Editor’s note: State Affairs spoke with the four Gen Z candidates running for the state Legislature in November as part of our “On the CampaignTrail” series. They discussed their campaigns and what they plan to do if elected. This profile looks at Georgia House District 42 candidate Gabriel Sanchez. To read the main story for this series, go here.

Gabriel Sanchez and his team have knocked on 20,000 doors and made over 15,000 phone calls hoping to convince voters he’s the right candidate for House District 42, which covers Smyrna. 

Sanchez, a regular on social media — TikTok is his go-to for explaining issues such as gerrymandering and making local politics more accessible — is running against Republican challenger Diane Jackson, a Smyrna business owner.

“Young voters have really resonated with our progressive values and have been showing up because they feel represented,” said the 27-year-old community activist who works as a waiter at Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux in Cobb County. 

Sanchez is one of four Gen Z candidates running for office on the November ballot. The others are software engineer Ashwin Ramaswami, 25; Atlanta middle school teacher Bryce Berry, 23; and Madeline Ryan Smith, a 27-year-old Statesboro entrepreneur. All are on the Democratic ticket. Candidates must be at least 21 years old to serve in the state House and 25 years old to serve in the state Senate

If elected, Sanchez said he would work to make the following changes: 

• Curb large corporations and private firms from buying housing and raising prices in metro Atlanta, blocking working families from being able to purchase homes.
• Create a living wage of $20 an hour in Georgia.
• Secure guaranteed paid leave for Georgia workers.

Sanchez was born and raised in Cobb County. His parents are Colombian immigrants who “taught me to fight for my community.”

Sanchez was involved in political work and activism at Georgia State University, where he earned a degree in film and video studies.

After college, the Smyrna resident immersed himself in local politics and became an advocate of progressive values such as workers’ rights, immigrants’ rights and voting rights. 

“We need a $20 living wage, guaranteed paid leave for all workers and universal health care in Georgia.”

— Gabriel Sanchez

He worked as a legislative aide to state Reps. Sam Park and Park Cannon. The self-described Democratic socialist then served as an organizer with the Democratic Party in 2020. He also worked with voting rights groups Pro Georgia and Poder Latinx. Sanchez is a volunteer organizer with the Atlanta Democratic Socialists of America, where he helped introduce public sector bargaining rights legislation to the state House. 

Housing, health care and the economy are at the core of Sanchez’s platform. 

“We must invest in building affordable and sustainable housing and stop huge corporations from coming in, buying up all of our housing and jacking up prices, making it unattainable for working families,” he said. “We need to build up labor unions within the renewable energy sector. We need a $20 living wage, guaranteed paid leave for all workers and universal health care in Georgia.”

Sanchez has raised nearly $84,000 and has just under $16,000 in cash on hand. His opponent Jackson raised nearly $16,000 and has a little over $9,000 in cash on hand.

See Sanchez’s campaign website here.

Have questions? Contact Tammy Joyner on X @lvjoyner or at [email protected]

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