Caldwell Seeks House Seat

Republican Michael Caldwell has announced his candidacy for the state House District 20 seat in 2012, challenging Rep. Charlice Byrd.

With Georgia’s 2011 redistricting, Caldwell said he believes he represents the new District 20, which includes Towne Lake and Woodstock, even better than before.

Caldwell will campaign on a platform of accountability and local control.

“The primary purpose of government is to protect the life and liberty of its people,” Caldwell said in a news release. “Aside from this purpose, the smaller the better. This is true for every level of government. Whether it’s Local, State, or Federal; keeping government interference with the lives of its citizens to the smallest level possible should and must be every Legislator’s primary task.”

Caldwell said he will not accept donations from lobbyists or out-of-state entities, and he will return any unused monetary contributions at the end of the election cycle rather than hoard them for future elections.

Caldwell lost to Byrd in the July 2010 primaries but received 46 percent of the votes.

Caldwell’s social media following on sites such as Facebook and Twitter is the highest of any candidate for the state House in Cherokee County.

He is married to Katie Caldwell and grew up in District 20. He graduated from and from with a bachelor's in finance. He works for Python Safety and sells safety equipment to the nuclear power industry.