a classroom teacher for over 20 years. I spent 15 summers running an arts-oriented, science- and culture-based day camp. I have founded arts organizations and been a nonprofit executive and board member. Most recently I joined the founding board of Georgians for the Arts to advocate for art and artists in this state. I'm the parent of a grown daughter-alumna of the University of Georgia, who now lives and works in New York City. I have been a small-business partner and fought for fair and equal treatment of all people, irrespective of sex, race, or district. I stand for defending our democracy agains voter suppression, for creating and maintaining fair, nonpartisan legislative districts, and making voting an easy exercise trusted by every citizen.
  • In light of a world-changing pandemic, we must protect and improve health care for all Georgians.
  • We must celebrate and protect our democracy, improving the pathways for engagement and removing obstacles for input from all Georgia citizens.
  • We must make Georgia a great place for all her citizens to live now and tomorrow.
I'm passionate about health care, which means improving Georgia's access to the Affordable Care Act, and expanding Medicaid so that working families will have access to services - affording services to a half-million people who don't have it right now, and in the process creating up to 56,000 jobs. And I'm passionate about protecting a woman's right to choose her own course of health care and practitioners.

Voter suppression is real. I want to help us ensure free, fair, and open elections, and make it easy to vote, not more difficult. In 2021, we will begin reapportionment of legislative districts. We must put an end to gerrymandering - so that voters elect their representatives, rather than representatives choosing their voters through unfair, partisan, and community-dividing district lines.

I'm passionate about preparing for a future where excellent education is available for every Georgia student, no matter where they live. I'm also passionate about an environmentally responsible future for Georgia: lowering auto emissions and other sources of pollution, keeping coal ash safely contained, improving and expanding public transit, and, in so doing, protecting our workers.

I fervently believe we must raise our minimum wage, to expand our economy. A person working 40 hours a week should be able to afford a full and healthy life where they can enjoy the natural and human resources of our rich and beautiful home.

My mother, Janet Gillon Smith - She raised four children, taught public elementary school for decades, founded a free pre-school, and was awarded her master's degree the morning she coached me through delivering my daughter

Ruth Bader Ginsberg - Brilliant, utterly principled, fearless, determined, diligently working for justice,
Betty White - she's continued to be active into a very advanced age and she's still hysterical
Stacey Abrams, of course - fighting to protect our vote, being clear-eyed, unapologetic, and uncompromising
Eleanor Roosevelt, and Elizabeth Warren, both fighting hard for working people and maintaining an open heart
All the women serving in Georgia's House of Representatives, and doing it for all the right reasons.
I am skeptical of the idea of a single role model. I think it's best to teach children to strive to be their own best selves.
I should also mention Glenda Jackson though- She was a highly successful actress from performing Shakespeare with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts to Hollywood films. She left it all to serve in the UK House of Commons for 30 years. Upon retiring from national service, she got right back to her acting career, most recently playing King Lear. As a performing artist, her story has special meaning to me.

All these women were loving, fearless, devoted to justice, children, and compassion. And they all have or had a great sense of humor.
The Once and Future King, by T.H. White.

"Do the Right Thing," a favorite Spike Lee movie.

The lectures of Nick Hanauer, an entrepreneur and capitalist with heart and vision for remaking capitalism.

The writings of Mahatma Gandhi, and Dr. Martin Luther King - both influencing my pacifist beliefs.

The legend of Ashoka the Great, ruler of India - originally a violent and heartless emperor, who, after converting to Buddhism became a compassionate and kind ruler. He was devoted to social welfare projects in the worlds of medicine, agricultural infrastructure, and more.

Their Eyes Were Watching God, a novel by Zora Neale Hurston, for its stunningly beautiful writing, its portrayal of a woman who lived life by her own rules, and its fearless examination of prejudice, oppression, and liberation.

