Meet the GA House of Representatives District 147 candidates – Miranda Britt

Miranda Britt is running for Georgia House of Representatives seat/district 147. In March, Britt qualified as a Republican candidate for the seat and now faces Republican incumbent Heath Clark.

The 2020 General Primary Elections, Nonpartisan General Election, and Special Elections were set for May 19, but due to the COVID-19 crisis, it has now been moved to June 9. Should Britt win the primary, she will then face Democratic candidate Stephen Baughier for the November 3 General Election.

Britt is a native of Warner Robins. She graduated from Northside High School in 2012, and has continued to live in the community where she is raising her children. Britt’s family owns a small business off of Elberta Road, and she currently works at a local car dealership. Britt ran for Warner Robins City Council Post 6 last year, and said that got her “feet wet” in politics.

“I want to help out with the community as much as possible,” Britt said. “I ran for Warner Robins City Council last year, and it got my feet wet in politics. With that, my ultimate goal is to be on the state level. After the local race, I decided to put my hat in to run for the Georgia House of Representatives. I have some great ideas to pursue if I am elected, and even if I don’t win, hopefully, it’ll open some doors for other policies to be put in place.”

The first goal Britt has set, if elected, is to find a solution to the state’s maternal mortality rate.

“We have women dying every single day just by giving childbirth,” Britt said. “It’s due to small things such as not having the nurse to patient ratio, accidents, and just negligence. These are things we need to address. Here in Georgia, if you are a Caucasian woman, you are twice as likely to pass away than anywhere else in the states, and if you are a woman of color you are four times as likely to pass away. We need to address this and save as many as lives as we can.”

Britt said she was unaware of the mortality rate until her sister’s best friend, Kierra Johnson, passed away two years ago due to negligence while giving birth.

“That really rocked my family to its core,” she went on to say. “Her husband is a major advocate for this and has a nonprofit called For Kierra For Moms, which I whole-heartedly support, and that’s when it really opened my eyes to this major issue that we have.”

Another matter Britt would focus on is the youth suicide rate in Georgia.

“We need to protect these children and get them away from their abusers in school,” Britt said. “As of right now, unless a family up and moves to a different school zone or puts their child in private school, that child is stuck at school with their abuser. So, I would propose a bill that if a family has gone through the necessary steps in order to address this and the bullying continues, then that family can move forward in possibly moving that child away from that school even if it’s not school zone.”

Lastly, another main focus for Britt is the families in Georgia who receive SNAP and Medicaid benefits.

“Here in Houston County alone, our DEFACS office is three months plus behind on a constant basis for families when they do renewals or applications,” Britt said. “You have multiple families that are not getting the benefits they need and are having to find a way to go to the office multiple times to address the issue. It can take months to get what they need.”

Britt said while the incumbent has done good things she feels it is time for a new face with fresh ideas.

“I would continue the work he has established, but I would mainly bring new ideas to move forward to the future,” Britt said. “I am willing to think outside of the box, and I will do anything and everything to be there for the community and get their needs taken care of. And I encourage everyone who is healthy and able to go to the polls to make sure your vote gets counted. Our health care workers are doing an amazing job, and I am glad that the governor has decided to open some of the businesses back up. But please … let’s all continue to follow the CDC guidelines, and we will get through this.”

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