House District 117
GEOGRAPHIC AREA
- County: Barrow, Clarke, Jackson, Oconee counties
- Metro Area/Region: Athens, Atlanta, Jefferson
- Cities/Towns/Areas: Arcade, Statham, Bogart
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
- Population: 53,028
- Median Household Income: $44,400
- Education:
- Completed High School 42%
- Completed College/Beyond 45%
- Race:
- White 69%
- Black 17%
- Hispanic 8%
- Asian 4%
POLITICAL AREA
- Congressional District(s): GA-9, GA-10
- GA Senate District: SD-46 and SD-47
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
| 2016 | Clinton 46% | Trump 49% | Margin=R+3% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Obama 44% | Romney 54% | Margin=R+10% |
DISTRICT ELECTION RESULTS
| Year | Candidate | Percentage | Vote Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Special Election | Deborah Gonzalez (D) |
53.1% | 3,999 |
| Houston Gaines (R) |
46.9% | 3,525 | |
| 2016 | Regina Quick (R) |
100% | 18,374 |
| None (D) |
N/A | N/A | |
| 2014 | Regina Quick (R) |
100% | 18,904 |
| None (D) |
N/A | N/A | |
| 2012 | Regina Quick (R) |
100% | 15,482 |
| None (D) |
N/A | N/A |
CANDIDATES
- Incumbent: Deborah Gonzalez (D)
- Campaign Website: votedeborahgonzalez.com/
- Facebook: facebook.com/DG4GA/
- Twitter: twitter.com/dg4ga?lang=en
- Republican Candidate: Houston Gaines
- Campaign Website: houstongaines.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/gainesforstatehouse
- Twitter: twitter.com/@houstongaines
FOLLOW THE MONEY
During the 2017 special election, Deborah Gonzalez raised $56.629; over half was from uncoded contributions, and she contributed $5,000. Her opponent raised $202,951.
Quick raised $111,000 during her four election cycles.
NOTES AND SUMMARY
Regina Quick was named a Superior Court Judge by Gov. Nathan Deal in 2017 and resigned from her House seat. A special election to replace her was held Nov. 7, 2017. The seat flipped from Republican to Democrat when Deborah Gonzalez won this seat by 6 percentage points (474 votes) despite being outspent almost 4 to 1.
HD 117 was gerrymandered in 2012 by the Republican majority. The district has continued to tilt more Democratic, however, with Trump beating Clinton by only 3 points in 2016, and further evidenced by Deborah Gonzalez’s victory in 2017.
Gonzalez has been an attorney for almost 20 years, focusing on media/entertainment and social media/technology. She also has organized numerous pro bono clinics. She has been a strong advocate working for child protection issues, against sexual trafficking, and has been an active participant in many progressive efforts, events and organizations.
Republican Houston Gaines will be running against Gonzalez again in 2018. Gaines, who is a relatively recent graduate from UGA, was the campaign manager for Athens Mayor Nancy Denson (former Democrat). Denson publicly supported Gaines, which led to the ACC Democratic Committee removing her from her post for violating its bylaws. The race also included some comments by Gaines that many saw as racist “dog whistles.” Gaines enters the race with over $100,000 cash on hand, significantly more than Gonzalez. Fundraising will be key to protecting this district.
A look at the candidates running for House District 117. All statements, answers, and information found within the 159 Georgia Together voter guide were collected via an electronic survey. Due to the sheer volume of information collected and the number of candidates that submitted survey data, all of the information presented in the guide is verbatim per the input from the survey participants (including any spelling or grammatical errors).
Deborah Gonzales (D, Incumbent)
TOP 3 PRIORITIES IF ELECTED
1. Simple Affordable Healthcare - we need healthy people so we can be productive and take care of our children and our community without the hassles and high costs so many are experiencing today. 2. Education and Safety - we need to reinvest in our public schools and ensure every child gets a quality education that will prepare them to be fully engaged in the workforce as well as in their government. We need to make sure our children are safe. 3. Economic Security - We need to ensure at the minimum a living wage and to take seriously our commitment to ending poverty born out of generational systemic circumstances by implementing action not just rhetoric.
DO YOU SUPPORT LEGISLATION THAT WOULD PREVENT BUSINESS OWNERS AND EMPLOYERS FROM DENYING SERVICES TO LGBTQ PEOPLE AND OTHERS BASED ON THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS?
No. I will not support any legislation that makes it legal to discriminate against anyone. I was proud to vote "No" on a bill this GA session that would a "Religious Freedom" justification for adoption agencies to discriminate against same sex couples.
DO YOU SUPPORT ENDING CASH BAIL FOR LOW-LEVEL OFFENSES?
Yes. Wealth-based detention is not acceptable. No one should be left in jail because they are poor - that in no way helps them or society. I was proud to vote "Yes" not his past criminal reform bill that included reforms for bail and to strongly oppose another bill that would have gone the opposite way on bail reform.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE CREATION OF A NON-PARTISAN INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION?
Yes. We need a non-partisan independent redistricting commission to ensure that all votes count and that true representation of a community's values is achieved.
WOULD YOU SUPPORT AN ENGLISH-ONLY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT IF IT WERE ON THE BALLOT?
