For the third consecutive election, the same two candidates are on the ballot for the Georgia State Senate seat that covers most of East Cobb.
Republican Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (at left) is being challenged by Democrat Christine Triebsch (at right) in District 32, which also includes a portion of Sandy Springs.
Kirkpatrick, a retired orthopedic surgeon, defeated Triebsch in a 2017 special election runoff to succeed longtime Sen. Judson Hill, who resigned to run for Congress.
In 2018, Kirkpatrick won 58 percent of the vote against Triebsch in the general election to earn a full two-year term.
At a candidates forum this week sponsored by the East Cobb Business Association, Kirkpatrick said she’s “worked regularly across the aisle to solve problems,” both at the state and local level.
Her proudest piece of legislation, she said, was the “Save Our Sandwiches” bill that changed a provision in state law to allow non-profit organizations—especially Cobb-based MUST Ministries—to make sandwiches in church and similar kitchens as part of their efforts to feed those in need.
Triebsch is part of a wave of Democratic candidates in the county, including a number of women in East Cobb, who never been involved in politics until the election of Donald Trump as president.
“I think every race should be contested,” said Triebsch, a family law attorney whose husband is a Cobb County School District teacher. They have two children, a college senior and a daughter who who attends Pope High School.
As of Sept. 30, Kirkpatrick reported having raised $383,535 overall and $95,875 in the third quarter, with $248,345 cash on hand.
Triebsch has received a total of $32,617 in contributions with $10,960 in the third quarter, and has $21,886 in cash on hand/
Here are the latest campaign disclosure reports filed by Kirkpatrick and Triebsch respectively.
Candidate websites
Kirkpatrick, who contracted COVID-19 right before the legislative session was suspended in March, said continued efforts to get the virus under control is the top issue for her, especially following accepted public health guidelines while aiding the state’s economic recovery from shutdowns.
“We have a lot of businesses that have been devastated,” said Kirkpatrick, who has received the endorsements of the National Federation of Independent Business and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
In order for business and economic growth to take place, said Kirkpatrick, “we have to get out of the way.”
Triebsch said her top priorities are education funding and expanding health care access, including state Medicaid options.
She said supports fully funding K-12 education and is “totally against [private school] vouchers, and my opponent voted for it,” Triebsch said.
With reapportionment coming up in 2021, Triebsch also supports a non-partisan, independent panel to redraw congressional, legislative and local government and school board lines, a measure supported by Georgia Democrats in general.
“We need to get rid of gerrymandering,” Triebsch said.
She’s been endorsed by a variety of labor, pro-choice and gun-control organizations, including Georgia AFL-CIO, NARAL Pro-Choice Georgia and Moms Demand Action.
Both candidates are against East Cobb cityhood (see previous post here) and in response to another question at the forum, both also said they’re against defunding the police.
“I’ll always back the blue,” Kirkpatrick said. “Cops don’t want bad cops in their ranks.” She said she’s confident that a special legislative committee on police reform that met earlier this year will produce “some good legislation” in 2021.
Triebsch said defunding the police isn’t the way to reform. “I support better funding so we’ll have better-qualified candidates, and we need more funding for training.”
She emphasized her approach as a candidate as “running as your neighbor” and not a politician. Of Kirkpatrick, Triebsch said, “her values and voting are very different from me.”
Kirkpatrick said she’s “got a proven track record” in the legislature and pledged she would continue to be responsive and accessible if re-elected.
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