House District 95
A look at the candidates running for House District 95. 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).
GEOGRAPHIC AREA
- County: Gwinnett and Fulton Counties
- Metro Area/Region: North Atlanta Suburbs
- Cities/Towns/Areas: Norcross, Peachtree Corners, Johns Creek, Berkeley Lake and Duluth
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
- Population: 56,470
- Median Household Income: $64,500
- Education:
- Completed High School 32.8%
- Completed College/Beyond 59.7%
- Race:
- White 50.7%
- Black 21.7%
- Hispanic 12.8%
- Asian 12.3%
POLITICAL AREA
- Congressional District(s): GA-6, GA-7
- GA Senate District: SD-5, SD-40, SD-48 and SD-56,
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
| 2016 | Clinton 49.81% | Trump 45.53% | Margin=D+4.3% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Obama 42.53% | Romney 55.99% | Margin=R+13.5% |
DISTRICT ELECTION RESULTS
| Year | Candidate | Percentage | Vote Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Scott Hilton (R) |
100% | 18,293 |
| None |
N/A | N/A | |
| 2014 | Tom Rice (R) |
62.31% | 9,619 |
| Amreeta Regmi (D) |
37.69% | 5,819 | |
| 2012 | Tom Rice (R) |
59.17% | 12,874 |
| Brooke Siskin (D) |
40.83% | 8,884 |
CANDIDATES
- Incumbent: Scott Hilton (R)
- Campaign Website: votescotthilton.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/ScottHiltonGA
- Twitter: twitter.com@ScottHiltonGA
- Democratic Candidate: Beth B. Moore
- Campaign Website: mooreforgeorgia.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/BethMooreForGeorgia
- Twitter: N/A
FOLLOW THE MONEY
Scott Hilton was unopposed in the general election in 2016 but had a GOP challenger in the primary. He raised $86,060, of which $40,000 was his. In 2014, he raised $86,060 compared to his Democratic rival who raised $19,900.
NOTES AND SUMMARY
In 2016, Clinton outperformed Trump in this district by 4.3%.
In February 2018, testimony before the House Committee on Reapportionment painted District 95 as unconstitutional as the Chattahoochee River divides the district into two non-contiguous parts. The district had been gerrymandered, with the smaller area across the Chattahoochee added to provide additional white Republican voters.
Tom Rice (R) represented the district for over 20 years, winning with about 60 percent of the vote in 2012 and 2014. When he stepped down in 2016, Scott Hilton (R) replaced him, running unopposed. Hilton was immediately appointed deputy Republican whip in the House.
Hilton’s priorities have been to attract business, reduce taxes, crack down on immigration, promote second amendment issues, and “conservative education reforms that expand school choice.”
Beth Moore (D) earned her law degree from Georgia State University and is an entertainment attorney involved in the local film-making and music industries. She has been involved in local progressive politics and, through her marriage to a Republican, is also running on her capacity to bridge divisions.
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).
Scott Hilton (R, Incumbent)
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.
Beth Moore (D)
TOP 3 PRIORITIES IF ELECTED
#1 - Healthcare, because Georgia must provide a pathway to affordable, life-saving health services and prescription drugs for hundreds of thousands of its lower- and middle-income workers and self-employed small business owners. This is a matter of life, death and disability for our friends, family and neighbors, and it requires our immediate action. Addressing the Medicaid coverage gap would also benefit Georgia’s economy. We could return up to $3 billion in tax revenues back into the pockets of hard-working Georgians - money that’s instead going to the 32 other states, like New York and California, that have chosen to expand healthcare access. That increased investment in our state would also create over 50,000 good-paying jobs in the healthcare industry - jobs that can’t be shipped overseas. #2 - Protecting Women's Reproductive Rights, because the medical decisions surrounding pregnancy should be made solely and confidentially between a woman and her doctor and are of no business to anyone else, especially the government. It is unfortunate that in 2018 politicians are still debating whether or not human beings should have agency over their own bodies. Furthermore, as a public health matter, I support the expansion of access to reproductive healthcare (including Planned Parenthood), age-appropriate sex education, sexual assault awareness and prevention, and birth control options, in order to empower individuals and families to make informed and responsible choices about their bodies. #3 - Public Transportation, because Atlanta is long overdue for a comprehensive strategy to combat our unsustainable traffic problems, which can only be solved through local and regional infrastructure coordination. By expanding high-capacity rail, rapid bus transit, the Beltline and other transportation alternatives, we can improve the quality of life for Atlanta’s five million residents, students and commuters, both now and for generations to come. The disastrous I-85 bridge collapse, which effectively isolated large portions of north Atlanta from vital downtown services, should serve as an example of why expanded, diverse and functional mass transit options are essential. Investment in public transportation can also positively impact the environment, property values, job creation and tourism. If Atlanta wants to be able to keep and attract talent and resources, we must compete with other major cities like New York and Boston which offer robust public transportation options.
