House District 79
GEOGRAPHIC AREA
- County: DeKalb County
- Metro Area/Region: Atlanta Area
- Cities/Towns/Areas: Chamblee, Doraville, Dunwoody and Peachtree Corners
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
- Population: 53,417
- Median Household Income: $67,200
- Education:
- Completed High School 25.1%
- Completed College/Beyond 66.6%
- Race:
- White 60.5%
- Black 12.6%
- Hispanic 12.8%
- Asian 12.4%
POLITICAL AREA
- Congressional District(s): GA-6
- GA Senate District: SD-40
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
| 2016 | Clinton 52.42% | Trump 42.92% | Margin=D+9.5% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Obama 41.91% | Romney 56.52% | Margin=R+14.6% |
DISTRICT ELECTION RESULTS
| Year | Candidate | Percentage | Vote Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Tom Taylor (R) |
100% | 18,108 |
| None |
N/A | N/A | |
| 2014 | Tom Taylor (R) |
100% | 12,390 |
| None |
N/A | N/A | |
| 2012 | Tom Taylor (R) |
100% | 17,065 |
| None |
N/A | N/A |
CANDIDATES
- Republican Candidate: Ken Wright (R)
- Campaign Website: wrightforstatehouse.com
- Facebook: N/A
- Twitter: twitter.com/KenWrightGA
- Democratic Candidate: Mike Wilensky (D)
- Campaign Website: WilenskyforGa.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/WilenskyforGA/
- Twitter: twitter.com/@WilenskyforGA
FOLLOW THE MONEY
Rep. Tom Taylor has held public office since 2012 and has run unopposed 2012-2016. He raised a total of $222,198 during his three campaigns.
NOTES AND SUMMARY
Outgoing Republican Tom Taylor was known as one of the "Birthers" in the State Legislature. In April of 2016 (before the election but after qualifying) Taylor was arrested for a DUI, with a blood alcohol level of three times the legal limit and had four juveniles as passengers. Despite this, he won the Republican primary that year. A Georgia Ethics watchdog group issued a call for him to withdraw from the race. He refused and, since no Democrat had filed to run in opposition, he was unopposed in the general election.
2018 Republican candidate Ken Wright served as the first mayor of Dunwoody and was among the leaders of the campaign to incorporate Dunwoody as a city. He is a health care IT entrepreneur, who is an advocate for public transit and transportation improvements and reducing taxes.
Democratic candidate Mike Wilensky is a small business owner and attorney, representing cases against large insurance companies. He graduated cum laude from the University of Georgia, earned his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law, and served as a federal law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Richard D. Bennett. Priorities are economic growth, transit needs, and ensuring all Georgians have affordable, quality health care.
Hillary Clinton won this district by 9.5 percentage points.
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).
Ken Wright (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.
Michael Wilensky (D)
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.