Mike Thurmond has held numerous political roles in Georgia, most recently he served two terms as CEO of DeKalb County. The Democrat from Stone Mountain is running for his party’s nomination for governor.
Here are his stances and record on key issues.
Affordability
Thurmond says he would issue an executive order declaring an “affordability crisis” in Georgia on his first day in office as governor.
His administration’s prime directives will be reducing the cost of living and improving quality of life, he says.
Thurmond says he would cut sales taxes in half and double the state income tax deduction for overtime pay and tips. Georgians currently pay a 4% state sales tax on purchases, and the General Assembly passed a bill this year to exempt from taxes the first $1,750 of overtime pay and tips.
Thurmond says he plans to spend $25 million to fund 20,000 additional childcare scholarships through the state Childcare and Parent Services Program, lowering the costs so parents can attend work, school or training programs.
Taxes
Doubling the state income tax deduction for overtime pay and tips would benefit working Georgians who rely on hourly wages or customers’ generosity, Thurmond says.
He wants to double the $1,750 amount of overtime pay and tips that’s exempt from state income tax, increasing it to $3,500 for each. Federal income taxes on overtime and tips were also reduced last year through Republican President Donald Trump’s tax cut package, allowing deductions of the first $12,500 of overtime pay and $25,000 of tips.
Combined with a reduction of the state sales tax rate to 2%, Thurmond says Georgia consumers will be able to more easily afford everyday purchases.
Thurmond blames Trump’s tariffs for increasing costs on routine items, but he says sales tax cuts would help Georgians be able to keep up with the costs of groceries and other necessities. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the tariffs in February.
Immigration
Thurmond says immigration enforcement shouldn’t target peaceful families seeking a better life, adding deportations of violent offenders should be prioritized.
He criticizes Georgia’s Republican leaders for using immigrant families as “political scapegoats,” saying he’ll advocate for hard-working immigrants who follow the law.
Thurmond says the United States must secure its borders while allowing law-abiding immigrants who are already here to apply for legal work status and work toward citizenship.
Thurmond is calling for a comprehensive immigration overhaul, which can only occur at the federal level in a Congress that has struggled for decades to pass significant immigration changes.
As governor, Thurmond would have limited power over federal immigration enforcement.
Healthcare
Thurmond says he’ll finance construction of five new microhospitals in underserved rural communities if he’s elected governor.
In addition, he proposes government subsidies for a statewide network of emergency care clinics in both rural and urban areas facing healthcare shortages.
Georgians are facing a “healthcare crisis,” Thurmond says, because hospitals are shutting down, doctors are leaving the state, and 82 of Georgia’s 159 counties don’t have an obstetrician. He says building more care facilities is a direct way to improve access to Georgians in need.
Thurmond says he would expand Medicaid, the state and federal health care plan for the poor and disabled.
Most Georgia Democrats support expanding Medicaid, while most Republicans oppose a full-scale expansion.
Thurmond says Republicans’ failure to expand Medicaid has left billions of federal dollars on the table that could have benefited Georgians. He would face an uphill fight in the Republican-controlled state Legislature to accomplish this.
Georgia is one of 10 states that has decided against Medicaid expansion, which would provide 90% federal funding for health insurance coverage to lower-income adults who still earn too much to qualify for traditional Medicaid.
Housing
Thurmond says he’ll make housing more affordable by targeting steep rent increases and price gouging.
He would establish a new state fund dedicated to increasing the number of first-time homebuyers with low and moderate incomes. These kinds of shared homeownership equity funds generally provide ways to reduce costs of down payments and loans.
He says he will increase the supply of affordable housing through public-private partnerships and by reducing government bureaucracy. He also plans to support bills that would restrict corporations from buying large numbers of single-family homes.
The General Assembly didn’t pass bills this year that would have incentivized higher housing densities and prevented investors from buying more than 500 single-family rental homes.
When he was DeKalb County’s CEO, Thurmond says he distributed $55 million in emergency rental assistance and launched a $13 million initiative to prevent evictions and reduce homelessness.
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