With election night days away, there are two candidates running for the Georgia House 144 seat. Danny Mathis won the Republican primary against Trey Ennis and Milton Sampson in May. Jessica Walden won the Democratic runoff for District 144 against Gregory Odoms back in July.
Danny Mathis and Jessica Walden are both in the running to represent state House District 144.
The winner will replace Republican Bubber Epps, who decided not to seek re-election. House District 144 covers 7 different counties. That includes Bibb County, Houston County, Bleckley County, Jones County, Laurens County, Twiggs County, and Wilkinson County. Both candidates says they want to represent the area they grew up in. Mathis went to school at Middle Georgia College and now works in the funeral business in Cochran.
"I mean, this is all home. I have kinfolks that live in most of those counties, so, yes, I have a close-knit connection with some of the folks there," said Mathis.
Walden went to school at Georgia State University and came back home to work in the communications field and raise a family in Twiggs County.
"This is the chance to put somebody in office like myself who this community helped raise, who gave me the inspiration to work hard, and given me the opportunity to work on issue that matter to all of us," said Walden.
Mathis says he is against the expansion of Medicaid, is pro-life, wants to address rural hospitals closing, and wants to give more power to school boards.
"I am just a conservative Christian person that want to go out here and create things for folks so they can get out and work. We can all work together to make this a better Middle Georgia area, a better state, and a better country," said Mathis.
Walden says she would like to expand Medicaid and is pro-grace when it comes to abortion. She wants to address infant mortality and retain teachers in schools.
"We need somebody who is creative like myself, who has worked on the community level, but also worked at the state level and who is committed to just creating access so it creates a decent quality of life," said Walden.
Representative Bubber Epps, the incumbent, first took office in 2009.