The race to replace Jason Carter | News Feature | Creative Loafing Atlanta: Last November, Georgia Democrats rejoiced when state Sen. Jason Carter, D-Decatur, launched his 2014 gubernatorial campaign. Most political conversations have since revolved around whether or not the Candler Park resident can unseat Gov. Nathan Deal. But win or lose, Carter's political gamble means the Democratic-leaning district he's represented for the past four years is now up for grabs.
In the weeks after Carter's announcement, Democratic candidates Elena Parent and Kyle Williams decided to run for the lawmaker's DeKalb seat that spans from Buford Highway to the north, Candler Park to the west, East Lake to the south, and Decatur to the east. The two political hopefuls are now mired in one of the state's closest races.
On May 20, voters will decide which Democrat will be on the November ticket against Republican mortgage banker Greg Williams. And considering nearly three-quarters of the DeKalb County district's voters cast Democratic ballots in 2012, the odds are that whoever wins the primary will ultimately replace Carter.
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Gay candidate Kyle Williams in heated race with Elena Parent for Ga. senate seat
The race to replace state Sen. Jason Carter for the District 42 seat has become a bit of a bumpy one in recent weeks. The two Democratic candidates, Kyle Williams, an attorney from Decatur who also chairs the Decatur Education Foundation, and Elena Parent, executive director of Georgia Watch and a former state representative (2010-2012), are in a battle to paint themselves as more progressive than the other.
A recent story in the conservative blog Peach Pundit outlined how the race has taken a somewhat nasty turn, with the Parent campaign in a push poll telling voters Williams accepted money from an organization that supports such U.S. Senators as Republican John McCain. In reality, in 2009 the Georgia Log Cabin Republicans endorsed Williams in his non-partisan and unsuccessful bid for the Decatur City Commission. Williams also received the endorsement of the Stonewall Democrats.
On the other hand, Williams’ campaign accused Parent of attending a Tea Party conference while she was a state representative. Her explanation was that she was there to “spy” on the organization on behalf of the AFL-CIO and other Democrats, including state Sen. Nan Orrock.
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Being honest,
I was completely clueless about the election to replace Jason Carter in the Georgia Senate, about Elena Parent, and even about her gay opponent Kyle Williams; until after having had the opportunity meeting Elena in person this pass Sunday afternoon at a neighborhood picnic held by the Mason Mill Civic Association. She had been invited by MMCA's President Mary Hinkel to speak about the re-zoning/cityhood issue our neighborhood is currently facing; an issue I personally could not care less about.
State Senator Elena Parent was elected to the State Sen-ate in 2014. She represents District 42, which includes por-tions of central and north DeKalb County.
Sen. Parent is member of the Government Oversight, Judi-ciary Non-Civil, Science and Technology, and Special Judici-ary committees.
Senator Parent previously served as the State Representa-tive for District 81 in DeKalb County in 2011 and 2012. Senator Parent then continued her public service as the Executive Director of Georgia Watch, the state’s leading consumer rights non-profit.
Senator Parent began her career as a litigation attorney at Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP. She is active in her com-munity and has served on the Board of Directors of the At-lanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer and the Foundation Board of the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers. She is a proud graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Virginia School of Law.
Recently, Senator Parent was listed in the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “Who's Who Sustainability” feature for her lead-ership on energy and environmental policy issues. In 2011, she was the recipient of two prestigious awards in recogni-tion of her legislative accomplishments: the Fulton County Daily Report’s “On the Rise” and the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “40 Under 40”. She was also named a member of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2013.
Senator Parent traces her core beliefs – the importance of family and making the community a better place for all - to her upbringing in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol where her parents stressed the importance of faith and public service.
Senator Parent is married to Briley Brisendine and they be-came proud parents with the birth of their son, Brooks, in February 2010. Their second son, Reid, was born in Decem-ber 2012. They are members of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Atlanta.
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Although we spoke only briefly, after me having introduced myself to her as "THAT" mentally disturbed person living in the house with all the signs and inflatable in the front yard, could not help but be impressed with our new
State Senator Elena Parent.
Had to learn more about her.
Now I can't help but wonder for whom I would have voted?
Maybe I already have..?
After voting for Jason Carter,
all I needed to see the rest of the way down the ballot before casting my vote:
DEMOCRAT.
If I know nothing about the candidates, that's automatically my default vote.
Then again, I only voted for Jason Carter because I knew his grandfather was Democrat; not because I knew anything about Jason Carter.
Would never vote for a Republican; not even a Log Cabin Republican. But Kyle Williams having been endorsed by our Log Cabin Republicans can be an important clue.
But it relative to the other candidates.
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