Dr. Jasmine Clark was born in Atlanta, GA in December of 1982. At a very young age, Jasmine realized her passion for the sciences and aspired to follow in the footsteps of her father, and one day be a doctor. She received her Bachelors of Science in Biological Sciences, with a concentration in Microbiology, from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 2005. She then went on to receive her Doctoral Degree from Emory University’s Laney Graduate School in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in 2013 after publishing her work on retroviral particle tracking using live cell imaging microscopy. Subsequently, in 2014, she completed a Postdoctoral project at Emory University, studying high-throughput sequencing of HIV patient samples. Jasmine currently serves as a Lecturer of Microbiology and Human Anatomy and Physiology at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University. As the field of science requires strategic planning, problem solving, and attention to detail, in 2018, Jasmine Clark ran on the platform that her scientific background could add a unique and refreshing perspective to legislating in GA. On November 6, 2018, Jasmine Clark was elected to the Georgia State House of Representatives, where she currently serves as the Representative to House District 108, covering the Lilburn and Mountain Park areas of Gwinnett County.
Along with her academic and professional accomplishments, Jasmine is a mother of two, currently residing in the Lilburn/Tucker area of Gwinnett County. Jasmine has been involved in community organizing and activism. She served as the Director of the March for Science held in Atlanta in April 2017. She then continued to work with other groups, including the Georgia Alliance for Social Justice, on advocating for social justice issues and causes. She believes that an inclusive Georgia is a thriving Georgia, and that there is no place for divisive rhetoric and discriminatory practices in Georgia’s future.
First elected in 2018, Jasmine Clark’s legislative agenda has been focused on education, voting rights, reproductive rights, environmental protection, common sense gun reform, criminal justice and healthcare. During her first term, Jasmine Clark was the primary sponsor on HB 133, which seeks medically accurate sex education that includes accurate information regarding HIV prevention. She was also a top sponsor of dozens of bills that reflect constituent issues and concerns, her legislative agenda, as well as her core values. In the 2021-2022 session, Jasmine Clark plans to continue the work of being a science voice in the GA State legislature, and an advocate and voice for her constituency in House District 108. In the 2021-2022 session, she also serves as the Vice Chair of the Gwinnett State House delegation and as the Secretary on the Executive Board of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus.
When she is not teaching at Emory, or legislating at the State Capitol, you can usually find her at one of her kid’s soccer games, basketball games or track meets, or with a microphone in her hand singing karaoke. Her personal philosophy can be summed up in this quote by the late Maya Angelou—“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Affordable Healthcare
Healthcare in Georgia is in critical condition. Decisions made in the past in regards to healthcare have hurt many Georgia families. The percentage of Georgians without health insurance is among the highest in the nation compared to other States. In Gwinnett County, wherein House District 108 lies, greater than 100,000 residents are uninsured. This is not, nor should it ever be acceptable. Our State’s refusal to expand Medicaid has resulted in a large number of Georgian’s being left without viable options for insurance and a number of rural hospitals having to shut their doors. Jasmine believes that access to affordable healthcare is a right of all Americans, and policies that ensure this access are vital for the health of our State.
Education
Serving as a faculty member at some of Georgia’s top universities, Jasmine is particularly passionate about education. She believes that all children, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status should be afforded the same quality education. The disparity between low-income and high income students needs to be addressed. We need solutions that seek to improve the public school system in Georgia. Academically, Georgia is behind, ranking 38th in the nation for education. It is imperative that we invest more in education by investing in our students and in our educators through dedicating more dollars per student in the budget and increasing teacher pay in Georgia.
Reproductive Rights
Reproductive care is healthcare, and it is important that it is treated that way. Laws that specifically target women’s bodies, that seek to strip away bodily autonomy and allow government intrusion on private medical matters, are unconstitutional and unnecessary. Georgians have a constitutional right to privacy, and should have access to safe, legal abortions.
Gun Control
Gun violence in America has become a staggering public health issue, and it needs to be addressed. While sweeping changes on the federal level, including funding for scientific research on gun violence, are way overdue, there is also lots of work to be done on the State level. Loopholes that allow individuals to curtail background checks need to be closed. Licensing of guns should be mandated. The minimum age for purchasing a gun should be raised to 21 for all guns. These are just a few solutions that could address this issue. We need legislatures that understand that proposing common sense gun laws and protecting Second Amendment rights are not mutually exclusive.
Representative Clark is on the following Committees:
For the second time in four election cycles, Republicans have drawn maps that have shifted the constituents of Jasmine. Since defying conventional wisdom and flipping her seat in 2018, Jasmine has been a target of Republicans during their drawing of the maps. For Democrats to continue the progress that has been made over the past three election cycles and continue to build to a position of eventually flipping the GA House, we must reelect Jasmine and prevent Republicans from gaining a supermajority.
Last day to register for primary: April 22, 2024
Deadline to request absentee ballot (primary) May 10, 2024
Date of primary: May 21, 2024
Last day to register for general: October 7, 2024
Deadline to request absentee ballot (general) October 25, 2024
Date of general: November 5, 2024
Georgia’s 108 State House district includes the Atlanta suburbs of Lilburn and Mountain Park. The total population is 59,577, with demographics including 45.9% White, 18.3% AAPI, 17.7% Hispanic, 17.3% Black, and 2.3% other.
2022 State Assembly District 108:
Democrat: 52.10%
Republican: 47.90%
2022 Gubernatorial:
Democrat: 49.55%
Republican: 49.51%
Elvia Davila is running against Jasmine. She is a mom, widower who lost husband in domestic violence dispute between her and her brother. Elvia was publicly angry that the DA did not throw her brother in jail, as she’s used this instance to label Democrats as soft on crime. That said, she chose to run against Rep Clark and not the DA. Elvia’s residency is questionable in District 108, to the point where it was challenged in court.
New legislative maps in Georgia remain gerrymandered in favor of Republicans, but open seats and new districts provide opportunities for Democratic inroads. We must re-elect Jasmine to continue making inroads in this heavily gerrymandered state and help elect Democrats up the ballot as well.
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