Meet the Candidates: Georgia's 1st District Democratic Primary
A complete breakdown of the eight contenders, their backgrounds, and their legislative priorities.
Views expressed are my own and do not reflect those of the Savannah Chapter of DSA or national DSA.
Patrick Wilver
Patrick Wilver is a West Point graduate and military veteran. He is a small business owner, operating in the real estate and property management industries. Running on a pro-conservation, anti-corruption platform, Wilver has set forth three priorities in his campaign: reforming the political system, rebuilding the middle class, and “safeguarding the future” via environmental regulations and infrastructure investment.
Specific legislative goals and priorities include:
Repealing Citizens United
Breaking up monopolies
Establishing paid family leave
Removing the Social Security income cap
Amanda Hollowell
Amanda Hollowell is a longtime community organizer and political strategist for such organizations as Color For Change. She describes herself as a “pragmatic progressive” and is endorsed by the AFL-CIO, Georgia Workers Party, and Higher Ground.
Her main legislative priorities are repealing the cuts to spending passed through the “Big Beautiful Bill” that have impacted access to government assistance and services for a significant percentage of 1st District residents.
Goals include:
Taxing the rich
Raising minimum wage
Expanding Medicare access (Note: Hollowell does not support a universal healthcare system)
Defonsio Daniels
Defonsio Daniels is a former Marine and the Commissioner for the Southeast Georgia Consolidated Housing Authority. He formerly served as the housing chairman for the Camden County NAACP.
Daniels’ priorities include:
Increased federal education funding
Affordable housing initiatives
Increasing healthcare access and affordability
Repairing and upgrading infrastructure
Combatting food deserts within the 1st District
Randy Zurcher
Randy Zurcher is a former teacher, realtor, and labor representative with the Savannah Federation of Teachers. He formerly served as a city councilor in Fayetteville, AR. He describes himself as the “fighter” candidate in the Democratic primary, and has been critical of what he sees as Democrats’ inaction at the federal level. His platform centers on fighting government corruption and strengthening the rule of law.
Specific legislative goals include:
Expanding low-income housing and federal housing grant programs
Codifying abortion rights nationwide and ensuring access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare
Rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement
Reinstating EPA regulations the Trump administration has repealed
Halting ICE raids
Joey Palimeno
Joey Palimeno is a veterinary technician and working parent. Though he is running as a Democrat, he identifies as a Democratic Socialist. He has been outspoken about the corruption and lawlessness of the Trump administration, and is a strong critic of Israel.
His legislative priorities include:
Affordable housing
Universal pre-K
Free school meals
Universal healthcare
Joyce Griggs
Joyce Griggs is a former Army officer and lawyer (she is no longer practicing). She has been involved in local politics as a candidate in various races for some time.
Per her website, she has focused on the following areas, though her specific policy plans and priorities remain unclear:
Affordability
Healthcare
Military
Education
Environment
Families
Dr. Sharon Stokes-Williamson
Dr. Sharon Stokes-Williamson is a Savannah native with deep roots in the area. Her background is in community service and local and state government, and she has worked for the state of Georgia in various capacities throughout her career.
In her campaign, Dr. Stokes-Williamson has focused on:
Disaster recovery
Infrastructure repair and renewal
Bridging the rural and urban divide
Safeguarding Head Start funding
Addressing the opioid epidemic
Michael McCord
Michael McCord is a South Carolina native who describes himself as a moderate centrist Democrat. His website characterizes his campaign as a “platform for the middle” and he is trying to “bring back defectors to the Democratic Party.”
His legislative priorities include:
Fixing supply chains
Stabilizing rural healthcare
Federal investment in infrastructure
Streamlining access to services for veterans
An “all of the above” energy policy that ensures low cost for consumers
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