Candidates clamor for Carter’s open seat

By Andrew Rice
The Center Square

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter’s decision to run for U.S. Senate has attracted 14 candidates for his 1st Congressional District post.

Carter, a Republican, has served in Congress since 2015.

Six Republicans qualified: Pat Farrell, Jim Kingston, Brian Allen Montgomery, Krista Penn, Kandiss Taylor and Eugene Chin Yu.

Taylor, an educator who ran for governor in 2022, said the Trump administration has not gone far enough to dismantle the Department of Education.

“We have a lot of federal regulations in education, and they’re really unconstitutional,” Taylor said in an interview with The Center Square. “It’s supposed to be a state right.”

Taylor slammed expanding Medicare and Medicaid. She called for greater competition among insurance companies to lower prices.

“When you have monopolies on systems, then of course you can jack your price up and screw the people and that’s what we see happening,” Taylor said.

Penn told The Center Square she wants to advocate for veterans’ issues. She said the Department of Veterans Affairs has not done enough to standardize its processes and provide the highest quality of care for veterans.

“If things were standardized, then they would be able to walk right in and know exactly what the processes are and not have to learn things all over again,” Penn said. “We need fewer career politicians and we need more leaders who understand the true meaning of service.”

Kingston, son of former U.S. Congressman Jack Kingston, is endorsed by President Donald Trump. Kingston, Farrell, Montgomery and Yu did not respond to a request for an interview.

Eight Democrats qualified: Defonsio Daniels, Joyce Marie Griggs, Amanda Hollowell, Michael McCord, Joey Palimeno, Sharon Stokes Williamson, Patrick Wilver and Randall Jay Zurcher.

Hollowell said Carter has not been responsive to the community’s needs for several years.

“He was selective about who he was responding to via email,” Hollowell said in an email with The Center Square. “Then, he became a super MAGA Trumper, so we really knew that he wasn’t listening to you.”

Hollowell called for expanded testing and rubric opportunities, increased caps on student loan borrowing and pay raises for teachers.

“If we are not providing people with that foundation and that skill set, we’re going to be stagnant,” Hollowell said. “I do believe we fully need to reinstate the Department of Education.”

Daniels, Griggs, McCord, Palimeno, Williamson, Wilver and Zurcher did not respond to a request for an interview.

Early voting continues through May 15. A runoff, if needed, will be held on June 16.