Decision 2024: Meet Joshua Lewis, candidate for Georgia House District 134, Republican Primary

Early voting began on April 29 and ends on May 17. Election Day will be May 21.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Two Republican candidates are qualified for the upcoming Georgia House District 134 election.

Joshua Lewis and Robert Dickey are competing to win the Republican nomination in the upcoming primary election.

41NBC’s Monica Diaz-Meek spoke with each candidate ahead of the May 21 election.

Candidate name: Joshua Lewis
Running for: Georgia House District 134
Campaign Website: Facebook

MONICA- Good afternoon. Today, we have Joshua Lewis, who’s running for Georgia House District 130 for joining us. Thank you for being here.

JOSHUA- Thank you for having me.

MONICA- I’m glad you’re here. I have a few questions. First off, what do you think is the biggest issue or challenge that needs to be addressed? And how do you plan on solving that if you’re elected?

JOSHUA- So there are a lot of problems facing Georgians today. The main issue, I would say, is affordability for Georgians from rent prices to utility cost to even the cost of groceries. Georgians just aren’t able to afford what they used to be able to afford. So one of the main things I want to do is to bring about a consumer utility company that will be able to regulate and advocate for the people of Georgia to make sure that we’re not being overcharged and underrepresented.

MONICA- Alright. Now, how is your background and experience prepared you for this role?

JOSHUA- Right. Well, like I was explaining to your meteorologist, I don’t really have a political background. My background is in manufacturing, but I do have a background in living with it and the policies of our government from the things that that our representative has been doing for the last 12 years. Since 2011, we haven’t had a representative fighting for us in the state, and that’s what I hope to bring.

MONICA- Alright. Now, what will progress look like to you if you were elected?

JOSHUA-  A short and sweet answer, I would say accountability in Atlanta and affordability throughout the state.

MONICA- Alright. And so I want to kind of dive a little deeper, Mr. Lewis. I know as a father, this means a lot to you. We were kind of talking about that. So can you expand on why is it so important that you implement the idea of change? Now, what does that mean to you and why is it so important?

JOSHUA- Well, like Ronald Reagan said, freedom isn’t guaranteed to us. Every generation has to fight for our freedom. I have two children. I have a seven year old son and a soon to be two year old daughter. I have to fight today so that they have promise for future tomorrow.

MONICA- Alright. And what would a better Georgia look like if you were elected?

JOSHUA- I would say that I hope to bring freedom to Georgia and I hope to hold our politicians accountable. I hope to bring about term limits to end stock trading from our legislators and to make it where people have a fighting chance to be able to make a living.

MONICA- Alright. Now, what separates you from your candidate? Why should voters vote for Joshua Lewis?

JOSHUA- I see the prices when I go to the store. I see the prices when I pay my utility bill. My incumbent, he’s a multimillionaire. He’s multi-generational farmer. He doesn’t have the same struggles as everyday Americans. And I don’t want to make this a campaign against Robert Dickey. I want to make this a campaign for the people. I want to make this a campaign telling the people that we can have a brighter future, we can have an affordable Georgia.

MONICA- Alright. And so what are some things that voters can look for if you are elected? You know, you say you want a better Georgia. What are some of those things that we can actually see happen?

JOSHUA- I want to support the Second Amendment. I want to support bringing down utilities from from things like the Georgia Power plant.  I want to bring down prices of rentals, and I want to make it where people have a chance to be able to get into homes.

MONICA- Alright. And lastly, for voters who are not sure, who are they going to vote for? Why vote for you? What would you like to tell those voters?

JOSHUA- You know, it’s always challenging trying to unseat an incumbent, especially when you’re, you know, relatively unknown throughout your community. All I would say is you have an option to vote for a change. You have an option to vote for more affordability this election cycle.

MONICA- Alright. Well, thank you, Mr. Lewis. Thank you. To find out more about Georgia House District 134 and the race, you can find that out on our website. We will have both candidates on there. And we will continue our the Candidates series where you can meet all the candidates that will be on your ballot for that May 21st election. Mr. Lewis, thank you for joining us.

JOSHUA- Thank you.

Snippets from all candidates’ interviews will air on 41NBC News at 6 p.m., 11 p.m., DayBreak and 41Today. All interviews will also be posted in full on 41NBC.com on the following days:

Thursday, May 9: Robert Dickey
Friday, May 10: Joshua Lewis

Follow Monica Diaz-Meek on Facebook and Twitter.