Imani Barnes and Rashaun Kemp are rising stars in Georgia politics. Both are out candidates for the Georgia House of Representatives, Districts 86 and 61 respectively, who’ve advanced to the state’s runoff elections on Tuesday, June 21.
Imani Barnes
Georgia House of Representatives
Imani Barnes first ran for public office last year for Tucker City Council, solely functioning as a grassroots campaign. Unfortunately, Barnes lost by a slim margin of only 62 votes. This defeat sparked her interest to keep pushing forward in her political career, since her community had faith that she could get the job done and fight for their needs. Now, Barnes is currently seeking to fill the vacancy for her district’s state House seat and has a clear path to victory. She won over 48% of the vote in the Democratic primary, advancing to a runoff election. If elected, Barnes plans to focus on providing easier access to healthcare, education, and affordable housing, and utilizing her background in STEM to improve state policy.
When reflecting on her political journey, one piece of advice Barnes wants to spread to people of color and members of the LGBTQ community that wish to pursue a political career is to “be your authentic self because you have no idea how many people appreciate a politician that they can relate to. Moreover, keep going even when roadblocks are set on your journey because the lessons learned make you stronger.”
Rashaun Kemp
Georgia State Senate
Rashaun Kemp is an educator and family man also running for a seat in the Georgia House of Representatives. We asked Kemp to choose three main issues that he plans to advocate for if elected, and each response is personal to him: enhancing education, securing voting rights and increasing access to healthcare. As a former teacher and principal, he recognizes the needs of students in the state and aims to increase the quality of schools for both students and teachers. Kemp ultimately decided to seek public office after the death of George Floyd in 2020 saying “I decided I could no longer sit idly by watching what was happening to Black and Brown communities and not do something that could help people on a large scale.”
Both Barnes and Kemp act as a symbol of how important it is to elect diverse people into positions of influence.
“I represent many demographics of people and am able to relate to citizens’ concerns, ideas, and issues” Barnes said. “Our state legislature needs diverse representatives that work for our diverse citizens of Georgia.”
Kemp also has some insight into the importance of LGBTQ visibility.
“More people, especially in the Black community, need to see that like the people they see in church, in the grocery store, or movie theater, the Black gay community is just as diverse and has different personalities, walks of life, and family make ups.”
Georgia’s runoff election is Tuesday, June 21, 2022
