Georgia WIN list is very proud to endorse Luisa Wakeman in her bid to win East Cobb District 43. Last year, Luisa came within 800 votes of defeating Sharon Cooper, who chairs the Health and Human Services Committee.
For over 25 years, Luisa has been an active member of the East Cobb community “with my devoted husband, two wonderful children, and high-spirited dog.”
Luisa received a BA in economics from the University of Texas and a BS in Nursing (Magna Cum Laude) from Kennesaw State. And while working for Delta Airlines and earning her additional degree in Nursing, Luisa volunteered in classrooms, in her neighborhood, as a Girl Scout leader and as a band chaperone.
Early in her career, Luisa worked in the financial services industry and says her background in finance gives her valuable insight into understanding how the state’s economy works and where its waste can be cut.
GUN SAFETY
Luisa has been a long-time advocate for gun safety issues and, in an interview with the Marietta Daily Journal, said
“No parent should have to drop their kid off at school and worry for their safety. The night that campus carry went into effect, there was a shooting by my daughter’s apartment at Kennesaw State. It was a terrifying experience for me that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I think guns on campus laws are out of step with the views of many in Cobb and something we should do away with.”
HEALTHCARE
Wakeman also wants to see Georgia’s healthcare system improved and says as long as Sharon Cooper is the head of the HHS Committee (as she has been for over a decade) health care will not improve and Medicaid will not be expanded. Luisa believes “Healthcare is not a partisan issue; it is at the core of our ability to thrive…it is unacceptable to have our most vulnerable citizens lack dignity in their pursuit of a healthy life. It’s unacceptable not to provide the most basic of preventative care and chronic disease management.”
In addition to gun safety and improved healthcare, Luisa pledges to work toward better teacher compensation, to address gaps for students who need special education, and to make sure all hardworking high school students have a path to higher education through scholarships.
“When national leadership is failing, it is even more important to have strong state leaders. Our state has been led by politicians who try to divide us and put in place laws and policies which misrepresent the values I know to be true of our community. I will be a voice of common sense in the Georgia General Assembly.”
Luisa’s middle name, Oudegeest, is an homage to her grandparents who resisted Nazi tyranny during WWII as a part of the Dutch underground movement. “I carry with me their values of courage and bravery,” she said, “Their legacy is a constant reminder that we all must speak up for our families, neighbors, and community.”
Luisa and her parents immigrated to the United States when she was a young child “My parents raised us as Americans to work hard, serve, and live compassionately. I believe this is true patriotism. Compassion means nothing unless it is guided by principle. Hard work is meaningless without purpose.”
Luisa Wakeman for House District 43
- Website: www.electluisa.com
- Facebook: @electluisa
- Instagram: @electluisa
- Twitter: @electluisa