DO YOU SUPPORT LEGISLATION THAT WOULD PREVENT BUSINESS OWNERS AND EMPLOYERS FROM DENYING SERVICES TO LGBTQ PEOPLE AND OTHERS BASED ON THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS?
Yes. Our country is founded on the principle of all men and women are created equal. As a fundamental element of human rights, all people deserve equal protection under the law and equal standing for reception of products and services. It’s important, too, to recall that some justification for Jim Crow laws was also steeped in a “religious freedom” narrative. It is no different than Jim Crow for minorities, and LGBTQ people deserve protection to ensure that they cannot be fired from a job or denied services based on something that is innate to the individual.
DO YOU SUPPORT ENDING CASH BAIL FOR LOW-LEVEL OFFENSES?
Yes. No one should be denied freedom because of his or her inability to pay cash for bail. Not only does that create a civil rights issue, locking up low-level offenders also compounds the economic issue by imperiling the offender's employment status and by increasing operating costs to detention centers. Even the American Bar Association recommends major reformations in the cash-bail system. Cash bail violates both of these concepts enshrined within the Constitution, discriminating who goes free based on who can purchase their freedom. This disproportionally affects young people, the poor and people of color. The ABA has called for the elimination or significant reduction of cash bail. Furthermore, cash bail can cause or perpetuate the cycle of poverty for the majority of those defendants who cannot afford to pay it. As such, it’s essential to follow the ABA’s recommendation by eliminating or significantly reducing instances of cash bail in the state of Georgia.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE CREATION OF A NON-PARTISAN INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION?
Yes. We have to find a better solution to fair redistricting with buy-in from all stakeholders. We shouldn’t place that power exclusively into the hands of politicians who stand to win or lose based on the results. This is a sin both parties have committed during their respective terms of majority, and as such, we need to appoint control of redistricting to an independent commission. My hope is that an independent commission will draw district lines that follow a clear, contiguous and geographically meaningful path.
WOULD YOU SUPPORT AN ENGLISH-ONLY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT IF IT WERE ON THE BALLOT?
No. We are a nation of immigrants. Many of us live in multilingual homes, learn in multilingual schools, and work in multilingual businesses. An English-only constitutional amendment is an unnecessary and mean-spirited attempt to restrict the ability of state and local governments to communicate with its residents and to accommodate the unique cultural make-up of our communities.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE RIGHT OF WORKERS TO FORM A UNION AND BARGAIN COLLECTIVELY?
Yes. By any objective measure, unionized workers are happier, healthier and enjoy better wages than their non-unionized counterparts. Workers covered by collective bargaining are 18.3 percent more likely to have health insurance benefits and 22.5 percent more likely to have retirement benefits. I support the right of all workers to freely assemble and unionize, whether they’re actors, electricians, teachers or police.
DID YOU/DO YOU SUPPORT GUNS ON CAMPUS?
No. Guns do not belong on school campuses in Georgia, except in the hands of professionally trained security personnel. Investing in greater security and technology will do more to curb violence in schools than arming students or faculty. The increased availability and presence of guns dramatically increases the amount of injuries and deaths for everyone, not just criminals. It is essential - for the protection of all - that those who carry weapons inside of our public institutions meet a higher standard of competency than the current concealed carry licensing laws in Georgia require, which merely entails fingerprinting and a background check, as opposed to other states which require training and safety education.
