Changing the Senatorial Leadership of Georgia

Getting to Know Your Congressional Senators: Georgia

The state of Georgia is extremely diverse, encompassing highly rural areas as well as one of the region's major cities, that of Atlanta. The state, like many in the South, has historically leaned conservative in terms of its political affiliation. Its two senators are Republican, that of the senior senator John Isakson (who has served the state since 1996) and the junior senator David Perdue (who has served the state since 2014). Isakson has a strong conservative voting record on issues such as abortion, affirmative action, and same-sex marriage according to the nonpartisan website On the Issues. He also has a strong pro-business voting record. David Perdue has a similar voting record.

This homogeneity in and of its self is problematic for Georgia. This does not represent Georgia's full diversity as a state, particularly given its significant urban community (which draws both business and tourism) as well as its racial diversity. The fact that the senators oppose both affirmative action and gay rights underline the fact that they do not support the rights of all Georgians and also suggests they embrace more of a trustee model of leadership; they act as advocates for the Republican party, with whom they vote with on the majority of their decisions, according to their legislative records, versus the complex needs of the inhabitants of Georgia. According to On the Issues as well, both senators are on the record as opposing Obamacare and offering healthcare coverage to more Americans through expanding Medicaid, despite the many state residents that depend on this as their primary means of healthcare.

Georgia's demographic composition and politics are in a state of flux and growing more diverse and more liberal. According to Blustein (2015): "A narrow majority of students in Georgia's public schools are now non-white and the data show that the proportion of white children could diminish to about 30% by 2060." African-Americans are more apt to solidly vote Democratic, and in the future there is likely to be a change in the state to favor more liberal candidates. A recent contested House election nearly resulted in a Democrat being elected in what was thought to be a solidly red district (Martin & Fausset 2017).

A final problem with Georgia's current senatorial leadership is its support for environmental rights. Both senators have voted against the power of the EPA to more aggressively protect the environment and given the poor air quality in Georgia's many cities, this is not commensurate with the long-term interests of the state. It is also not in keeping with the direction of the wider world community in support of more aggressive environmental controls.

I would oppose the reelection of both senior and junior senators. Georgia is changing and its leadership should reflect this fact. Georgia also requires more creative solutions to the problems which are affecting it, including a lack of affordable healthcare, and neither senator has offered a truly innovative alternative or fix to the problems they have cited with the ACA, nor has any senator proposed any meaningful programs to preserve jobs and preserve the environment. It is time for a change of vision for Georgia. At very least, one of the state's representatives in the US Senate should offer a more urban perspective that is different from the standardized social and political stances of the Republican party.

References

Blustein, D. (2015). A deeper look at Georgia's fast-changing electorate. AJC. Retrieved from:

http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2015/04/14/a-deeper-look-at-georgias-fast-changing-electorate/

"David Perdue." (2017). On the Issues. Retrieved from:

http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/David_Perdue.htm

"John Isakson." (2017). On the Issues. Retrieved from:

http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Johnny_Isakson.htm

Martin, J. & Fausset, R. (2017). Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, narrowly misses outright win in Georgia House race. The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/19/us/politics/georgia-special-election.html?_r=0