Candidate Introductions
Read how the six candidates on our panel for the Spring Campaign Rally were introduced to the crowd here:
Nicole Horn brings unique job training skills to her campaign for Georgia Labor Commissioner. As an entrepreneur and executive for two decades, she worked with universities nationwide building programs leading to jobs for adult students. The daughter of lifetime Union members, this former executive and television reporter has never forgotten her days as a waitress balancing a budget with hard-earned hourly work.
SD 38 Candidate Melody Bray is a first-generation Jamaican immigrant and Emory Law School grad who is now a realtor. She has been a corporate lawyer, the clerk to a Superior Court Judge and worked on behalf of county government and school boards. She has been active in community organizations and co-founded a grassroots Get-Out-The-Vote organization.
Ruwa Romman would be the first Muslim woman to serve in the Georgia House if elected to represent the HD 97 citizens of Duluth, Norcross and Peachtree Corners in Gwinnett County. She has been a field organizer for the Asian American Advocacy Fund and a founder of the Volunteer Hub while also working for a prominent management consulting company.
Luisa Wakeman is running for SD 6, now represented by Jen Jordan – geography she knows well from an earlier campaign to FLIP HD 43. A flight attendant and Registered Nurse, Luisa stepped up to help deliver thousands of COVID vaccines. As two Democratic doctors leave, the Senate Democratic caucus needs Luisa’s healthcare expertise because science and facts are on the line.
Anne Allen Westbrook is making a second run for HD 163 in Savannah after an oh-so-close 19-vote loss in a 2020 runoff! She is an attorney, a mother of three sons and has been a statewide leader in grassroots efforts to promote gun safety legislation. We know she’s super smart because she was Jen Jordan’s National Moot Court teammates at UGA’s law school.
Inga Willis brings a 20-year career in Atlanta’s booming music industry to her campaign for House District 55 on Atlanta’s west side, the district where she grew up. She is a business consultant, a tireless promoter of HBCU’s and has served as a consultant to numerous politicians, philanthropic causes and Fortune 500 corporations.
Political Landscape
Read the assessment of Georgia’s current political landscape as presented by Executive Director Melita Easters during the Campaign Rally here:
Georgia is not JUST a battleground state, we are now the center of 2022’s national political universe for a number of reasons:
- Georgia’s Republican Primary down-ballot races less than a month from now are a HUGE test for the STRENGTH of a Donald Trump endorsement. The outcome for the lesser known candidates he has endorsed will demonstrate whether his once golden political brand is tarnished… National media is watching!! And, after all, Donald Trump has endorsed everybody EXCEPT the kitchen sink in some of our down ballot races!!
- Primary voter turnout for both parties will be closely scrutinized to determine whether turnout is lower than expected due to Georgia GOP voting law changes and the recent Department of Motor Vehicles shift away from automatic voter registration.
- In November, fresh on the heels of electing two United States Senators from Georgia in January 2021 runoff races, continuing Democratic control of the United States Senate may well end up depending upon the re-election of the Reverend Senator Raphael Warnock. Will Georgia voters be swayed by the celebrity of a faded football star or the present performance of the man who has become the Senate’s most gifted public speaker?
- Last, but not least, the eyes of the nation and especially young Black women are focused on whether Georgia elects the nation’s first Black woman governor — our Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams!! And, in additon, several other women on the statewide ballot may have the opportunity to be the “first woman” to hold the offices they seek and Bee Nguyen would become not just the first Vietnamese American woman elected statewide in Georgia but also in the nation.
The women endorsed by Georgia WIN List for legislative seats will be key players for generating grassroots enthusiasm this election cycle. Increasing the number of Democratic ballots cast statewide – not just in BLUE counties – requires a strong ground game if Democrats hope to Finish the job of Turning Georgia Blue in 2022.
We like to say: “The Rising BLUE Tide Lifts All Boats,” because moving the needle for Democratic performance even in RED counties contributes to statewide victories.
This November, Democrats MUST vote in NUMBERS the Georgia GOP can’t ignore!
Your continued generous support is essential for these efforts!!
Let me share why the WIN List team believes 2022 is the year Democrats in Georgia Finish the job of Turning Georgia BLUE!
- We expect to have the strongest ever group of women on the statewide ballot!!
- Georgia’s demographics and newly registered voters are shifting in favor of Democratic candidates.
- Democrats have a strong message which resonates with voters and attracts those who call themselves independents.
- And, last but not least, we have record setting numbers of down ballot women candidates! They bring exceptional resumes and personal stories to the campaign trail!
The brightest spot of this post-COVID world is beginning to meet and get to know the outstanding women who are running this election cycle. We have been amazed, excited and energized by the quality of these women candidates. Some of are members of our current WIN Leadership Academy class, some are alums of the program and others are completely new to the political process, but very FAST learners.
The candidates we are endorsing in 2022 represent HOPE for Georgia and HOPE for the future of Democracy!!
These candidates demonstrate why our work is so important. If we are to support these women and be able to write Primary and General Election checks, WIN List must raise money in record setting numbers to write checks for a record setting number of candidates!
We hope we can count on your continued support and we hope you will help us find additional like-minded donors.
Make no mistake, the future of democracy is at stake.
The future of election integrity in Georgia is at stake.
And for all of us and the next generation, the future of reproductive freedom is at stake. We do not want to go back to the days when women’s medical choices were limited to pre-Rove v Wade options.
This really is the most important election in our lifetimes. WIN List has been training women for this moment for two decades. We need your continued support!!
Please give generously and persuade a friend to do the same.