The plays of Caryl Churchill - her work both directly and obliquely shows what often happens to people as they gain power- the corruption of their driving beliefs and goals, as the further acquisition of the power itself, replaces them.
Some of the most important characteristics include: Rationality; the ability to listen; the ability to think critically; the ability to put the needs of constituents before my own needs. An elected official must be forthright-willing to tell the truth up front, even if that truth is frightening; even it means acknowledging mistakes. An elected official must exhibit integrity-being true to the values she espouses. Most of all, an elected official must have compassion for her constituents and make government work to do the best for the most, especially those with the least.
I am a good listener. In the many organizations I have worked with over decades, I've seen the value and importance of receiving feedback from all stakeholders. I believe I am in a great position to bring such training to serve the concerns of my constituents.

I am analytical, and understand the value of researched, rational decisions.

I am a longtime student of the collaborative process, and I know how to negotiate and compromise, while holding my own ground. I have spent a lot of time bringing this experience into the professional world. I have seen that when we give it a chance, the best solutions to problems can emerge from the collaborative process.

I am a compassionate person.

I have no patience or stomach for injustice and will fight against it relentless.

I possess a lot of stamina. I go nowhere fast, but I can go for a very long time.

I have talent and years of training in public presentation. These have helped me to become both an effective teacher, and onstage performer.


To represent the best interest of the majority of people of living in district 34, and to remain accessible to ongoing input from my district residents.
I will feel I've had a positive impact if, upon leaving, more people in my district are enjoying the responsibilities and rewards of participating in democracy.

I'll feel I've done a good job when more people than before my tenure understand and have confidence that they have a voice, and a place to engage in the political conversation.

I want to leave a legacy of trust in accountable and compassionate government.

And, I hope that I will ultimately be succeeded by a woman of color.
I was born in 1956 and I vividly remember the Bay of Pigs, in 1961. I remember being terrified to leave our house to go to neighbors' houses, and risk separation from my mom. I continued to have related nightmares into adulthood..

In second grade I was selected to be part of a government study of children. In reviewing the results of the tests with my parents, the scientists related that many children my age were harbored fear of nuclear holocaust.
My first job was neighborhood baby sitting, which I did for five years, from age twelve to high school graduation. This helped me save up for a piccolo to play in high school marching band.

I volunteered for Project Head Start, after my freshman year of high school at age 14. The next summer I was a volunteer counselor for city kids who would participate in an overnight at Camp Sum-Need, an environmental awareness camp in Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. We'd hike, cook over campfires, and sleep in army tents and talk about trees and forest succession, decomposition, soil, and geology.
The Once and Future King (T. H. White)- about pursing a higher cause, making the world a better place.

Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston) - Beautiful language, and an important message. A story of an iconoclastic woman, living life the way she wanted.

A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving) - the story of unusual person who is self-sacrificing. A story of love and friendship between the narrator and Owen Meany, also beautifully written.

I love to read and there are so many more...
The Wife of Bath from the Canterbury Tales. She was calm and resolute in her understanding that what women want is to do as they please.
All ear worms are immediately replaced with new ear worms. Part of this strategy is that I forget the names or even genres of music. Basically, I don't have this problem. Or if I do, it is not a problem.

Anyway, I'm sorry I can't remember.
Of course, there have been struggles.

I have struggled with doing and being what society expects of a woman, yet very much wanting motherhood. I have stgruggled with being a person with progressive values in an increasingly conservative world. I have struggled with my body, growing up and living in an era before "body positivity".

Obviously there aren't many super-lucrative careers for artists, but we make art because we must, and because we passionately want to invite reflection, conversation, and for others to glipse the world through the eyes of another.

I also struggled to raise my daughter, balancing being a mother with the professional and civic positions I've held all the while making art.
The main difference in the House and Senate is simply size and numbers of voices. An individual senator has many fewer voices to compete against but represents a greater number of citizens.

Importantly, the House is responsible for initiating appropriations while the Senate is responsible for confirming the governor's appointments.

