My name is Mathewos Samson, and I'm a community organizer, democratic socialist, and lifelong Atlantan. I'm running for state house because Georgia has become unaffordable for regular working people like you and me. Housing, utilities, and the overall cost of living are through the roof, and our politicians are too beholden to corporate donors to stand up for us in the face of this crisis. It’s time to bring working people who reject the bribes of developers and billionaires into the state capitol, with no corporate strings attached. Only we can build a more democratic, equitable, and just society that works for everyone.
I grew up in Atlanta's historic Old Fourth Ward neighborhood in a family of immigrants. My parents first came to Atlanta in the 1980s, having been displaced by conflict from our home Tigray region in Ethiopia. As the oldest of three brothers and the first to attend college, I knew at an early age I had a duty to fight for my family as well as our broader community. My family strongly values solidarity and connection, and I lived our values through deep involvement in our immigrant community, including through the Tigray Community of Atlanta, our Debre Tsion Kidist Mariam Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and the Tegaru Professionals Network.
Throughout my childhood and early adulthood, I watched as the neighborhood I grew up in changed. As we invested in our community to improve our lives, landlords started selling to corporations which jacked up rent. As property values skyrocketed, family after family were driven from their homes, forced to leave our community. Our elders were particularly affected - with a fixed income and no ability to work, many simply could not keep up with the rising prices, and were forced out of homes they thought they would live in for the rest of their lives. I watched my neighbors disappear one by one, replaced by greedy corporate landlords. All the while, our politicians sold us out, valuing the corporate developers destroying our community over the people they were supposed to serve. As gentrification spreads to more neighborhoods - especially historically Black neighborhoods like mine - many more Georgians in my district face the same crisis my neighbors did.
After attending Midtown High School, I enrolled in Georgia State University and later transferred to Kennesaw State University. I excelled in my studies, even landing on the Dean’s List, but soon learned firsthand just how difficult it is to pay bills and get by in today's economy. Tuition costs piled up, and my family faced a medical crisis that left us burdened with hospital bills. With an obligation to take care of my parents and brothers, I put university on pause and doubled down on my job as an engineer to focus on supporting my family. I know I'm not alone in this experience; far too many Georgians are facing tough choices as we all struggle with skyrocketing rent, costly doctors' visits, and increasingly precarious work.
Frustrated with our broken system, I got involved in political activism. I joined millions of Americans to march and protest against the killing of George Floyd. I organized my co-workers to challenge management for better conditions and fair pay on the job. I've organized in local progressive electoral campaigns, including helping elect Kelsea Bond to Atlanta City Council last year. I've been a voice at Atlanta City Hall for public transit expansion, affordable housing, and fair taxes on the rich.
We all know our economic system is rigged for corporations and the wealthy. We need a radically new system that guarantees working people the dignity, respect, and basic fundamentals of living that we know we all deserve. We deserve a say in our government, not another corporate Democrat that plays nice within the systems that harm us. That's why I'm a democratic socialist, that's why I'm running for State House District 58, that’s why I’m refusing all corporate, developer, and billionaire money, and that’s why I’m advocating for concrete policies that would improve the lives of everyday Georgians: because I believe our society should work for working people, not just the billionaires. Please join me in the fight to build a better future for all of us.