James Cooper III

James Cooper III earned a bachelor's degree from Mercer University in 1993 and a graduate degree from the Earlham College of Religion in 1996. His career experience includes working in customer service. He has been affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a Lizella resident, was born in Macon, and am a graduate of Mercer University. I also attended seminary at Earlham School of Religion, and served three years as a pastor.

I am a musician, an actor, a former small business owner, a political activist, and a cancer survivor.

I am a working-class American who understands firsthand the issues that so many Americans face today. I know what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck, struggle to make ends meet, go without healthcare, have to choose between paying rent, paying other bills, and having food to eat, have already insufficient wages garnished for student loan debt, and to be one missed paycheck away from financial devastation.

I am passionate about creating social and economic equality and justice for all people. I believe in showing Love, compassion, empathy, and respect to all people, and treating all people fairly.

As a U.S. Representative, I will work to bring the American people together for the common good, restore rights that have been taken away from people, restore integrity and rule of law to all branches of our government, and to promote civility and good will between Americans of all backgrounds.

I will work to to empower working-class Americans, and to make the U.S. into a true land of opportunity, where ALL people are able to live the American dream.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am running for Congress because the people of Georgia’s 8th Congressional District deserve to have the opportunity to support and vote for a working-class progressive who will work for the good of the American people, not just corporations and billionaires.

The only way we are ever going to change things and make the system work for the average American is for working-class Americans to organize, and run for office ourselves, and for working-class Americans to support and vote for those candidates. We cannot rely on millionaires and billionaires, establishment politicians, or a privileged political class to do the job for us.Establishment politicians don’t work for us. They never have and they never will. They work for their billionaire and corporate donors. The super rich and those who live privileged lifestyles will never truly understand what it is like to be a middle-class, working-class, or poor American. If the majority of Americans want elected officials who are going to actually work for us, then we are going to have to empower ourselves.

I am running to represent Georgia’s 8th Congressional Dist. I encourage other working-class progressive Americans to make the decision now to run for Senate, House of Representatives, Governors, and other state and local offices. Together, we can change our government and make it finally work for the American people.We need leaders who will work to establish Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, thriving wages for all American workers, a Federal Jobs Guarantee, Universal Basic Income, equal rights for ALL Americans, protect and expand Social Security and benefits for disabled veterans, and restore women’s reproductive rights and healthcare rights for transgender youth.

We need leaders who will stand up to Trump and his dangerous agenda of hate, spite, revenge, and greed, his disregard for the U.S. Constitution, his support for war and genocide, and his cruel policies towards working-class and poor Americans, women, consumer protection, fair immigration policy, people of color, immigrants, transgender youth, and anyone else he doesn’t like.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Quality healthcare for All, thriving wages for All, job creation, employment as a right, protecting labor, Universal Basic Income, protecting and expanding Social Security, education as a right, civil rights and equality, care for wounded/disabled vets, housing and homelessness, consumer protection, fair immigration policy, environmental justice, sustaining our planet through renewal energy, reforming our criminal justice system, police reform, common sense gun safety, campaign/election reform, voting rights, fair ballot access, expanding the Supreme Court and restoring it back to a legitimate body that upholds the Constitution, protecting whistleblowers, fairness in media, progressive taxation, anti-trust enforcement, peace and diplomacy.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Jesus, Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, Martin Luther King, Jr.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, and the book Christianizing the Social Order by Walter Rauschenbusch.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, compassion, empathy, and a belief in fairness and equality for ALL people.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Integrity, compassion, empathy, a belief in fairness and equality for ALL people, being a work-class American and being able to relate to other working-class Americans.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To be a servant of the American people, work for the American people, stay informed, hold oneself accountable to the American people, specifically to the people of your district, and to personally keep the people of your district informed about what you are doing to serve them in your position.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Bible. I am greatly inspired by Jesus.

James Cooper III did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

James Cooper III did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2020 Candidate Connection survey.