While it is useful for lawmakers to have governmental or political experience, it is also true that being a state legislator is a perfect place for everyday citizens to be engaged in the democratic process, to represent their communities and professions.

Diversity of life experience is very beneficial for a legislative body to provide a deep and real-world understanding of the lives of the governed. A legislature should incorporate citizens from all walks of life. Education policy should include direct input from teachers. The expertise of cyber-security professionals should be tapped into as the Internet becomes a greater and greater part of our world. Just as the knowledge of attorneys-who currently comprise a very significant portion of legislators-is needed, so is the wisdom and professional experience of scientists, doctors, artists, childcare providers, and municipal administrators, to name but a few of the kinds of people who might be of excellent service in a legislature.
Moving into the 21st century: upending racism, providing affordable healthcare as a right to all our citizens, confronting needs for infrastructure and transportation, income inequality, and fully funding education.
Ideally, a governor recognizes the wisdom of legislators, receives their advice and perspective and thus makes well considered administrative decisions. Conversely the governor provides information to the legislature regarding administration of the state's initiatives, programs, projects, infrastructure, and general, the legislature provides information relevant to the various constituencies.

Legislature and governor should be working together to do what is best for the most people, for the present and the future of the state.
Nothing gets done in the state legislature without compromise. The very process of first read, second read, committee review, crossover, and amendment demonstrates the need for and inevitability of relationships.

The House of Representatives should select and appoint an independent review panel to draw legislative districts which are data based, non-partisan, compact, and which preserve communities of affinity (ethnicity, languages, culture, etc). Multiple mapping programs developed specificallly for this purpose have been developed and should be scrutinized. Legislation should be drafted to maintin the non-partisan and fair processes for future redistricting processes.
I want to have input to economic development and tourism, given my long career as an artist.

I want to have input on education policy..

I want to have input on voting accessibility and fair, transparent elections.

I recognize that the state budget was cut severely for 2020-21. We left money on the table. The House of Representatives must work to access all appropriations available to insure the efficient and high-quality functioning of state services.
There are many legislators whose paths are worth following.

Leader Stacey Abrams was fearless, brilliant, and a great helmsperson for the minority. Leader Robert Trammel serves with courage, transparency, intelligence, and compassion. Jen Jordan rises to every challenge presented and responded with extraordinary generosity in offering her personal story in opposing HB481 in 2019. Rep. Renitta Shannon comes from an activist background to serve in the legislature, advocating for her district with passion, persistence, and clarity of purpose.
not at this time.
I've been moved by the story of sitting Cobb Commissioner Lisa Cupid, who was harassed by police while a law student, and while serving in Cobb government.

I've been moved by numerous stories recounted in town halls of the deplorable conditions at the Cobb pre-trial detention center - a place where people often settle for plea agreements, just so they can get out, even if they had not committed any crimes. One such story came from a middle aged African American man, who had been beaten by police while picking up an order from a local I-Hop. His wife was with him at the time, and he suffered long-term physical injuries at the hands of Cobb County Police, and the prejudice of the I-Hop management.


Also, I've been deeply affected recently by the words of a member of my district, Jimmy Dickens, at a city council meeting concerning the Confederate flag removal at the Kennesaw Museum of Civil War History. Jimmy spoke of his life in Kennesaw since 2005, as a father and small business owner. He expressed how much it had gone against his heart to sponsor uniforms for the "Little Generals" softball team, named for the locomotive stolen from the Confederacy in the Civil War. He spoke of how being a good member of the community outweighed his reluctance to memorialize the engine that had brought weapons to support an army fighting to preserve slavery and so he provided the sponsorship. He said that he wanted to see an evolution of the museum to one of Civil Rights and the Civil War, and finally, that he wished to see that Kennesaw loved him -the way he loves Kennesaw. I want to be of service to him.

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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Candidate

Georgia House of Representatives District 34
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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 22, 2020


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