No. I was in strong opposition to an English-only bill that was presented this pass session. These types of bills only serve to divide the community and make my state unwelcoming for immigrants who contribute significantly to our society.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE RIGHT OF WORKERS TO FORM A UNION AND BARGAIN COLLECTIVELY?
Yes. We need workers to be able to come together to protect their rights, esp. with an administration that is very pro-management and is systematically eliminating essential rights for all citizens.
DID YOU/DO YOU SUPPORT GUNS ON CAMPUS?
No. I have been very vocal in my opposition to having guns where they do not belong. Educational institutions are for learning. Anything that disrupts that should not be allowed on campus.
DO YOU SUPPORT ELECTRICITY RATE INCREASES TO COMPLETE TWO NUCLEAR REACTORS AT PLANT VOGTLE?
No. This was a failed project and I do not believe we need to put in additional funds when the Return on Investment is null.
DO YOU SUPPORT CHANGING GEORGIA'S VOTING SYSTEM TO A VOTER-MARKED (PEN OR PENCIL) PAPER BALLOT WITH OPTICAL SCANNERS?
Yes. Not only do I support this, but our citizens are demanding it. We need to ensure integrity and security of our votes and voting processes.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE EXPANSION OF EARLY VOTING?
Yes. We must provide as much flexibility to citizens for them to be able to cast their votes for those who will represent them. The more people engaged in the process the more democratic it is.
DO YOU SUPPORT PUBLIC VOUCHERS BEING USED FOR PRIVATE AND/OR CHARTER SCHOOLS?
No. If a parent wishes to put their children in private schools they have every right to do so but it should be at their expense. We cannot continue to take the limited funds we have for education and not put them in the public school systems that have only this funding stream.
DO YOU SUPPORT MEDICAID EXPANSION OR ANOTHER GEORGIA-SPECIFIC PLAN TO EXTEND HEALTH INSURANCE TO LOW-INCOME GEORGIANS?
Yes. I was proud to have co-sponsored a bill in the 2018 session to expand medicaid. This expansion would provide much needed resources for the thousands of Georgians who are currently uninsured or underinsured. It would also provide needed resources for our rural hospitals.
WILL YOU SUPPORT POLICIES AND LEGISLATION THAT INCREASE ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE, INCLUDING ABORTION, AND OPPOSE POLICIES AND LEGISLATION THAT LIMIT OR REDUCE ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE, INCLUDING ABORTION?
Yes. Reproductive justice is much more than just the abortion question. It affects all aspects of a woman's life including economic stability. A woman should have every right to control what happens to her body so as not to be oppressed. As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has said "I ask of my brethren that they take their foot off our necks."
WOULD YOU SUPPORT EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN SOCIAL SECURITY FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE RETIREES AND PUT THE PROGRAM ON A MORE STABLE FISCAL PATH?
Yes. Social Security is something that everyone pays into. It is one of the last social nets we have and we need to protect and strengthen it.
DO YOU SUPPORT A LIVABLE WAGE OF A MINIMUM OF $15 PER HOUR?
Yes. I also support that a living wage may be more than $15 depending on where you live. This is one of my priorities. I introduced legislation last session to study this question for my state and I look forward to continuing that work.
Houston Gaines (R)
TOP 3 PRIORITIES IF ELECTED
No response yet
DO YOU SUPPORT LEGISLATION THAT WOULD PREVENT BUSINESS OWNERS AND EMPLOYERS FROM DENYING SERVICES TO LGBTQ PEOPLE AND OTHERS BASED ON THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS?
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT ENDING CASH BAIL FOR LOW-LEVEL OFFENSES?
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE CREATION OF A NON-PARTISAN INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION?
No response yet.
WOULD YOU SUPPORT AN ENGLISH-ONLY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT IF IT WERE ON THE BALLOT?
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE RIGHT OF WORKERS TO FORM A UNION AND BARGAIN COLLECTIVELY?
No response yet.
DID YOU/DO YOU SUPPORT GUNS ON CAMPUS?
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT ELECTRICITY RATE INCREASES TO COMPLETE TWO NUCLEAR REACTORS AT PLANT VOGTLE?
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT CHANGING GEORGIA'S VOTING SYSTEM TO A VOTER-MARKED (PEN OR PENCIL) PAPER BALLOT WITH OPTICAL SCANNERS?
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE EXPANSION OF EARLY VOTING?
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT PUBLIC VOUCHERS BEING USED FOR PRIVATE AND/OR CHARTER SCHOOLS?
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT MEDICAID EXPANSION OR ANOTHER GEORGIA-SPECIFIC PLAN TO EXTEND HEALTH INSURANCE TO LOW-INCOME GEORGIANS?
No response yet.
WILL YOU SUPPORT POLICIES AND LEGISLATION THAT INCREASE ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE, INCLUDING ABORTION, AND OPPOSE POLICIES AND LEGISLATION THAT LIMIT OR REDUCE ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE, INCLUDING ABORTION?
No response yet.
WOULD YOU SUPPORT EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN SOCIAL SECURITY FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE RETIREES AND PUT THE PROGRAM ON A MORE STABLE FISCAL PATH?
No response yet.
DO YOU SUPPORT A LIVABLE WAGE OF A MINIMUM OF $15 PER HOUR?
No response yet.