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Robin Biro
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Robin Biro (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Georgia State Senate to represent District 55. He lost in the Democratic primary on May 21, 2024.
Biro completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Robin Biro was born in Paonia, Colorado. Biro served in the U.S. Army from 2009 to 2019. His career experience includes working as a consultant and commercial real estate appraiser.[1]
As of 2024, Biro was affiliated with the following organizations:[1]
- DeKalb Dems
- Kanawha Community Association
- First Christian Church of Atlanta
- Tucker LaVista Lions Club
- Friends of Tucker Parks
- Voices of Note
- Stonewall Dems
- SC Business Guild
- SC Progressive Network
- Parents Safety Alliance
- Fulton Democrats
- Columbus Young Professionals
Elections
2024
See also: Georgia State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for Georgia State Senate District 55
Randal Mangham defeated Mary Williams Benefield in the general election for Georgia State Senate District 55 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Randal Mangham (D) | 76.0 | 69,259 |
 | Mary Williams Benefield (R) | 24.0 | 21,907 | |
| Total votes: 91,166 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary runoff election
Democratic primary runoff for Georgia State Senate District 55
Randal Mangham defeated Iris Hamilton in the Democratic primary runoff for Georgia State Senate District 55 on June 18, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Randal Mangham | 54.2 | 4,949 |
| Iris Hamilton | 45.8 | 4,182 | ||
| Total votes: 9,131 | |||
| = 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 State Senate District 55
Randal Mangham and Iris Hamilton advanced to a runoff. They defeated Robin Biro, Verdaillia Turner, and Osborn Murray III in the Democratic primary for Georgia State Senate District 55 on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Randal Mangham | 31.2 | 5,308 |
| ✔ | Iris Hamilton | 22.6 | 3,836 | |
| Robin Biro | 21.5 | 3,656 | ||
| Verdaillia Turner | 19.9 | 3,382 | ||
| Osborn Murray III | 4.8 | 824 | ||
| Total votes: 17,006 | |||
| = 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 State Senate District 55
Mary Williams Benefield advanced from the Republican primary for Georgia State Senate District 55 on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mary Williams Benefield | 100.0 | 3,007 |
| Total votes: 3,007 | |||
| = 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
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Biro in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Robin Biro completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Biro's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I have been involved in grassroots democratic politics since I was old enough to vote. I served as a Regional Campaign Director for Obama. After that the only thing that could match the adrenaline of that campaign was jumping out of airplanes as an Army Ranger in the 75th Ranger Regiment, headquartered here in Georgia. In 2019 my life changed forever when I became “dad” overnight to my much younger half-siblings after a family tragedy. As a single dad with two kids currently in Georgia public schools I have had an inside view of the challenges that our teachers and students face and the struggles that Georgia families face. I was inspired to run for Senate Seat 55 because of egregious legislation that is currently being considered in the Georgia Legislature that would cause harm to Georgia families, particularly the least fortunate and most vulnerable among us.
A small businessman of 25-years who has advised local, state, and national government and captains of industry on an analytical/consulting basis, I know how to maximize spending, and I have an inside perspective of the challenges that small businesses face.
Political warfare has been on the menu since at least 2016, but it is well past time for us to work together to help Georgians instead of just fighting one another. I have led troops in battle from vastly different political ideologies and walks of life for one common mission, and I can do the same in the Georgia Senate.- 1) School funding. Public education funds should not be used to pay for private school tuition. A look at the map of where private schools are located in Georgia shows that the wealthiest areas in Georgia have the greatest access to private schools. People who need the $6,500 the least are the ones getting it. School Vouchers disproportionately help families who can already afford private school rather than those who cannot. A better use of those funds would be for them to be applied to public school budgets, or to fund free lunches for all students,. Our teachers are doing their level best with what they have, but Georgia has a $10.7 BILLION dollar budget SURPLUS right now - that money should be invested in our schools/teachers/children.
- Citizen Ballot Initiative - Georgians overwhelmingly support the idea of letting residents petition to put their own issues on the ballots. Providing for a ballot petition process cuts out bureaucratic red tape, allowing the people to collect enough signatures to place their own ballot measures up for a vote. This is how the citizens of Alaska and California increased their minimum wage. It is how the citizens of Colorado put in place a cap for property tax revenues. It is how the citizens of Florida legalized marijuana. The citizens of the state of Washington repealed capital gains taxes with their citizen ballot initiative. A citizen ballot initiative would give power to the people, and I support that.
- Medicaid Expansion. Medicaid exists to provide health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. 69% of Georgians support Medicaid expansion, I will do all I can to advocate for that and inform the public and lawmakers about this issue – the fact is that 1.2 million Georgians have no health insurance. Studies have shown that expanding Medicaid would actually save the state money in the long run on the spending of their traditional Medicaid programs. Several states have expanded their Medicaid programs to cover all people with household incomes below a certain level, it is time for Georgia to do the same - we would even save money by doing so.
