INDIVISIBLE COBB

Background and Experience: Q: Briefly introduce yourself. (Key background and relevant experience - not a full biography.) GB: Graham Bowers is a lifelong Georgia resident, technology leader, and community‑focused problem‑solver with a strong record of leadership, service, and civic engagement. A self‑taught application developer, IT specialist, and AI consultant, Graham has built his career designing solutions, managing complex systems, and leading with accountability and clarity—bringing a practical, results‑driven perspective to public service. He is a member of the Leadership Perimeter Class of 2026 and was nominated for Leadership Cobb in 2027, reflecting the trust and respect he has earned across professional and community circles. Graham declined participation in Leadership Cobb due to the significant time commitment required while running for office during tax season, prioritizing responsibility and follow‑through. Prior to moving to Marietta last year, Graham was highly engaged in local politics and civic life in Sandy Springs. He currently serves on the advisory board of Golf For The Kids, a nonprofit organization that donates its proceeds to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), supporting critical care and services for children and families across Georgia. Known for his optimism, accessibility, and genuine desire to connect, Graham is committed to meeting people one‑on‑one—listening carefully, understanding their concerns, and building trust through personal engagement. He brings a data‑driven mindset, real‑world leadership experience, and a deep belief that effective government depends on transparency, approachability, and leaders who are willing to show up, listen, and serve. MFW: I am a social worker (M.S.W.) My career has been spent working for nonprofits, and for 30 years prior to running for office in 2018, I was a lobbyist for nonprofits at the Georgia state capitol. My primary focus was on women, children and families, working on education, childcare, access to healthcare for women, children and low income families, nutrition, mental health services and school nutrition. I had to end my work as a lobbyist to run for office in 2018. I flipped House District 37, defeating a four term Republican incumbent who held a majority leadership position. My committee assignments as a first term legislator were Governmental Affairs, Natural Resources & Environment and State Properties. I have since been added to the Retirement and Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committees (and removed from State Properties). I have worked hard on environmental issues including removal and safer storage of coal ash from open pits, including those at Georgia Power’s Plant McDonough in Cobb County and on saving the Okefenokee Swamp from mining. In Governmental Affairs we have dealt with elections and fought hard against the many challenges to fair and safe access to voting for all Georgians. That fight continues today with legislation that would disrupt midterm elections throughout Georgia if passed. I have also fought successfully for increased and/or restored state funding for childcare subsidies for working families, domestic violence and sexual assault programs, and have been a fierce opponent of school vouchers. I am seeking a fifth term to be able to continue this work. Q: What is your current profession? GB: Application Developer, IT Specialist and AI consultant MFW: Retired Q: What college or university did you attend? GB: Stetson Honors College - Biochemistry, Georgia State University - Business Administration, Kennesaw State University - Information Technology focusing on Cybersecurity. I declined to finish my degree at this time due to the extensive experience I have in the field and the issue of AI taking over most aspects of the profession. MFW: Earlham College (Richmond,IN) B.A.Psychology and University of Georgia School of Social Work, Masters degree in Social Work Q: Have you served in the military? If yes, what branch and in what role? GB: no MFW: no

Policy Positions: Healthcare Q: Do you support full Medicaid expansion in Georgia? Why or why not? GB: Yes. I fully support Medicaid expansion in Georgia. Expanding Medicaid is one of the most direct ways we can support working families, especially low-income residents and children, by increasing access to affordable, life-saving healthcare. No one should have to choose between getting care and paying their bills. As we expand coverage, we also need to ensure it is comprehensive and inclusive. That means protecting access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion care, and ensuring transgender Georgians have access to medically necessary care such as hormone therapy and gender-affirming procedures. Healthcare should be accessible, affordable, and respectful of people’s needs. Medicaid expansion is a critical step toward that goal. MFW: Yes. Medicaid expansion is the most efficient and best answer for providing access to affordable health care for the thousands of uninsured and underinsured Georgians. The federal match makes the Medicaid expansion affordable for the state.

