Interview with JD Jordan

Democratic Candidate for GA SD-56

With significant demographic changes in Georgia, how do you plan to engage a younger, more diverse electorate while addressing the needs of traditional voters?

I think one of the cornerstones of good representation is being proactive and transparent when communicating with your constituents. And a big part of that is going to where your constituents already are—not just where I’m comfortable. So, we do voter outreach at a variety of public events, we’re active across the spectrum of social media, and we’ve hosted unique events like our Dungeons & Democrats fundraiser that target different segments in our community. But I also try to listen to everyone without bias. Because whether you are 18 or 81, your voice is valid and you deserve to be heard and represented even if we disagree.

How can state-level legislators influence societal attitudes toward issues like climate change, economic justice, or racial equity?

Most people—in Georgia and in the US—share common views and goals but not the same point of view about how to get there or even what the current problems might be. Climate policy is an excellent example of this: Most of us support diversified, sustainable energy; most of us support water and air quality; most of us support disaster relief. So, if we focus on the goals that unite us instead of the terminology deployed to divide us (e.g., let’s talk about “sustainability” and “affordability”, not “climate change”) we can reframe climate, justice, and equity debates into something goal-driven, not ideological-driven.

How do you propose addressing challenges in education policy while ensuring students receive a well-rounded, inclusive education?

It’s our job as parents to give children a safe space to grow, to learn, to explore who they are, and to prepare them for adulthood. And some of our more important allies in this process are the educators who curate thoughtful curricula and inspiring media collections for our children.

Currently in the 56, we’re very fortunate to enjoy great schools, safe communities, and countless kid-friendly opportunities. But we also endure bureaucratic meddling in curriculum, divisive-topic laws, book bans, and gun laws that undermine the work of professional educators and combine to make our schools and libraries less representative, less competitive, and less safe.

Protecting and providing for our kids protects and provides for us all. The children in our public schools today will grow up to work alongside us as doctors, mechanics, accountants, entrepreneurs, and community leaders.

As your state Senator, I will work to put our schools back in the hands of professional educators and parents by rolling back the mechanisms of curriculum censorship and book banning. I’ll fight for universal pre-K; free breakfasts, lunches, and feminine hygiene products for public school students; disallow the possession of firearms in a school zone; and protect student data privacy. Further, to respect the amazing work our educators do every day, I’ll fight to raise salaries and increase public school funding.

What specific measures would you advocate for to ensure every eligible voter in your district has fair and easy access to the polls?

I've been vocal about voter suppression and other Big Lie elections bills: They're not grounded in facts, they don't make our elections more secure (OCR over QR tech, are you kidding me?) and are being exploited for election points (at best) or for undemocratic manipulation (at worst).

As a state Senator, I wouldn't support any electioneering bill not grounded in real data or which favors one candidate or party over another. I’d also support any effort to get the legislature's hand out of the redistricting process ahead of the 2030 census—starting with using an Independent Redistricting Commission to mitigate our bi-partisan history of gerrymandering.

What policy initiatives do you believe could uplift working-class and low-income Georgians, and how would you balance this with urban and suburban interests?

It's one thing to say that Georgia is a great state for business—and not just because one obscure magazine says so. Ours also needs to be a great state for the people who work in those businesses. Who relocate from another state to do business here. Or who aspire to start their own.

While a great many state legislators—our opponent included—point the finger at Washington for our economic woes, I’d rather focus on what action we can take at the state level to take control of our own economic destiny. Rather than be passive and reactive, let’s be proactive and consider what proven levers of government we can use in Georgia to address the myriad challenges of inflation, workforce expansion, and home affordability that affect residents in every tax bracket. Especially those actions for which we have proven examples and from which we can expect a positive return on our tax-dollar investment.

Georgians of every income level and in every corner of the state want to work. But with the worst rate of healthcare access in the nation, it doesn’t matter if you’re in the middle class or are struggling with poverty—you can’t work if you’re not healthy. Furthermore, nearly one in three working-age adults cite caregiving responsibilities as the primary reason they don’t participate in the workforce.

It's no wonder so many of us can’t participate in our booming economy.

But many other states offer healthcare and child/eldercare solutions with proven results and proven returns on investment. Universal preK, for instance, can offer as much as a $4:1 economic ROI!

As your state Senator, I’ll fight to expand universal pre-K and to offer free public school meals for students in kindergarten through high school. This simple change will free up millions of Georgia parents to participate in the workforce, offset the rising cost of groceries, and ensure our children are healthy enough to learn and thrive. Further, I’ll fight to expand Medicaid so more Georgians have access to healthcare outcomes so they can work, stay healthy, and keep up with the spiraling cost of healthcare.

What role do you see for the Georgia State Senate in pushing for aggressive environmental protections, and how would you address pushback from industry?

I am pro-green energy, EVs, and other technology that eliminates the state's dependence on fossil fuels or otherwise diversifies our power landscape (which only just recently added nuclear).

Furthermore, I support investigating the fossil fuel industry—it's only with such data and insights that we can look for legal remedies to the industry's legacy of pollution and illness. As a state Senator, I’d be open to initiating a state-level study committee to inform an appropriate state-level response. And I’d be willing to support our Congressional representatives in their efforts to address these concerns at the Federal level (where they’re likely to be decided).

