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 158 candidate Madeline Ryan Smith. To read the main story for this series, go here.

By Tammy Joyner 

When Madeline Ryan Smith is campaigning, she skips conversations about the presidential race and instead addresses the impact that state races will have on young voters’ lives.

“When you get away from the hoopla of the Democratic establishment and the federal stuff and just bring it back down to home and kitchen table issues in real time, young people care about that. That’s more meaningful,” Ryan Smith said.

Ryan Smith is running for House District 158, which covers Middle Georgia between Macon and Savannah. She faces longtime incumbent Rep. Larry “Butch” Parrish, R-Swainsboro, who has run unopposed for most of his time in office.

“I’ve had more success doing that [keeping it local] with conservative-leaning, young, white men in this area, and that’s because that’s a major demographic we often leave out of the conversation just because we don’t think they want to be included,” said the 27-year-old Statesboro entrepreneur who works with nonprofits and disability-owned businesses.

“But when you can talk to your classic conservative who’s probably pretty anti-Trump … you can find a lot of common ground if you can just sit down and have a conversation,” she said. 

Ryan Smith is one of four Gen Z candidates running for office on the November ballot. The others are software engineer Ashwin Ramaswami, 25; community organizer Gabriel Sanchez, 27; and Bryce Berry, a 23-year-old Atlanta middle school math teacher. 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, Ryan Smith said she would make the following changes:

• Improve infrastructure by adding more paved roads and more bus routes in her district. Bulloch County has the largest area per mile of dirt roads in the state, Ryan said. 
• Ensure public school students with disabilities have the resources they need to succeed. “I am a 27-year-old woman who’s blind and I don’t know how to read Braille because my school system failed me, and I refuse to have that go on in a place where I can advocate for it to stop happening,” she said.Ryan Smith is legally blind and uses a guide dog. She also relies on assistive technology and voiceover.

“I’m the Disability Caucus Chair for the Democratic Party of Georgia,” she added. “So disability is involved in everything that I do.”

Ryan Smith earned her undergraduate degree and master’s degree in social science with a focus in sociology from Georgia Southern University.

She got involved in the political process “after looking around and seeing that nobody else was doing it.”

“Butch Parrish had not been contested for a while,” she said of her opponent. “A lot of the races down here just go uncontested year after year. And I didn’t want that one to continue to be uncontested.” 

Making sure Middle Georgia has quality public education and affordable housing are key parts of Ryan Smith’s platform.

“I’m the product of public education,” she said.

Like many of her Gen Z peers, Ryan Smith doesn’t own a home, something she hopes to accomplish in the future. But it’s not feasible for her right now.

“It’s disheartening to me because I know that’s how generational wealth is sustained, through homeownership and entrepreneurship and things like that. I want that for this area,” she said. “Right now, we’re seeing very smart individuals and great business owners moving … because of the scarcity of housing in Middle Georgia. We don’t need massive apartment complexes with sky-high rent. We don’t need landlords who become big land monopolists. Giving everyday people the opportunity to own a home is fundamental to the American dream.”

Ryan Smith has raised over $19,000 and has about $5,300 in cash on hand. Rep. Parrish has raised over $129,400 and has almost $107,500 in cash on hand.

See Ryan Smith’s campaign website here.

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