Tony Kozycki

Tony Kozycki served in the U.S. Navy from 2004 to 2017. He earned a bachelor's degree from the United States Naval Academy in 2008, a law degree from the Georgia State University College of Law in 2021, and attended the Harvard Kennedy School. Kozycki's career experience includes working as an attorney.[1][2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in LaGrange, Georgia, raised by two amazing parents who shaped my life. My mother was one of the first women to complete airborne training in the U.S. Army. She later put herself through law school while raising me and my sister, then became the lead Public Defender for Troup County State Court. I grew up watching her fight for people the system had written off.

My father raised us with deep faith, strong values, and the belief that how you treat people matters. He taught me to work hard, keep my word, and treat others the way you want to be treated. Through sports, he taught me discipline and resilience. Those years of practice helped me earn an opportunity to play baseball at the United States Naval Academy.

After graduating from the Naval Academy, I became a naval aviator, flew fighter jets for 10 years, completed 3 combat deployments across Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria and spent 3 years as the sole U.S. Navy officer embedded with the Royal Australian Air Force. After my military service, I moved back home to Georgia and went to law school at Georgia State, graduated summa cum laude, and built a practice helping people when the system fails them.

In 2025, I read about Godfrey Wade, a Georgia Army veteran being deported without ever seeing an immigration judge. I took his case and asked Rich McCormick for help. He refused. That is when I decided to run.

I live in GA-7 with my wife and two children. This district deserves a representative who shows up.

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?

End Corruption and Restore Trust

Washington is broken because too many politicians serve themselves instead of the people. While Georgia families work hard, congressmen profit from stock trades, lobbyist deals, and special access. Much of it now happens in plain sight. Voters see it and are tired of it.

Rich McCormick sits on the Oversight Committee, where the job is to hold Washington accountable. Instead, he has stayed silent during one of the most openly corrupt eras in modern politics.

I will fight to ban congressional stock trading, require blind trusts, strengthen ethics laws, and expose waste and self-dealing.

This is not partisan. It is about restoring trust and making public service mean service again.Lower Healthcare Costs and Put Patients First

Healthcare is broken. Families pay more every year, fight insurance companies for basic care, and still worry one illness could wreck their finances. Rich McCormick ran for Congress as an emergency room doctor who would fix it. Instead, he backed policies that raised costs, attacked public health, and undermined science and research. My sister is a physician and researcher at the National Institutes of Health, so this fight is personal for my family.

I will take on insurance monopolies, lower prescription drug prices, protect medical research, and put patients ahead of corporate profits. No more choosing between your medication and your mortgage. McCormick had his chance. I will choose you.Lower Real Costs for Families

A full-time job should be enough to raise a family, pay the bills, and still make it home for your daughter’s dance recital or to play catch with your son. Too many families in this district work harder than ever and still fall behind. Childcare costs more than many mortgages. Homes are being bought by private equity firms and turned into rentals families cannot afford. Wages have not kept up with real life.

I will fight to lower childcare costs, stop Wall Street from buying up neighborhoods, expand affordable housing, and make sure hard work once again leads to stability and opportunity.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Veterans:

No one who served this country should come home and be forgotten, ignored, or buried in bureaucracy. This race became real for me when a Georgia Army veteran was being deported without ever seeing a judge, and Rich McCormick refused to lift a finger to help.

People the System Leaves Behind:

I have seen as an attorney what happens when working families and people with fewer resources face systems not built to help them. My mother spent my childhood as a public defender in LaGrange, GA fighting for those same people. My own legal career has focused on indigent defense. This work is personal to me.

I believe government should be judged by one standard: whether it stands with those who need help most when it matters most.

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

Senator John McCain.

As a 2008 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, I grew up hearing his story. He graduated in 1958, making him my “fifty-year link in the chain.” From the beginning of our training, he was held up not simply as a war hero, but as an example of duty, sacrifice, and moral courage.

When McCain was given the opportunity to leave the Hanoi Hilton early because of his father's rank as a Navy admiral, he refused. Not because refusing was strategically wise. Because the men next to him were staying, and leaving would have been a betrayal of everything he had sworn to uphold.

But what I admire most is that this sense of principle continued throughout his public life. During the 2008 presidential campaign, when a supporter made false and ugly remarks about Barack Obama, Senator McCain stopped her and defended his opponent’s decency. Years later, when his party expected him to fall in line on repealing the Affordable Care Act, he cast the deciding vote against it because he believed the process and the policy were wrong. In both moments, he showed a willingness to do what was right when it would have been easier not to.

Politics is full of moments where the easier vote is also the wrong vote. Where staying quiet costs less than speaking up. Where the safest path is to follow the leadership and hope no one notices. McCain was someone who, at the moments that mattered most, was willing to pay the price of doing what was right.

I do not agree with everything John McCain believed. We would have disagreed on a number of policy questions. But the standard he set for moral courage in public life, for prioritizing the institution and the country over personal or political convenience, is the standard I am trying to meet. In a Congress where MAGA extremism has made compliance the path of least resistance for too many Republicans, that standard is more relevant today than it has ever been.

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

The most important characteristic is a willingness to show up for constituents, for hard votes, and for the communities you were elected to represent. An elected official who stops holding town halls, stops returning calls, and stops engaging with the people who sent them to Washington has broken the basic compact of representative government.