Georgia doesn’t have any crude oil production, proven petroleum reserves, or refining capability. Nor does the state have any natural gas-proven reserves or production. We do, however, have a number of large coal facilities and have recently activated new nuclear power facilities.

As a state Senator, I’d oppose any further exploration or leases in the state, and work with energy partners in the state to continue diversifying away from fossil-fuels and to begin the decommissioning of coal-power facilities as green power sources come online.

Additionally, our district (like most of Atlanta) has very limited water resources. We may be a city in a forest but we only have one medium-sized river for the country’s 6th-largest metro area. This river is on the southern boundary of the district, so it's a local concern to make sure everyone has equitable access to clean water and that runoff is managed well—especially as the climate continues to change and droughts become more common.

Racial, economic, and justice are inherently tied to climate. Everyone deserves access to a clean environment; access to safe, reliable, sustainable, and affordable energy, water, and transportation; and access to pollution-free workspaces. As a state Senator, I’d use my position to make the state more proactive in cleaning up legacy environmental pollution—which disproportionately affects communities of color and lower economic status—and making sure that new infrastructure and economic projects respect the interests of all Georgians, not just a few.

And while Georgia has a tremendous appetite for solar (we're 6th or 7th in the nation for new installs), we’re also one of the few states in the country that almost totally lacks solar incentives (though we have access to the Federal solar investment tax credit—ITC). Residents are also targeted by solar lease scams. As a state Senator, I’d work to combat scams and incentivize new installs, especially for Georgia-built panels.

How would you navigate the current legal landscape around abortion in the state, and what strategies would you use to protect or expand reproductive freedoms?

Every Georgian should have access to high-quality reproductive healthcare services consistent with medical best practices and scientific evidence—including safe and legal abortion.

Currently, in Georgia, abortion is banned at six weeks on the basis of an uninformed and widely misunderstood “heartbeat law.” Patients are forced to endure mandated counseling and 24-hour delays during this critical treatment period, and no public care options are available except in limited circumstances. Additionally, our state senate recently refused to take up IVF protections, and many legislators—including our opponent—oppose abortion even to save the life of the mother.

These conditions threaten every pregnant person’s right to life, to health, to education, to privacy, to be free from torture, and to be free from discrimination.

Whether you’re pro-life or pro-choice, it remains that abortions can be medically necessary, we all have a Constitutional right to privacy (4th and 14th amendments), and the government has no business prying into personal medical decisions.

As your state Senator, I will work to roll back current abortion restrictions while joining the chorus of legislators calling for a State Constitutional amendment codifying bodily autonomy and a woman's right to choose. I will further support an equal rights amendment at the state level.

How would you ensure that economic growth in your district promotes equitable opportunities for small businesses and local workers?

As a small-business person myself, I know how hard it can be to start a business, keep it running, raise a family, and buy a home all at the same time.

In many ways, ours is a feudal economy where those who work for enterprise companies have access to significant benefits while gig workers, the self-employed, and small businesspeople are left to pay exorbitant insurance rates, enjoy no guaranteed parental time off, and struggle to qualify for mortgages.

And ours in a greatly unequal economy. While small-business infrastructure exists in much of the metro area, it is greatly lacking in many corners of the state.

As your state senator, I’ll work to expand broadband infrastructure development and access via mechanisms such as grants, loans, and public-private partnerships so every Georgian can take advantage of the opportunities afforded by the digital economy. Following the lead of proven models in other states, I’ll propose partnerships between the state, broadband utilities, and the university system to establish training and small-business incubators in underserved areas—especially with technology and green-energy foci. I’ll work to reform state insurance policies to make insurance available and affordable to small business owners while also fighting to simplify and streamline licensing and permitting processes, reducing startup costs and administrative burdens.

How do you plan to work toward reforming the state’s criminal justice system, and what specific policies could garner bipartisan support?

As an interactive product designer, I’ve learned that large-scale problems rarely enjoy simple solutions. The work of repairing a system is often the work of many additive corrections across many touchpoints with many stakeholders.

If we really want to address the overcrowding, officer shortages, and runaway costs at the Fulton Jail—and not just make a political statement—we need to start by examining an incarcerated person’s entry point into our penal system: Their local arrest.

Reducing overcrowding in our county jails involves implementing a combination of strategies. Thankfully, there are a number of tested methods we can consider:

1. ELIMINATE CASH BAIL

   The decision to jail someone pretrial should be based on public safety concerns, not a defendant’s wealth. You shouldn’t lose your job, home, or children because you’re unnecessarily detained for a non-violent crime—that’s pre-trial punishment.

2. INVEST IN DIVERSION PROGRAMS

   Individuals with mental health issues, substance abuse problems, or low-level offenses can be diverted into treatment or support programs. Such programs also offer an alternative for offenders who are the primary caretakers of children.

3. EXPAND THE USE OF CITATIONS IN LIEU OF ARREST

   For minor offenses, issuing citations instead of making arrests can reduce the number of people entering the jail system. This is an option for handling the gradual decriminalization of marijuana.

Almost three-quarters of people held in Cherokee, Cobb, and Fulton jails are being held, pre-trial. Imagine the difference a diversified and more just approach to arrests and bail could make on the flow of people into the jail system.