Gun Safety Q: What gun safety legislation would you support or oppose? GB: I support common-sense gun safety measures that focus on responsibility, prevention, and keeping our communities safe. I would support strengthening Child Access Prevention (CAP) laws. Georgia currently has CAP laws, but it only holds parents or guardians accountable after harm has already occurred. We need to go further by requiring firearms to be securely stored and locked, especially in homes where children are present. I also support lowering the threshold for prosecution in cases where a firearm is recklessly left accessible to a child. Preventing access before tragedy happens should be the goal, not just responding after the fact. To make compliance easier, I would support tax credits or incentives to help gun owners purchase safe storage equipment. Responsible gun ownership should be supported and encouraged. School shootings and accidental shootings are preventable, and we must hold reckless gun owners accountable. That is why I support stronger safe storage laws. I also support repealing Georgia’s “Stand Your Ground” law. Our laws should prioritize de-escalation, accountability, and public safety. MFW: All firearms purchases should be registered and the “gun show” loophole should be closed. I opposed open carry and the lack of permit requirement to do so. I do not think guns should be allowed on campuses, childcare facilities, churches, etc. I think safe storage of weapons should be required.

Immigration & State Cooperation with Federal Authorities Q: 1) What actions would you take regarding ICE detention facilities operating in Georgia? 2) Do you support limiting or prohibiting state and local cooperation with ICE? Please explain. 3) What limits, if any, should the State of Georgia place on cooperation between state/local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities? GB: 1) I’m running for this seat because I want to help my local community. When I’m elected, I will remain a constant presence in Marietta with the people who elected me. I won’t be a typical state representative. There’s a kind of political etiquette that says when you’re elected at the state level, you’re not supposed to reach down into local government. I don’t agree with that. I’m running to serve my community, and that means working at every level where decisions are being made. At the local level, I plan to work closely with Cobb County and the City of Marietta to prevent ICE detention facilities from being built in our community. These facilities are approved and contracted locally, and that’s where we have the power to stop them. At the state level, I would support restricting or prohibiting the use of state funds for the construction of ICE detention facilities or for leasing facilities to ICE. I would also support legislation to restrict or prohibit the operation of private, for-profit detention centers in Georgia. 2) I support using every legal mechanism available to limit state and local cooperation with ICE. As Democrats, we need to be clear about who we are fighting for. That means standing up for all people, not just those who can vote in our elections. Our responsibility is to protect our communities, and that includes our immigrant neighbors. Limiting cooperation with ICE is about safety and trust. When people are afraid to interact with local government or law enforcement, it makes our entire community less safe. I will support policies that reduce that fear and ensure that local institutions are serving the people who live here. 3) I would support legislation at the state level to limit, as much as legally possible, the sharing of information between state and local law enforcement and ICE. That includes prohibiting state agencies from sharing personal information that could be used for immigration enforcement. People should feel safe applying for a driver’s license, accessing services, or interacting with government without fear. I also support banning agreements that expand ICE’s authority at the local level, such as programs that deputize local law enforcement as federal immigration agents. Local police should be focused on serving our communities, not acting as an extension of federal immigration enforcement. Beyond legislation, I would use my position to work directly with county and city leaders to ensure these protections are implemented locally. This is an issue where state leadership and local action have to work together. Finally, I would support requirements that federal agents clearly identify themselves and do not conceal their identities, so that residents know who they are interacting with and can protect their rights. MFW: I oppose having ICE detention facilities in Georgia. I think current methods of detention of immigrants is unlawful, unconstitutional and immoral. I do NOT support local cooperation between local and state law enforcement and ICE. When it became known that the City of Marietta (my home district) police department had signed a 287g agreement, three of my fellow Cobb legislators and I met with the Marietta Chief of Police within 24 hours. We opposed the agreement and pushed for minimal cooperation with ICE, and for transparency and open communication as the situation may change. I wish the state would push back on participation with ICE agents and oppose the deployment of ICE agents to our state, but the Republican majority party leaders has taken the opposite position.

