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By Gabriel Sanchez

Every day it becomes harder and harder for the people of my community to afford housing. I never felt more powerless than when I spoke with a Smyrna mother who was being forced out of her home by her landlord. She struggled to find anything remotely near her price range in the area so her kids could stay in the same school district. All she wanted was for her kids to remain members of the community in which they grew up. She was losing her home and her community. All I could do was connect her with resources that would hopefully help her, but there is no guarantee. This is the impossible situation that too many Georgians are facing day to day, and it is why I decided to run for office. It’s time to bring power and a voice to our communities. I’m Gabriel Sanchez. I am the new Democratic Nominee for Georgia State House District 42, encompassing Smyrna, Cumberland, areas west of Smyrna, and the Dobbins Air Force base area. You may have heard about me from my recent primary upset in May or know me from my organizing work in the community. I am running to be your next State Representative.

I am a 27-year-old Georgia native, born and raised in Cobb County to Colombian immigrants. I am an alumnus of Cobb Schools and graduated from Georgia State University with a Film Degree. Growing up, I was always taught to care about my community and give back. So, I have been doing exactly that as an organizer and advocate for many years, like advocating for voting rights and fair redistricting, helping flip Georgia blue in 2020, and organizing the Latino community to fight for driver’s licenses for all. This work is necessary because, in our current system, the halls of our state government are almost always filled with corporate lobbyists. If certain corporate groups don’t like a bill, it likely won’t pass. Our government should be responsible to people, not huge corporations. That is why we need members of the community like you to get involved and engage with local politics. There’s much more we can do on the local level to affect change, and I want to work with you to make it happen. I want to be an “Organizer in Office” and help build a movement for working people in Georgia.   

Organizing is exactly how I won the primary against a seven-year incumbent. Our campaign got the message out to the community by knocking on over 17,000 doors and having conversations with thousands of voters about the issues. We had over 100 volunteers and raised over $60,000 without taking any corporate PAC money. We are a people-powered campaign. That’s what it means to truly represent regular working people. Voters like you want change and someone who will fight for you. I will continue this work to engage our community ahead of the general election in November and, if elected, throughout my term as a Representative. That is what being an elected official is about.

I’m ready to get to work to fix this broken economy and begin creating a government for the people. Too many of us are living paycheck to paycheck and barely getting by, and the cost of housing is skyrocketing while our wages barely go up, if at all. Georgia’s healthcare system is abysmal, reflected by our horrific maternal mortality rate — one of the worst in the country. It is especially bad for Black women, who are three times more likely than white women to die during childbirth. We have also stripped away reproductive rights and banned critical gender-affirming care for our children. Georgia also has the unhappiest workforce in the country. That’s because our people are being exploited by major corporations who bribe our politicians to do their bidding to keep wages low and prevent workers from organizing in their workplace. And of course, we can’t forget the racist policies implemented by Georgia Republicans against our Black and Brown folks, like the voter suppression and anti-immigrant laws recently passed. 

We need change. We need leadership that will represent working people here in Georgia, not just the major corporations or the wealthy elite. That’s why I’m running on Housing, Healthcare, and an Economy for All. We should have an economy where a single 40-hour-a-week income is enough for you and your loved ones to live comfortably. Let’s fight together for a $20 minimum wage in Georgia because that’s the bare minimum people need to live. Let’s build real affordable housing and hold corporate landlords accountable for making housing unaffordable. Let’s guarantee universal healthcare for every single Georgian. That’s what I’m fighting for and I’m ready to work with you all to create a government that works for us.. We need to bring the people back into our government. So for residents of House District 42, residents of Cobb, and residents of Georgia, let’s join together to fight for a Georgia that works for all of us!

If you’d like to join me in this fight you can sign up to volunteer on my website at https://sanchezforgergia.com or on social media @sanchez4georgia. If you have any questions or need to bring up any issues or concerns you are having, you can email me at info@sanchezforgeorgia.com and I or someone from my team will respond. My door is always open. And remember that early voting starts October 15th and Election Day is November 5th. Go to sanchezforgeorgia.com/vote for more details.  I’m looking forward to representing you and working with you to make the changes we want to see for our community.