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Johnson to seek House seat held by Gaines

Athens activist Mokah Johnson says she will kick off her campaign for a seat in the Georgia House later this month: Johnson will run as a Democrat for the District 117 seat held by Athens Republican Representative Houston Gaines. 

From the Mokah Johnson campaign…

Mokah Jasmine Johnson is taking the next step in her 2020 campaign with a rally at Athens City Hall on Sat., Jan. 18 at 5 p.m., to officially announce her candidacy for Georgia House of Representatives District 117.

Last August, Johnson announced she was exploring a bid for the seat. Since then, she has hosted multiple community meet-and-greets and town halls around issues such as voting rights and women’s rights.

“Over the past few months, I have listened to the people of our district and worked to understand the issues that are most important to working families,” Johnson said. “I believe it’s time we bring bold progress and fearless leadership to the State House from District 117.”

Johnson, co-founder and president of the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement (AADM), is running as a Democrat for the seat currently held by Houston Gaines, which is considered one of the most flippable seats in the Georgia State House. The district includes portions of Clarke, Jackson, Barrow and Oconee counties. Johnson officially stepped down as president of AADM last year to explore this run for office.

The rally will include speeches from former District 117 State Rep. Deborah Gonzalez, Vice President of Athens PRIDE and local LGBTQ activist Cameron Harrelson, Athens-Clarke County Commissioners Tim Denson and Mariah Parker, and founder of Maura’s Voice Jeff Binkley. Binkley is a Georgia resident whose 21-year-old daughter, Maura, was shot and killed in a targeted attack against women in Florida in 2018.

During the rally, Johnson will announce her support for hate crime legislation. “When hate crimes in Georgia have risen at the second highest rate in the country, it’s unacceptable that Georgia is one of four states with no hate crime law,” Johnson said. “This year, we faced anti-Semitic vandalism on UGA’s campus and a planned attack on a black church nearby. Hate crimes are on the rise across the country, and we need to fight back against intolerance and discrimination.”

In 2018, a bipartisan hate crime bill (HB 426) passed the State House. Representative Gaines voted against the bill.

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