Housing & Corporate Ownership Q: Do you support legislation limiting corporate and private equity ownership of single-family housing? If so, what specific policies would you pursue? GB: Yes. This question gets at the demand side of the housing crisis, which we have to address if we want housing to be affordable again. I strongly support limiting the role of large corporate and private equity investors in the single-family housing market. These entities are buying up homes at scale, driving up prices, and turning what should be stable neighborhoods into profit centers. At the state level, I would support legislation like the proposal from Representative Gabriel Sanchez to cap the number of single-family homes that a single investor can own. I would also support higher tax rates on large-scale investors acquiring multiple properties, especially those operating at the scale of owning hundreds or thousands of homes. To protect homebuyers, I would introduce legislation that gives individuals and families a fair shot at purchasing homes by creating an initial window where only owner-occupants can submit offers before investors are allowed to bid. I want to be clear that this is not about small landlords or retirees who own a few properties. This is about large institutional investors who are distorting the market and making it harder for working families to buy a home. At the same time, we have to address the supply side. We need to build more housing and make it easier and less expensive to do so. That means reducing unnecessary barriers to construction, supporting zoning reforms that allow for more housing types, and creating targeted incentives for developers to build high-quality, affordable housing. Solving the housing crisis requires action on both sides. We need to rein in speculative demand while also increasing supply so that housing is treated as a place to live, not just an investment vehicle. MFW: Yes. Solutions to the problem of corporate ownership of residential housing have been debated in one of my committees, Governmental Affairs. Legislation has been proposed and debated. This is a difficult issue to address but we’re working on it.

Reproductive Rights Q: Do you support repeal of Georgia’s six-week abortion ban? What additional policies would you support to protect reproductive rights? GB: Yes. I strongly support repealing Georgia’s six-week abortion ban. Decisions about pregnancy and abortion should be made between a person and their doctor, not politicians. We should not be asking people to justify their circumstances or forcing them to navigate government intrusion into private medical decisions. Beyond repeal, I would support codifying the right to access abortion care in Georgia law so that these protections are clear and durable. I would also support restricting the use of state funds for so-called “crisis pregnancy centers” that mislead and target vulnerable people seeking care. If public funds are used, they should go toward legitimate, evidence-based healthcare. I recognize that Georgia is currently a Republican-controlled state, so we should also pursue incremental protections where possible. That includes expanding the definition of medical necessity to explicitly include mental health, and removing burdensome reporting requirements for rape and incest exceptions that force survivors to engage with law enforcement in order to access care. My goal is to remove barriers, restore trust in our healthcare system, and ensure that everyone in Georgia has access to safe, legal, and compassionate reproductive care. MFW: Yes. Passage of HB 481 was a huge blow and the impact has been as bad or worse than predicted. I want a return to easy and safe access to abortion services during the first two trimesters with access to abortion later in pregnancy as an option as needed to protect the mother’s life or in cases when the parents choose termination due to other medical issues with the fetus. I want medical care for pregnancy to be a private issue for women with no interference from the government.

Voting Rights & Democracy Q: What policies will you support to expand access to voting and protect election integrity in Georgia? GB: Protecting voting rights starts with showing up and doing the job. As a state legislator, I will be present, engaged, and voting every time because every vote matters, especially as we continue to see attacks on voting rights across Georgia. I will support policies that expand access to the ballot, including increasing early voting opportunities, protecting and expanding vote-by-mail access, and ensuring that every community has convenient, well-resourced polling locations so no one has to wait hours to vote. I also support strengthening voter protections by opposing voter roll purges, eliminating unnecessary ID barriers, and ensuring that election administration is fair, transparent, and nonpartisan. Beyond the state level, I will stay deeply engaged in my local community to make sure access is truly equal in practice. In Marietta, there are neighborhoods where residents have to travel significantly farther to reach their assigned polling location. It is not a coincidence that these are often lower-income communities with fewer resources. I will use my position to highlight these disparities and work with local officials to ensure polling locations are equitably distributed so that every voter, regardless of income or neighborhood, has a fair and accessible path to the ballot. At the same time, I strongly oppose efforts to undermine local democracy, including attempts to make Cobb County elections nonpartisan. These efforts are not neutral. They disproportionately impact diverse, majority-Black and brown communities like ours and risk diluting representation and accountability. Election integrity means making sure every eligible voter can cast a ballot and have it counted. I will stand with my community to protect that right and push back against any effort to take it away. MFW: I fought against many of the changes to Georgia election law and hope for them to be overturned in the future. No restrictions on absentee voting, ballot drop boxes accessible 24/7 (not locked behind doors & accessible only during business hours), protection and expansion of early voting, no automatic purging of voter rolls after inactivity, ending unlimited voter roll challenges to election boards. There have been so many big and small attacks on making voting easy and accessible for all citizens. I want all these changes and restrictions reversed.