Senate District 40
GEOGRAPHIC AREA
- County: DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties
- Metro Area/Region: Atlanta Area
- Cities/Towns/Areas: Brookhaven, Chamblee, Doraville, Dunwoody, Norcross, Peachtree Corners, Roswell and Sandy Springs
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
- Population: 175,615
- Median Household Income: $65,000
- Education:
- Completed High School 28.8%
- Completed College/Beyond 59.4%
- Race:
- White 55.1%
- Black 15%
- Hispanic 19%
- Asian 8.8%
POLITICAL AREA
- Congressional District(s): GA-6, GA-7
- GA House Districts: HD-51, HD-79, HD--80, HD-81, HD-87, HD-88 and HD-95
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
| 2016 | Clinton 54.01% | Trump 41.15% | Margin=D+12.9% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Obama 44.12% | Romney 54.27% | Margin=R+10.1% |
District Election Results
| Year | Candidate | Percentage | Vote Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Fran Millar (R) |
56.19% | 42,050 |
| Tamara Johnson-Shealey (D) |
43.81% | 32,785 | |
| 2014 | Fran Millar (R) |
62.6% | 30,705 |
| Tamara Johnson (D) |
37.4% | 18,339 | |
| 2012 | Fran Millar (R) |
100% | 51,614 |
| None (D) |
N/A | N/A |
CANDIDATES
- Incumbent: Fran Millar (R)
- Campaign Website: senatorfranmillar.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/millar.ga
- Twitter: twitter.com/@Fran_Millar
- Democratic Candidate: Sally Harrell
- Campaign Website: sallyharrell.org
- Facebook: facebook.com/sallyharrellga
- Twitter: twitter.com/sallyharrellga
- Democratic Candidate: Tamara Johnson-Shealey
- Campaign Website: tamaraforgeorgia.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/TamaraForGeorgia
- Twitter: twitter.com/TamaraForGA
FOLLOW THE MONEY
In 2016 alone, the conservative winner out-raised his progressive opponent $235,303 to $15,837 (and yet only won by 10,000 votes). Sen. Fran Millar gave his campaign $19,350. Wine and Spirits Wholesalers, Coca-Cola and multiple medical associations, were his top donors.
Progressive Tamara Johnson-Shealey had mostly individual donors with $250 contributions. In 2016, she raised $15,837.
As of Jan. 21, Sally Harrell had raised $116,447.63 and Johnson-Shealey had raised $11,274.83.
NOTES AND SUMMARY
The conservative candidate for 2018 is incumbent Fran Millar (R). He has represented the district since 2010. In 2014, Millar sparked outrage when he suggested that he opposed new Sunday voting hours because they’d primarily benefit African-Americans — then went on to say that he simply “would prefer more educated voters.”
Millar also made the widely quoted statement from the Ossoff race in 2017 admitting gerrymandering: “I’ll be very blunt: These lines were not drawn to get Hank Johnson’s protégé to be my representative. And you didn’t hear that,” and “They were not drawn for that purpose, OK? They were not drawn for that purpose.”
Also in 2017, Millar was accused of engaging in money laundering activities for Congressman Buddy Carter. He holds powerful offices in the state Senate: Higher Education (chair), Health and Human Services (secretary), Rules (secretary).
Sally Harrell (D) served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1999-2005, representing part of DeKalb County. She served on the Education, Human Relations & Aging, Children & Youth, and Appropriations Committees (Health Sub-Committee). She was also executive director of the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia. She has a bachelor’s from Georgia State University and a master’s in Social Work from the University of Georgia. Her campaign is fueled to a great extent by those who had worked in the Jon Ossoff campaign.
Tamara Johnson-Shealey (D) was the Democratic candidate in 2014 and 2016. She has a B.S. in computer information systems from DeVry and an Onyxologist Diploma from the International School of Skin and Nails. She has served as an advocate for the professional beauty association at the Georgia General Assembly. Her earlier runs helped build a base in the district which many believe encouraged the Democratic party to take greater notice of the district.
Hillary Clinton won this district by 14 percent.
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).
Fran Millar (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.
Sally Harrell (D)
TOP 3 PRIORITIES IF ELECTED
My top three priorities are education, healthcare and the environment. Our K-12 public education system needs to be fully funded, restoring cuts made since 2008 and before, and reversing the trend toward sending public dollars to private schools. Pre-school, college and technical schools need to be made affordable. Medicaid needs to be expanded to save our failing healthcare system state-wide. And perhaps most urgently, we need to slow the destruction of our environment by investing in innovative, clean energy solutions, especially in the area of regional traffic planning.