School funding, veterans issues, empowering small businesses, protecting the rights of women, protecting reproductive health issues, protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, balancing the budget, keeping our schools safe, expanding Medicaid, Citizens Ballot Initiative, making sure that our teachers are compensated fairly and that we have competitive wages in order to attract and retain new talent, making sure that GA public services are adequately staffed and funded, protecting the environment, criminal justice reform, ensuring that the state's infrastructure is poised for future growth and needs.
Look, my mom was a single mother for most of my childhood. I look up to parents everywhere. My mom sold shoes at a shoe store to provide for us, and I don't know how on earth she did it then, but I don't think that she would be able to be a shoe salesman, single mother, and buy us a 2-bedroom condo in this day and age on a shoe-salesman's wages. I could say that I look up to politicians, or world leaders, but honestly its just the parents doing the best to provide for their families that I look up to the most. For lack of a better term I "inherited" my kids after a family tragedy, and even on my income it is difficult to provide for all of our needs.
The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama
The single most important principle of any elected official is to be an advocate for their constituents. You must check your own ego at the door. You need to be humble and LISTEN, not talk at your constituents. I admire elected officials who are truly public servants, and I have no tolerance for politicians who are in it for reasons of ego. My duty would be to represent the greatest public good of the 198,000 Georgians in my district, and to be a humble public servant who represents their best interests.
I listen to people, I hear their concerns, I work hard to help my fellow man and to be a good steward. I know how to talk to people with whom I have deep differences and have respectful discourse, in a way where I listen to them, and they listen to me, and we can somehow find some small place were we agree, and we are better for it. I prefer to be surrounded by people from all walks of life, all faiths, by people who don't look anything like me, have different life experiences, faiths, socioeconomics, you name it - life is richer that way. I think that part of the problem with our legislators is that many of them live their lives in bubbles, and only associate with others who think like them, look like them, worship like them, but our legislators are there to represent everyone. That seems to be lost on some of them.
My core responsibility would be to listen to the needs and concerns of my constituents, and to represent their best interests. I would be responsible to all of the school children in Senate District 55 as well, ensuring that their schools are safe, are up to code, have proper tech, and that their teachers have everything that they need. I would be responsible for making sure that the taxpayer's money is well spent, and that we are taking into account future concerns to ensure for responsible growth. I would need to make sure that our elections are protected, safe, and fair. I would need to make sure that we are good stewards of our environment here in Georgia. These are but just a few.
That I was able to get good work done that benefitted everyday people. That's it. I want my kids to be able to be proud of the work that I did, whenever my time is over in the legislature and here on this earth as well.
My earliest memory of anything political was of my mother telling me about Ronald Reagan's re-election. I think she was a republican at the time, but now she has been a democrat pretty much since I came out as a gay man, because back in the late 1990's the GOP was all about "God, Guns and Gays (against gay rights)", and she did a 180. In my childhood though I distinctly remember her telling me that we would be in huge trouble if President Reagan did not get elected, but when I asked why she could not tell me. My earliest major historical event that I distinctly remember was the explosion of the Challenger Space Shuttle. My peers were all traumatized, as was my family - we were all in complete disbelief.
At the age of 16 I started my own landscaping business. My mom's boss owned a bunch of commercial properties and hired me to maintain the landscaping at them. I worked with my school's principal to be released from school early everyday, and had a small but mighty staff of 6 peers and 45 properties. This is how I put myself through college.
The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama. His story was incredible, and having been a part of the historic campaign, to see what it meant to people of color, particularly the youth, just the looks on their faces when we would canvass or hold events in their communities - it was just a once in a lifetime experience and something that I will never forget.
Scooby Doo was my favorite fictional character as a child, so probably him.
Rock the Boat by Aaliyah. My musical tastes are all over the place though.
Well, it has been a bit of a struggle being a gay man in my professional career. I have literally had women in the profession tell me "look, I can't hire you because you're gay - look its hard enough for me as a woman in this industry of good ol' boys, but you'll never make it as a gay man, and I owe it to you to tell you the truth." That's why I made my home here in Georgia and did not move back to South Carolina to be with my family - there are better opportunities for me, as a gay man, here in Georgia - I can more easily provide for my family here. For whatever reason in life in general I feel like I have had to prove myself more, and work harder as a gay man to prove myself. I couldn't just be in the Army - I had to be an Army Ranger, I had to be NCO of the Year for my battalion, before I was looked at as an equal. That kind of thing.
Governors need the cooperation of state legislators to get their bills introduced and steered through the lawmaking process. It would be my responsibility to review the bills and weed out the bad ones, or find ways to make them acceptable, and to help get the good ones through.
