Barrow Journal

Bethlehem resident Chalis Montgomery has made official her bid to represent Georgia’s 10th Congressional District.
Montgomery, 39, a Democrat and local music teacher and children’s minister, announced in a news release Tuesday she is running in 2018 to unseat Rep. Jody Hice (R-Bethlehem), who is in his second term.
The news release said Montgomery “plans to put American values over partisan division and will fight for the dignity and opportunity that everyone deserves.”
Montgomery, who initially announced an exploratory bid earlier this year, is centering her campaign around healthcare issues and Congressional Republicans’ attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Montgomery has a young daughter with rheumatoid arthritis who will require long-term care to avoid complications from the disease.
“I never thought I’d be a candidate for public office, but after hearing the stories of so many 10th District residents, from Athens, Winder, Milledgeville and Dacula, I realized that Jody Hice is failing families, just like he failed mine,” Montgomery said. “…Congressman Hice is supporting an approach to healthcare that would be devastating to children like (Montgomery’s daughter), along with our seniors.”
Montgomery also criticized Hice for wanting to eliminate federal funding for education.
“I look forward to sharing my platform, which includes universal healthcare, better wages, a pro-growth business environment, renewed commitment to our civil rights, immigration and criminal justice reform, national security, fully-funded education, access to college and vocational training for all, and strong communities which are able to fully exercise their voting rights,” Montgomery said.