Frequently Asked Questions
You've probably got some questions—you're not alone—so here are some common questions with some (perhaps) uncommon answers.
Are you really a single dad...with 4 kids?
Yes, effectively since December 2015 and officially since May 2017. The easiest way to put it is that the kids are with me 11 out of every 14 nights. It certainly wasn't the original plan, but we've done pretty well, all things considered, with the help of family, friends, and our faith communities. I recognize that not everyone is so fortunate, and that fact is a big part of my motivation for this campaign: life doesn't have to be as hard as it is for so many of us right now.
Independent? Why aren't you running with a major party?
Like lots of Georgians, I tired long ago of the bait-and-switch the major parties pull on their voters in state races. Personalities and policies at the national level too often (try to) dictate what state-level politicians can and cannot do and say. Most of us don't easily align ourselves with the national policy programs drawn up in Washington DC by either of the major parties, anyway; more often than not, we just hold our noses and hope for the best by voting for the "not worst" of the options available. We deserve better here in Georgia.
PLAID? What's with the plaid?
After my last campaign I came away convinced, in spite of all the vitriol the major parties spin up to their benefit and, decidedly, not to ours, that there is a whole lot more that unites us than that which appears to divide us. I wanted to take an inventory both of my own experience and of what I was hearing from folks out here in the real world, but I needed a tangible, unifying metaphor for the project. The old image of a melting pot didn't really fit, but a fabric, woven together from many distinct colors—red, blue, and green, gold, orange, and even purple, representing the major US parties—did fit. Further, like any good politician, I was able to wordsmith "plaid" into an acronym that reflected my general sense of the identity of all those who, like me, seek the common good through our politics. Thus "The PLAID Project" was born: People for Life and Allied Interdependent Democracy.