Education is our greatest challenge in Georgia right now. Retaining good teachers and recruiting qualified new ones is a monumental challenge for our state right now. Generation Alpha is showing below standard standardized test scores in Georgia right now, having received distance learning through a global pandemic. Rural schools are crumbling.
Our next greatest challenge is healthcare. Over 1.6 million Georgians have no health insurance at all.
Infrastructure. When anyone who lives outside of the state of Georgia hears the word "Atlanta" they think gridlock as far as traffic is concerned, and Georgia is one of the fastest growing states, we have to be ready.
Environment. We have made really good progress in cleaning up Georgia's rivers and waterways, but we have to keep at it. I would advocate for more riverkeepers to be on the Natural Resources and Environment committees - like they once were. We need for qualified people to serve on these committees.
it is beneficial but not always necessary for our legislators to have previous experience in government or politics. I happen to have experience working in government and certainly in politics, but sometimes a system is so broken that it needs a completely fresh, new approach. Public opinion polling is at the lowest it has ever been right now for government, so I think the voters are desperate for a new approach.
It is of course important to build relationships with other legislators - we have to work together to modify bills, change language, and eventually put forward bills that stand a chance in the other chamber. Nobody can do it alone.
I want to be the Scott Holcomb of Georgia's Senate. Rep Holcomb is a combat vet who serves in the House right now, and he has a unique ability to get things done - to actually get legislation through that makes a difference in people's lives, in SPITE of being in the minority as a Democrat. I am not coming to the Senate to not get anything done. Infighting hasn't gotten us anywhere.
I haven't even thought of that. I said I ran a close campaign for Mayor in 2021, against an incumbent, and thought I was done with running for elected office until I was recruited to run for Senate Seat 55 by a group of Georgia Senators whom I respect an admire. At this time I am only focused on this race.
My kids go to school with kids who are unhoused,, living in their car. They are straight A students, my kids LOVE these kids dearly, but there is no way that any students in Georgia schools should be unhoused. We have helped this family out with food, I have been helping them get job interviews and get back on their feet, but hearing how their faith has brought them through the most bleak of times has inspired me to be a better person and seek to help people less fortunate than us.
Military humor has gotten me in trouble before, so nope ;-)
Senator Kim Jackson has endorsed me. I have applied for many endorsements but those take time.
Education and Youth.
Veterans, Military and Homeland Security.
Health and Human Services.
Government Oversight.
Sunlight is the best natural disinfectant - our taxpayers deserve sunlight on our budgeting and expenditures. I will strive for transparency.
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.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
Current members of the Georgia State Senate
Leadership
Majority Leader:Jason Anavitarte
Minority Leader:Harold Jones
Senators
District 1
Ben Watson (R)
District 2
Derek Mallow (D)
District 3
Mike Hodges (R)
District 4
Billy Hickman (R)
District 5
Sheikh Rahman (D)
District 6
Matt Brass (R)
District 7
District 8
Russ Goodman (R)
District 9
Nikki Merritt (D)
District 10
Emanuel Jones (D)
District 11
Sam Watson (R)
District 12
Freddie Sims (D)
District 13
Carden Summers (R)
District 14
Josh McLaurin (D)
District 15
Ed Harbison (D)
District 16
Marty Harbin (R)
District 17
Gail Davenport (D)
District 18
John Kennedy (R)
District 19
Blake Tillery (R)
District 20
Larry Walker (R)
District 21
Vacant
District 22
Harold Jones (D)
District 23
Max Burns (R)
District 24
Lee Anderson (R)
District 25
Ricky Williams (R)
District 26
David Lucas (D)
District 27
Greg Dolezal (R)
District 28
Donzella James (D)
District 29
Randy Robertson (R)
District 30
Tim Bearden (R)
District 31
Jason Anavitarte (R)
District 32
Kay Kirkpatrick (R)
District 33
Michael Rhett (D)
District 34
Kenya Wicks (D)
District 35
Vacant
District 36
Nan Orrock (D)
District 37
Ed Setzler (R)
District 38
Rashaun Kemp (D)
District 39
Sonya Halpern (D)
District 40
Sally Harrell (D)
District 41
Kim Jackson (D)
District 42
Brian Strickland (R)
District 43
Tonya Anderson (D)
District 44
Elena Parent (D)
District 45
Clint Dixon (R)
District 46
Bill Cowsert (R)
District 47
Frank Ginn (R)
District 48
Shawn Still (R)
District 49
Drew Echols (R)
District 50
Bo Hatchett (R)
District 51
Steve Gooch (R)
District 52
Chuck Hufstetler (R)
District 53
Colton Moore (R)
District 54
Chuck Payne (R)
District 55
Randal Mangham (D)
District 56
John Albers (R)
Republican Party (32)
Democratic Party (22)
Vacancies (2)
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