State Rep Candidate Nick Mitchell works the Fair, talks issues

CLARKESVILLE, Ga. — Nick Mitchell, the Democratic candidate for state representative in Georgia’s 8^th District, worked at the Democratic Party booth at the Chattahoochee Mountain Fair in Clarkesville on Monday night along with two other volunteers.  He spoke with the occasional fair attendee as families trickled by the booth, which included a wheel children could spin to answer questions about sports, government, and space and win prizes and candy.

The 8^th district covers all of Towns and Union Counties, and parts of White and Rabun Counties.

Asked about his campaign priorities, Mitchell said, “The overarching issue is moving our state government from focusing on supporting big corporations to supporting working people.” As an example, he cited the state minimum wage of $5.15 an hour, “which has not been touched since 1997; it is abysmally low, even with the federal government bumping it up.  It is impossible to live on,” he said.

Mitchell said he supports more state financial support for families paying for elder care and childcare, so that people’s paychecks can go toward other necessities. He’d also like to see funding for universal pre-school across the state.

Medicaid Expansion

Regarding healthcare, often cited as one of voters’ biggest concerns, Mitchell said, “I’m an adamant supporter of Medicaid expansion. We have had an opportunity to provide access to healthcare to hundreds of thousands of Georgians with a simple vote. Folks across the country support it, and we refuse it,” because of Republican opposition, he said.

“It’s a Keisha Bottoms priority, too, so we can get it done,” he said. Bottoms, former mayor of Atlanta, is the Democratic candidate for governor.

Mitchell’s opponent, incumbent Stan Gunter, doesn’t state on his website whether he favors Medicaid expansion, though he generally expresses support to “increase well-care and prevention resources for families across the community.” Now, Georgia left voicemail and email messages for Gunter asking about his position on Medicaid expansion. As of publication, he has not responded.

Mitchell, 33, is the youth pastor of Nacoochee Presbyterian Church and works as a sound engineer in the film industry. He lives in Cleveland.