After meeting with Jodi Lott several times to discuss Georgia’s ongoing issues, House District 131 candidate David Byrne has set his sights on improving the state with new and inventive solutions.
With Lott’s plans to retire from the General Assembly in 2024, Byrne said he seeks to win the Columbia County population’s vote by implementing real solutions – not slogans.
After being accepted into the University of California San Diego at age 15, enlisting in the U.S. Army National Guard at 19, and creating a revolutionary method to purify water, Byrne is set on entering the world of politics.
“David grew up involved in politics … I was the Northern California campaign manager for both George W. Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger,” said Bryne’s father, John Byrne. “So David has a long history of involvement in various campaigns along the way.”
According to John Byrne, his son was also the youngest to be admitted into UC San Diego and the youngest to join in the U.S. Army National Guard since World War II.
Traveling to 28 different countries and learning from others, Byrne said he began writing countless solutions and recorded his ideas on how the U.S. could improve.
“I have been interested in politics, basically since I was a kid,” said Byrne. “I was in Young Republicans in college, but my career later took precedence.”
A self-proclaimed “pragmatic visionary” and a Grovetown former defense contractor, Byrne’s campaign is focused on three problems: insurance, property ownership and ensuring informed elections.
“I really want to help people,” he said. “I have what I think are good ideas … but I need the votes.”
Holding to his beliefs of honest and transparent leadership, Byrne said he believes too many candidates are elected today by promising false hopes without any true solutions.
“I want my solutions out there for the world. All of my ideas are on my website,” he said. “I would honestly love it if the other candidates stole my ideas and I didn’t need to run. They would be doing me a favor, because then I could focus on other things.”
Well traveled and highly skilled in cybersecurity and engineering, Byrne said he plans on utilizing his military experience and problem solving skills to carry out real change.
“I have tried to base all my solutions on current law, because then I’m not proposing something that’s out of left field,” Byrne said. “What I don’t want to do is push something that requires a Constitutional Amendment and has been ruled unconstitutional, because then I’m just an advocate – that’s not going to actually bring about any positive change.”
By editing Obama’s healthcare plan, Byrne plans on lowering insurance premiums to protect Georgians’ right to better healthcare.
“I don’t support Obamacare across the board, however, there’s one aspect that I’ve found that I think was good … as with all things, there’s always some good parts,” he said. “Obamacare requires in health insurance coverage that 85% of your insurance premium has to go to the patient, so why does it feel like health insurance is still so expensive?”
With some digging, Byrne found out that vague terms and nonspecific details allow companies to manipulate numbers in their favor.
“That 85% includes anything that falls under ‘patient improvement,’ which is very loosely defined,” he said. “That could include updating the website or upgrading computers, because that’s considered improving patient experience.”
By strictly outlining what items and supplies companies can label as ‘beneficial to patients,’ Byrne believes slight changes to Obamacare could help lower the state’s high insurance costs.
Alongside fixing health insurance, Byrne said he wants to block corporate entities, who oftentimes buy homes with cash and shareholder money, from purchasing residential property – such as single family homes up to fourplexes.
“Right now, there’s no way you or I can buy a house for cash in our market. We just can’t compete with corporations,” he said. “In my mind, there’s no reason why corporations should be in certain industries, such as housing. It shouldn’t be a profiteering industry.”
If elected, Byrne said he plans to make it so only Americans and American permanent residents are able to own residential property within the state of Georgia.
“With my idea, Georgians will no longer need to compete with companies to own a home, lifting our communities through owners with personal investment in the area,” said Byrne.
Thirdly, Byrne said he wants to safeguard the future by enacting tactics that allow only informed citizens to submit a vote. With the current system in place, Byrne believes elections are strongly skewed because voters are “marred by the two-party system.”
“Right now it’s impossible or extremely difficult to beat incumbents,” he said. “I would love to take all candidates off the ballot in the state of Georgia and turn everyone into a write-in. The Republican and Democrat party could still say ‘this is our guy,’ but when you show up to the polls you’re going to have to write-in your candidate.”
Although Byrne is the youngest running Republican candidate for District 131, he believes his experience in several fields and open mind allows him to be a formidable candidate amongst his peers.
“These core issues that affect all of us, I want to talk about them. I want to know what people need,” he said. “The reason I put all my ideas out there is not just for transparency, it’s also because I’m open to listening. If I miss something, if I’m wrong, just tell me how I’m wrong and give me a better idea. Convince me I’m wrong and I will change my idea.”
For more information on Byrne and his ideas, visit: https://www.aboutdavidbyrne.us/
The Republicans and Democrats will face off in the May 21 general primary. After which, if no candidates receive a majority of votes, a runoff vote will follow on June 18.
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education, lifestyle and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