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. One of the fundamental values for good government is that it is inclusive. Private business is dependent on government to provide the infrastructure for a successful economy, as well as the enforcement of contracts. Therefore, good government should require that businesses operate from a place of full inclusiveness. If this necessitates the passage of a Civil Rights bill for Georgia, then I'd like to see that happen.
DO YOU SUPPORT ENDING CASH BAIL FOR LOW-LEVEL OFFENSES?
Yes. As disparities in wealth widen and the working class becomes poorer, cash bail for low-level offenses becomes an inordinate burden on the poor, threatening their constitutional rights.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE CREATION OF A NON-PARTISAN INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION?
Yes. Extreme gerrymandering is threatening our democracy and needs to be taken out of the hands of the legislature. That being said, we need to look carefully at what structures for non-partisan, independent commissions have worked best for states that have enacted them. Even outside the legislature, the politics of redistricting can be extremely tricky. We need to be smart about this.
WOULD YOU SUPPORT AN ENGLISH-ONLY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT IF IT WERE ON THE BALLOT?
No. Refusing to print government documents in languages other than English does not help people assimilate. In fact, I would argue that it does the opposite.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE RIGHT OF WORKERS TO FORM A UNION AND BARGAIN COLLECTIVELY?
Yes. Unions have served an important role throughout the history of America, helping to correct wealth disparities that seem to come in cycles. We now find ourselves in another cycle of depressed wages, even in a good economy. We need more access to Unions for more workers.
DID YOU/DO YOU SUPPORT GUNS ON CAMPUS?
No. As a parent of high school students attending classes daily on a college campus, I personally feel my family is less safe since campus carry passed. I'm sure I am not alone.
DO YOU SUPPORT ELECTRICITY RATE INCREASES TO COMPLETE TWO NUCLEAR REACTORS AT PLANT VOGTLE?
No. I have consistently heard voters complain about the wasteful and inefficient spending on Plant Vogtle at their expense. We need a stronger Public Service Commission and we need to hold legislators accountable.
DO YOU SUPPORT CHANGING GEORGIA'S VOTING SYSTEM TO A VOTER-MARKED (PEN OR PENCIL) PAPER BALLOT WITH OPTICAL SCANNERS?
Yes. Trust in the integrity of our elections is central to a successful democracy and many voters have communicated to me their distrust in our current equipment.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE EXPANSION OF EARLY VOTING?
Yes. Modern people have busy lives. To have a healthy democracy, voting needs to be made easier, not harder. Technology allows many options for making voting easier, but we are not taking advantage of those options. One has to suspect partisan motives.
DO YOU SUPPORT PUBLIC VOUCHERS BEING USED FOR PRIVATE AND/OR CHARTER SCHOOLS?
No. School funding has not kept pace with needs. Every time we allow public tax dollars to be used for private schools and for-profit initiatives, we weaken our public system to the point where public education's ability to accomplish its mission is jeopardized.
DO YOU SUPPORT MEDICAID EXPANSION OR ANOTHER GEORGIA-SPECIFIC PLAN TO EXTEND HEALTH INSURANCE TO LOW-INCOME GEORGIANS?
Yes. Accepting federal dollars to expand Medicaid will result in better access to healthcare for people across the state, and will help local economies through increased jobs.
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. Women need to be in control of their own reproductive healthcare, making careful, personal decisions within their own system of support.
WOULD YOU SUPPORT EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN SOCIAL SECURITY FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE RETIREES AND PUT THE PROGRAM ON A MORE STABLE FISCAL PATH?
Yes. Saving for retirement has become more difficult for middle class families, as healthcare and educational expenses have skyrocketed, and pensions have disappeared. If we don't strengthen social security, we will have a crisis of poverty on our hands within two decades.
DO YOU SUPPORT A LIVABLE WAGE OF A MINIMUM OF $15 PER HOUR?
Yes. Increasing the minimum wage to $15/hr will help to reduce the growing wealth disparity. Anyone who works hard at a full-time job should be able to live comfortably on a reasonable budget that includes enough money for food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, and enough disposal income to have some fun, and save for emergencies and retirement.