Warnock, Van Ausdal speak to Floyd Dems
The Floyd County Democrats got the chance to hear from United States Senate candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock and District 14 Congressional Candidate Kevin Van Ausdal at their virtual monthly meeting Thursday night.
The two candidates talked about the platforms they’re running on and the reasons behind why they want to run for legislative seats.
Warnock is running for the seat currently held by Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed after former Sen. Johnny Isakson stepped down. He serves as the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, known as the spiritual home of Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis.
Warnock credited Lewis as one of his inspirations for running for the Senate and that he wants to help “the country that he loves.”
“I think this is one of those moments where a whole generation of Americans gets to decide again about the depth of its commitment to the American promise,” Warnock said. “I believe I embody that story as a kid who grew up in public housing down in Savannah, Georgia, one of 12 kids.”
For the last 15 years, Warnock has been vocal about his support of healthcare reform and stood up for Medicaid expansion in the state. He has also helped fight for voter rights and served as the chair of the New Georgia Project, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding voter registration.
Warnock also cited his goals and passions as criminal justice reform,
protecting the environment and “standing up for ordinary working people.”
“I think it’s a shame to call people ‘essential workers’ and not pay them an essential wage,” he said.
“I’d be deeply honored to represent the people of the state of Georgia... I really just want to translate my years of activism and agitation into legislation.”
Van Ausdal will be running against Republican Marjorie Greene in the upcoming November election.
“Who I am is a hardworking American from a long line of hardworking Americans,” he said. “I came down here to Northwest Georgia nearly 10 years ago and there were so few opportunities ... for so many years, I had to work really hard to lift myself and my family out of poverty.”
“When I saw Tom Graves retiring, I remembered an old dream of serving
my community by being a legislator and deciding to run.”
If elected, Van Ausdal hopes to work to make sure that every American has healthcare.
“It’s an injustice to all Americans,” he said.
Along with healthcare, he hopes to work to create a better living wage for people across the country. Van Ausdal also wants to work on environmental justice and make the country become more sustainable and eco-friendly.
Van Ausdal also condemned Greene’s use of hate speech and inciting violence in her campaign ads and on social media.
“We’re not all going to be the same and we shouldn’t be. We should disagree and come to common sense solutions, instead of calling for violence and it’s something no one should do, let alone someone running for Congress.”