By Rebecca Gaunt
Cobb County Democratic candidate Micheal Garza, who is running for Georgia House District 46, is calling out his opponent, state Rep. John Carson (R-Marietta), for filming a video in front of his home and posting it on social media Saturday.
“He knows I have an elementary school daughter and to do this is creepy, petty, childish, and disqualifying,” Garza said.
In the video, which Carson posted on his campaign’s Facebook page, Garza’s home is clearly visible as Carson announces he is out knocking on doors. Carson does not identify the home in the video.
“No rhetoric, just results,” Carson tells the camera.
A member of Garza’s family is visible walking behind him in the driveway.
“Serious legislators don’t do this. This is beneath us and beneath what we should expect of our leaders. Acts like this on the national stage are why people are tired of politics. They’re tired of the circus. And now our sitting representative wants to bring that to our local politics? No thank you,” Garza wrote on his Facebook page.
This is not the first time Carson’s decision to post a photograph of a private home in his district has drawn criticism.
In September, he posted a photo of a house with signs of support for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Carson took issue with the homeowner’s sign, which claimed they were a Republican voting for Harris. He retaliated by posting what he claimed was the voting history of the homeowner, which showed they had pulled Democratic ballots in previous primaries.
In Georgia, primary voters can choose from a Republican, Democratic, or a nonpartisan ballot. They are not required to register with a political party and can vote with any party’s ballot.
Carson was first elected to his seat in a 2011 special election. He did not respond to the Courier’s request for comment.
Rebecca Gaunt earned a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in education from Oglethorpe University. After teaching elementary school for several years, she returned to writing. She lives in Marietta with her husband, son, two cats, and a dog. In her spare time, she loves to read, binge Netflix and travel.
