Most of us can name our governor. Far fewer of us can name our state representative. In a national Johns Hopkins survey, fewer than one in five Americans could name their state legislators. That is a problem because the legislature decides more about daily life here than Washington does. Your income tax rate, the rules behind your property tax bill, how schools are funded, how data centers are taxed, and what police can do with license plate cameras all run through the Gold Dome in downtown Atlanta. On November 3, voters in Georgia House District 73 will decide who represents them there for the next two years. Republican Josh Bonner has held a House seat since 2017 and won his last contested race in 2024 with 66.9% of the vote. His challenger is Democrat Tim Wilkinson, a retired letter carrier from Newnan. It is easy to look at that margin and decide there is nothing to discuss. But one candidate has a decade of votes on the record, and the other is asking for our trust with none. The Citizen ran Bonner’s re-election announcement in February, but my goal here is to test both candidates against the issues residents say matter most. For Bonner, I question whether he has used his growing seniority for the households in this district. For Wilkinson, I question whether a candidate with almost no money and no legislative experience can show a working grasp of what a state representative controls. I sent both candidates the same core questions. Wilkinson spoke with me by phone.…
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