Beyond that, accountability is essential. That means holding yourself to the same standards you demand of others. One of my first legislative priorities is banning congressional stock trading. A Congress that can profit from information gained through public service has no standing to ask the public for trust. Accountability has to begin at home.

Finally, an elected official must have the courage to do what is right, even when it is politically inconvenient. Leadership is not about telling people what they want to hear. It is about making tough decisions, standing by your values, and putting the country ahead of yourself.

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

The first responsibility is constituent service. Every person in Georgia’s 7th Congressional District deserves a representative who answers the phone, responds to requests, and uses the office to help when constituents run into problems with federal agencies and programs. That sounds basic because it is basic. It is also something my opponent has stopped doing.

The second responsibility is oversight. Congress is a coequal branch of government with a duty to check the executive branch. A member of Congress who blindly supports every action of any administration is not doing the job. I will use committee work, investigations, and the power of the purse to hold the executive branch accountable when it oversteps.

The third responsibility is passing legislation that actually serves the public. That means banning congressional stock trading, taking on insurance industry consolidation that drives up healthcare costs, investing in skilled trades and workforce development, and making sure working families in this district can afford to build a life here. Policy should reflect what the district needs, not what protects incumbents or rewards donors.

The fourth responsibility is showing up. Town halls throughout the district. Regular contact with local elected officials, community organizations, and constituents. A congressional office built to serve the people, not function as a fundraising machine. My opponent has gone more than a year without a public town hall. That ends on day one.

What was the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember?

September 11, 2001.

I was a tenth grader sitting in math class at LaGrange High School when school administrators quietly came into the room after the first plane struck and told our teacher to turn on the television mounted in the corner.

We sat there in stunned silence, trying to do our work while watching the smoke and the confusion unfold on the screen. Then we watched the second plane hit. I still remember the shock of that moment and the feeling that everything had changed.

As the news continued, I remember seeing footage of fighter jets taking to the air and flying over New York City, standing overwatch and protecting the city below. In a moment when the country felt under attack and everything seemed uncertain, those aviators launched to defend their communities and protect innocent people.

I remember thinking to myself, that is who I want to be.

Like a firefighter who runs into a burning building when everyone else is running out, they ran toward danger when the nation needed them most. In that moment, I made a promise to myself that changed the course of my life. It set me on a path to military service and shaped the kind of duty, courage, and responsibility I still believe in today.

Note: Kozycki submitted the above survey responses to [the profile publisher] on April 21, 2026.

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March 13 submission

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in LaGrange, Georgia, and was recruited to play baseball at the United States Naval Academy, where I played first base while completing my studies. After graduating, I was selected for aviation and went on to fly the F/A-18 Super Hornet with VFA-41. During my time in the Navy, I completed three combat deployments and also served in a diplomatic liaison role working with the Royal Australian Air Force.

After ten years of military service, I returned home to Georgia to attend law school, graduating summa cum laude. I later started a law firm with my wife and mother, where we practice immigration and criminal defense. Through that work, I have spent years helping families navigate some of the most difficult moments of their lives and advocating for fairness and due process in our legal system.

My wife and I live in Johns Creek and are raising two kids, ages 8 and 11. When I am not working, you will usually find me coaching youth sports such as baseball, softball, or flag football, or spending time with my family. We attend North Point Community Church and care deeply about building strong communities where families can thrive.

My life has been shaped by service to my country, to my clients, and to my community. Those experiences are what motivate me to run for Congress.

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?

Immigration Reform with Humanity and Accountability

As an immigration attorney, I have seen the failures of our immigration system up close. I have represented families living in fear and even helped American citizens who were wrongly detained in immigration facilities. No system that treats people this way is functioning properly. We need common sense immigration reform that restores due process, ends abusive enforcement practices, and fixes the legal immigration system so it actually works. Immigration has long strengthened our economy and our communities. We should build a system that reflects our values, protects families, and treats people with dignity while maintaining a secure and orderly process.Lowering the Cost of Living for Working Families

Working families across Georgia’s 7th District are struggling with the rising cost of living. Housing, childcare, and health care costs continue to climb while wages fall behind. Two working parents should not have to choose between paying rent and paying for childcare. We need policies that make everyday life more affordable. That includes expanding the child tax credit, investing in affordable housing, raising the minimum wage, and lowering health care costs. Families who work hard should be able to support their children, build stability, and plan for the future without constant financial stress.Restoring Trust and Protecting Our Democracy

Trust in our government has been badly damaged, and restoring that trust must be a priority. We need stronger accountability and transparency in Washington. That includes banning members of Congress from trading stocks, imposing a cooling off period before former members can lobby, and getting dark money out of politics by overturning Citizens United. We should end partisan gerrymandering and mid cycle redistricting so politicians cannot manipulate the system to protect themselves. Our democracy works best when elections are fair, institutions are strong, and leaders are accountable to the people they serve.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am deeply passionate about immigration reform because I have seen the human consequences of our broken system firsthand as an immigration attorney. I have worked with families living in fear and clients navigating a system that too often lacks fairness and humanity. I also care deeply about veterans issues as a Navy veteran. We have a responsibility to ensure veterans receive quality VA health care and strong mental health support. Finally, I believe the United States must rebuild the alliances that have long strengthened our security. Through my military service I worked closely with partners across the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, and I know how vital those relationships are to protecting our country and our democratic values.