Note: This is the final part of a series of profiles on the four candidates running for House District 129 in the Dec. 20 special primary.
The Rev. Karlton Howard has a home field advantage. He’s running for the Georgia House seat held by his brother, Wayne, for 16 years, his stepmother Earnestine for one year and his father, Henry L. Howard, for 15 years.
Howard said the family connection made him reluctant to pursue the seat after his brother’s unexpected death Oct. 13. The longtime host and producer of the gospel show Parade of Quartets is far from assuming victory at the polls.
“My answer to that is Goliath thought he was going to win, too, but there was a little boy that had a little pebble that took him out,” Howard said. “I think my attention needs to be on winning.”
Howard, 71, is pastor of Noah’s Ark Missionary Baptist Church in Keysville. He’s in a four-way race for the House seat. And if no one gets more than 50% of votes, the contest heads to a Jan. 17 runoff.
The other candidates in the special Democratic primary are Scott Cambers, 31, Brad Owens, 51, and Davis Green, 23.
“I just think I’m uniquely qualified to represent the district as it’s drawn out, as diverse as the district is. I think I have what it takes to communicate with everybody in the district,” Howard said. “I’m able to listen to their concerns and put people before politics.”
MORE: House District 129 candidate profile: Brad Owens
Shaped like a backwards “C,” the district is located entirely within Richmond County. It grew slightly less diverse during redistricting and its number changed from 124 to 129.
White people currently make up 33.8% of the population while Black people comprise 54.95%. Latinos make up 4.74% and Asian individuals, 2.1%. Among people who are voting age, 37.16% are white, 52.33% are Black, 4.26% are Hispanic and 2.4% are Asian.
Howard said he has no specific legislation planned if he wins, but expects certain topics to be at the forefront.
“A lot of the issues we’re having I see revolve around education, people’s health and people’s housing,” he said. He expects to place a “high priority on early education, 0-3,” as well as “reinforcing the technical skills” in school systems.
He expects to take up homelessness, which he said is a growing problem in Augusta. “It’s affecting our whole district, not just downtown,” he said. Education, a person’s work ethic and mental illness are major factors, he said. And more mental health resources are needed generally to cover the cost of treatments such as psychiatric medicines, he said.
If elected, Howard will join the seven other members of Augusta’s legislation delegation, including fellow newcomer Lynn Gladney. Wayne Howard long served as delegation chairman. Howard said his mind is on working with the group to better Augusta.
“I know I’ve got to go up there and work with the delegation. I have some ideas about what that will look like,” Howard said. “My goal is to try to work with them and put my two cents in.”
Susan McCord is a staff writer with The Augusta Press. Reach her at susan@theaugustapress.com
