Meet Anthony Aragues: Running for Georgia House District 21

Anthony Aragues Jr. is running for Georgia State House District 21, which covers much of Cherokee County. As North Georgia CAN evaluates candidates ahead of the May 19 primary, we asked Aragues where he stands. His answers focus on two issues he sees as deeply connected: the erosion of constitutional protections and the exploitation of working people for short-term corporate gain.

Constitutional Protections First, Starting Immediately

Aragues came in with an immediate legislative goal on his top priority.

“Immediately gather support for existing bills to ensure ICE agents are required to follow constitutional, state and local laws,” he said. “We never should have allowed federal agents to bypass all laws that protect our citizens and residents.”

His framing is grounded in the Constitution. Federal agents operating outside the legal protections that apply to everyone else require a legislative response, and he wants to get to work on it from day one.

The Workforce Exploitation Problem

When we asked Aragues what problem is not getting enough attention, he pointed to something he sees playing out across the region.

“The complete exploitation of our people as cheap labor without benefits for short term corporate gains,” he said. “If a business cannot pay employees enough to live here with benefits then the state ends up picking up that expense and subsidizing a bad business model.”

This is a fiscal argument as much as a moral one. When employers underpay workers and offer no benefits, the cost shifts to state programs and taxpayers. Aragues wants to use every available state incentive to push back against that pattern.

“All incentives available at a state level must be used to encourage businesses to take care of their employees,” he said. “We can ensure that no company will be tempted by short term gains by strip mining an area of human resources.”

Why This Matters for Cherokee County

Cherokee County workers and families feel the weight of low-wage employment and inadequate workplace protections directly. A state representative who connects constitutional accountability to economic fairness and who is focused on what those two things cost working people is a voice this district needs.

Learn more about his campaign at PeopleOverPolitics.vote.

NGA CAN will publish our endorsements for the May 19 primary by May 16. Stay tuned.