DO YOU SUPPORT ELECTRICITY RATE INCREASES TO COMPLETE TWO NUCLEAR REACTORS AT PLANT VOGTLE?
No. While I support a financially responsible plan for completing construction of the remaining reactors, we cannot let Georgia Power’s poor business practices be shouldered exclusively by Georgia taxpayers, as that only encourages further irresponsibility.
DO YOU SUPPORT CHANGING GEORGIA'S VOTING SYSTEM TO A VOTER-MARKED (PEN OR PENCIL) PAPER BALLOT WITH OPTICAL SCANNERS?
No. While I do believe we need a verifiable, auditable papertrail, one benefit of preserving the electronic voting system is that we can track fraudulent activity that may occur by bad actors and hold them accountable. I support a system which provides both highly secured electronic ballots plus an auditable, analog papertrail to ensure the integrity of our elections.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE EXPANSION OF EARLY VOTING?
Yes. I support contiguous early voting, especially in high-population areas like Gwinnett and Fulton counties. I also support the dissemination of voter education guides and mail-in ballots. After extremely long lines in the 2016 election, Gwinnett County set aside additional necessary funds to extend early voting to Saturdays and Sundays in order to accommodate the unique needs of the community, so I was disappointed to see legislators attempt to limit Gwinnett’s expansion efforts. I welcome all reasonable measures designed to increase voter turnout, rather than those which tacitly or expressly attempt to suppress it.
DO YOU SUPPORT PUBLIC VOUCHERS BEING USED FOR PRIVATE AND/OR CHARTER SCHOOLS?
No. I support keeping public money in public schools, including public charter schools. I am opposed to diverting public money into private or religious schools, especially as the latter may violate the First Amendment. There is an example of school choice in House District 95 that I emphatically support. In 2018, our community will celebrate the opening of the Paul Duke STEM school, which will allow students to choose between attending a more traditional campus like Norcross High School or a more technology-centered curriculum offered by the STEM school. This type of school choice doesn’t take money away from public education but does introduce diversity into the public education system.
DO YOU SUPPORT MEDICAID EXPANSION OR ANOTHER GEORGIA-SPECIFIC PLAN TO EXTEND HEALTH INSURANCE TO LOW-INCOME GEORGIANS?
Yes. It is imperative for Georgia to close the Medicaid Gap, which consists of 240,000 Georgians who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid in its current form but not enough to qualify for subsidies under the federal health insurance exchange. Ensuring affordable access to life-saving medical care is not only a moral imperative, it is the financially responsible choice. By not implementing a plan to ensure coverage for all Georgians, we have denied ourselves the beneficial return of $3 billion per year in federal tax revenues. Instead, our tax revenues are being diverted to the 32 other states and District of Columbia that have chosen to expand Medicaid and implement a statewide healthcare exchange. Additionally, Medicaid expansion could have helped prevent the closure of six rural hospitals in Georgia. Those closures now threaten the livelihoods of entire rural areas of our state. By closing the Medicaid Gap, Georgia could gain up to 56,000 healthcare jobs and add $6.5 billion per year in additional economic activity.
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. Abortion and reproductive freedom are constitutionally settled issues. Greater access to birth control and comprehensive sex education are the best ways to prevent unplanned pregnancies and, consequently, abortions, as proven by numerous studies. Furthermore, abortion and birth control are not just choices that women and families sometimes have to make; they are oftentimes medical necessities. These highly personal, individual decisions are best left to women and their doctors.
WOULD YOU SUPPORT EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN SOCIAL SECURITY FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE RETIREES AND PUT THE PROGRAM ON A MORE STABLE FISCAL PATH?
Yes. I support any reasonable, responsible effort to make Social Security more solvent for future generations.
DO YOU SUPPORT A LIVABLE WAGE OF A MINIMUM OF $15 PER HOUR?
Yes. I support gradually raising the federal and state minimum wage over time, not all at once. One immediate benefit of simply having this renewed conversation about the minimum wage is that it has encouraged several major corporations, like Target, Walmart, Costco and others, to reconsider their minimum wage policies and to voluntarily raise wages. A low minimum wage means that corporations are indirectly subsidized by the taxpayer when their employees have to rely on public assistance. It’s time to hold corporations accountable for the true cost of employment.