Voter Guide: Georgia Senate District 56

John Albers (R) (I)

Name: Senator John Albers

Occupation: Executive & Business Owner

Party: Republican

Age: 51

Residence: Roswell currently, formerly Woodstock

Family: spouse, children: Wife Kari, 2 adult sons Will & Ryan

Education/military service: Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Leadership from the University of Louisville. Senator Albers also graduated from the University of Georgia, Legislative Leadership Institute, and the Cybersecurity program at Harvard University. Firefighter/EMT

Have you served in elected office before: Yes, current Senator

Campaign website: www.SenatorAlbers.com

Why are you running for office?

To continue to serve the families of my district and state. I have served in the Senate for the past 14 years passing significant legislation. As the Chairman of Public Safety, subcommittee Chairman of Appropriations, vice Chairman of Finance and member of the Rules, Regulated Industries and Government Oversight committees I am best positioned to help and support Cobb, Fulton, and Cherokee County. I work closely with city, school, and county elected officials and assure we are making a meaningful impact for families. I bring a business approach to our state and limited government perspective. My affiliations include numerous boards of directors for business, civic and charitable organizations. I am a fourth-generation firefighter that served for over 30 years as a volunteer and my son continues the family legacy as a 5th generation first responder.

I am an organ donor and gave a kidney to my son in 2021. After the donation, I passed the Giving the Gift of Life Act and became a national advocate for organ donation. I have been named the legislator of the year, legislative champion and other awards over 20 times by Veterans, First Responders, Business Organizations, Local Governments, Schools, Special Needs organizations, etc.

What is the greatest challenge your constituents face that elected office would allow you to address? How would you address it?

Public safety will always be my top concern. I was proud to sponsor the criminal illegal alien bill in the Senate to secure Georgia as much as possible from the border crisis. Even with 40+ year inflation from Washington DC, we need to continue to help our families and small businesses in Georgia. As a fiscal hawk, I will continue to assure a return on investment for all state tax dollars. Protecting children is very important, especially during these times.

We must resist the socialistic approaches taken by the west coast and northeastern states. We are blessed in Georgia with some of the lowest unemployment in the nation and need to preserve our status as the best place to live, work, play, and raise a family.

Should Georgia expand Medicaid? Why?

No, Medicaid is a broken program and cannot sustain long-term. Georgia has created a Pathways program which allows for healthcare coverage while adding important work requirements. Access to healthcare and insurance are two separate issues. Focusing on healthcare outcomes, best practices and using the private marketplace is the right solution while looking at ways to reduce the cost of ever-increasing costs.

Should Georgia join states like Tennessee and Florida and eliminate its income tax?

Yes, and we have continued to lower the income tax year over year in Georgia. We are taxed too much from every level of government. Hardworking Georgians deserve a break and eliminating the income tax for a Fair Tax is the right answer.

JD Jordan (D)

Name: JD Jordan

Occupation: Product design consultant

Party: Democrat

Age: 47

Residence: Roswell

Hometown: Sandy Springs

Family: Ellie Jordan (wife) and children: Lily (18), Matthew (17), Jack (16), Sean (15), and Malcolm (13)

Education/military service: Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School (HS), Hampden-Sydney College (BA, History), University of St Andrews, University of Georgia (MA, US-Middle East Foreign Policy History)

Have you served in elected office before: No

Campaign website: www.forthe56.com

Why are you running for office?

My wife and I have always taught our kids to embrace their true selves, fostering countless meaningful conversations and experiences. This ethos provided our two transgender children the room to explore their identities. But when our state senator sponsored an anti-trans bill—jeopardizing crucial healthcare options for trans youth—it directly threatened my kids. Despite reaching out, I was met with silence. Trans rights aren’t niche; they’re integral to our family’s well-being and indicative of broader dangers. Our incumbent senator’s attack on my kids’ healthcare freedoms reveals how fragile all our freedoms are in the face of ignorance and a lack of empathy.

For anyone in East Cobb, Roswell, or Woodstock alarmed by the state’s escalating attacks on our bodies, our families, our doctors’ offices, our classrooms and libraries, even our polling places, I’m running for state senate district 56 to fight for our freedoms and to deliver a better future for everyone in Georgia. And unlike my opponent who’s spent 14 years rolling back our freedoms, failing to safeguard our kids, and gerrymandering his district to stay in office, I promise to bring everyone in the 56—regardless of ideology—the best possible constituent experience so you feel heard, valued, and supported.

What is the greatest challenge your constituents face that elected office would allow you to address? How would you address it?

Georgia is a great place to live and work for many of us. But—whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, or Independent—there’s so much we could do better. As your Georgia State Senator, my first priority would be to roll back big-government intrusions into our personal lives—so-called Culture War legislation—by securing LGBTQ equality, restoring reproductive rights, and making our state and schools more accessible and safer for kids of all ages and identities by putting education back in the hands of professional educators and librarians and by introducing gun-safety measures designed to keep guns off campuses. I also promise to bring a people-first (constituent experience) approach to governance that prioritizes communication, transparency, and engagement while being a good steward of our state’s time and money by prioritizing issues that matter most—something tragically lacking in our district.

Should Georgia expand Medicaid? Why?

Yes—physical and mental healthcare access is the base upon which our economic and judicial systems depend. And wider access to healthcare is good for business and good for the budget. Georgia currently ranks worst in the country for healthcare (Forbes), our maternal mortality rate is among the worst in the nation (National Center for Health Statistics), and we’re one of only ten states that haven’t fully expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. What’s more, Gov. Kemp’s “Pathways to Coverage” partial Medicaid expansion has only brought in 3,500 people since its launch last July and, of its $26 million in state costs, over 90% went to administration and consultants (and grift, I’d wager) instead of patient outcomes (KFF Health News).

Should Georgia join states like Tennessee and Florida and eliminate its income tax?

No—Georgia is currently operating with a surplus, which is great, but a surplus is always temporary—even when they’re not tied to direct and indirect federal Covid stimulus. There are a multitude of under-funded state programs (e.g., teacher pay, universal preK) as well as currently unforeseen future expenses that argue for maintaining Georgia’s current revenue streams to better pay for today and budget for the future. Eliminating income taxes most profoundly benefits the top of the income spectrum while shifting the burden of state revenues to everyone else. And compared with flat-tax alternatives, income taxes do a better job of collecting revenues from those able to pay while refunding (or never collecting) monies from those least able.