The District 32 Georgia State Senate race is a rematch from last year’s special election.
Kay Kirkpatrick (pictured at left), a Republican retired orthopedic surgeon who won that election to succeed Judson Hill, is once again facing family law attorney Chrstine Triebsch, a Democrat (pictured at right).
Kirkpatrick won a runoff against Triebsch by 57-43 percent for the seat that covers most of East Cobb and some of Sandy Springs.
Neither of them faced primary opposition in May. They were part of a candidates forum in early October sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Cobb-Marietta.
They discussed health care, taxes, public safety and other issues on a panel with candidates in other Cobb senate races.
Triebsch said that in the Republican-dominated Georgia state government, “we need a two-party system.” She said her platform is comprised of “common sense and compassion” and fresh approaches for jobs, health care, education and the environment.”
Kirkpatrick said her objective has been to “bring a voice of reason to state government” and has focused on improving health insurance options, public safety and services for military veterans.
Candidate websites
At the League of Women Voters forum, they differed on tax issues. Kirkpatrick voted for a state tax cut for individuals and businesses and said “I would like to look for more savings [in places such as state agencies] and cut taxes further.
Triebsch said that before cutting taxes, new sources of revenue must be found. She’s also against eliminating the state income tax.
On health care issues, Triebsch supports expanding Medicaid in Georgia and preserving the Affordable Health Care Act, or Obamacare.
A member of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, Kirkpatrick said she hears more from constituents about health insurance issues than just about anything else, especially the costs of premiums on the individual market.
“There’s a lot we can do to rein in the big carriers,” she said.
As for Medicaid expansion, Kirkpatrick said a problem bigger than expansion is that “we have to fix a system that is broken.”
On education matters, Triebsch advocates a new funding formula to replace the Quality Basic Education Act, which is more than 30 years old. She opposes vouchers for private schools.
School choice, she said, “is not a choice if the choice is not a public school.”
Triebsch says she supports better pay for teachers and efforts to reduce class size.
Kirkpatrick said she wants to “support teachers in a different way” with funding also being directed to address social issues, including more support for counselors. She also is stressing school safety and has been appointed to a special Senate study committee on the subject.
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