Georgia House Candidates Address Wide Range Of Issues In Forum At Oconee County's Veterans Park

The candidates on Monday night fielded questions on campus carry, healthcare, religious freedom, President Donald Trump and a variety of other matters.

The three candidates running as Republicans in Georgia House District 119 agreed in their responses to most of the questions, while the lone Democrat in the Nov. 7 special election politely differentiated his views from those expressed by the others.

The two candidates running in the special election for the 117th Georgia House District seat, one a Democrat and one a Republican, offered different responses to almost every question asked.

As the forum progressed at Oconee Veterans Park, Republican candidate Houston Gaines criticized his opponent, Deborah Gonzalez, the Athens-Clarke County Democratic Party, and even moderator Russ Page.

In his introductory comments, Gaines had stressed his experience, saying last year at the University of Georgia “I was student body president, where we had the chance to work on real issues and solutions.”

Gonzalez was soft-spoken in her responses, but she firmly challenged Gaines’ assertion that his experience as president of the University of Georgia Student Government last year qualified him for a seat in the General Assembly.

“I was associate vice president at Georgia Perimeter College,” she said. “I worked with the Student Government Association presidents every year. I know what it is from the faculty standpoint, from the student standpoint, from Student Affairs standpoint.”

She left it at that.

For details of the forum, including full videos, go to Oconee County Observations.

Pictured: Citizen Asking Question At Forum.