Marietta DJ/Around Town leads with challenger to 30 year legislative veteran Don Parsons
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AROUND TOWN: Bell takes second shot at unseating 30-year incumbent Parsons
- 14 hrs ago
- 6 min to read
Rep. Don Parsons and Danielle Bell
A veteran lawmaker and a returning challenger will face off this November in House District 44, where Republican Don Parsons seeks to extend his 30-year tenure and Democrat Danielle Bell looks to build on momentum from her 2024 run.
The district, which Parsons has represented since 1995, encompasses parts of Marietta and Woodstock.
Bell, a social worker and therapist, previously ran against Parsons in 2024, garnering 43.1% of the vote.
Bell grew up on a farm in Greensboro, Indiana and earned her master’s in social work from Case Western Reserve University in 2009.
Now, she is raising her three daughters in Marietta after moving to Cobb County with her husband in 2015.
Bell’s first run for office came after a Democratic recruiter reached out to her. Her decision cemented after seeing cracks in the health care system her patients and members of her family were slipping through.
“Our health care system is rigged for those at the top and corporations and people who already have a lot of money. And it’s just really hard for everyday people to access their health care, so that was a really big driving force for me,” she said.
Bell is running again because she believes she did well in the last election.
“Running for office is probably one of the most challenging but rewarding things I’ve ever done, and I want to see it through because my reasons for wanting to run are that I want to advocate for my community, and that hasn’t changed,” she said.
She said people should vote for her because she will show up for the community.
“I think that we deserve somebody like me who spent an entire career in community advocacy and wants to see what’s best for her neighbors, her community, her kids and not someone who’s been in office for 30 years, not willing to show up and paid off by corporations,” she said.
Bell believes Parsons does not show up for the community.
“He did not engage and show up in community. I’ve had constituents tell me that he hasn’t returned their calls. I even had one person tell me that he hung up on her when she was asking about the community issues that were important to her,” she said.
Parsons told Around Town that her claims simply are not true.
“When somebody contacts me about something, I get back with them. I’m always available. I’m available down here when we’re in session. I always have an open door. That’s literally the truth. We keep the door open to my office,” he said.
He said his priority is always responding to concerns from inside his district first and that he would never hang up on someone without saying he had to go first.
“You got to keep in mind we get hundreds of emails leading up to the session and during the session, especially on different bills, and many of them are from all over the state,” he said.
Bell also noted Parsons is chair of the Telecommunications and Utilities Committee and raised concerns about his campaign contributions.
“And if you look at his finances, over 80% of his money that he brings in is from those exact corporations that he’s supposed to be regulating. And if we look at our power bills, we see how well that’s working for us,” she said.
Parsons said he would never allow a campaign contribution to impact his decision making.
“I get contributions from different organizations, different PACs, but … none of those would ever influence how I vote on something. And none would ever influence how I take action in a committee or anything like that,” he said.
He said raising concern over campaign contributions is typical of a challenger attempting to get traction in a campaign.
Bell called House District 44 “very flippable” and she is confident she believes she can turn the district blue.
“It’s the No. 1 most flippable seat in Cobb County, and we know that because demographics change. I increased voter turnout by 36% as a Democrat in a pro- (President Donald Trump) election. I won 43% of the vote,” she said.
Bell noted that in 2020, Democratic candidate Connie Di Ciccio earned 48% of the vote, which was followed by a redistricting cycle.
“And because of that… they redistricted it, gerrymandered it to make it easier and more convenient. But Don Parsons didn’t change his strategy. He just changed who was able to vote for him,” she said.
Parsons said her belief that the district is “flippable” will make his campaign easier.
“I mean, there are always some changes, from year to year. … Different people go to vote. Always some changes. I don’t see any significant changes, though,” he said.
Bell’s immediate priority, she said, is helping make life more affordable for people in her district.
Affordability, she said, begins with focusing on costs such as health care, infrastructure and housing.
Parsons agreed with Bell that affordability is a main concern for constituents and Georgia as a whole.
“I agree with that, and that’s why we’re trying to do something about it, do everything we can, make sure that people can make a living and afford the basics in life and a place to live,” he said.
He said he does not know how young people can afford to live.
“I don’t know how some of the younger people are actually making a go of it. I really don’t. With the cost of housing, the cost of buying a car. … The cost of education, going to college, all the cost of books, everything has gone up,” he said.
Parsons pointed to former President Joe Biden’s administration as one of the reasons for higher costs and inflation.
Parsons said he takes Bell’s challenge seriously.
“I do take (challenges) very seriously, and I campaign very hard. I’ve always been a hard physical campaigner, knocking on doors, putting up signs, being out there, being available to the constituency. So, I’ll campaign hard like I always do, and the good Lord willing, I’ll win again,” he said.
Parsons said voters should continue to choose him because of his years of experience as a legislator.
“I’ve been chairing a committee now for a good many years, and I know the process of being a chairman and getting legislation passed. And I do take the people in my district seriously and what they want, what they need. I try to listen to all aspects of issues, not just one,” he said.
His two proudest pieces of legislation are helping pass the Crime Victim’s Bill of Rights and legislation bringing high-speed broadband access to all Georgians.
Essence Johnson, chair of the Cobb Democrats, told Around Town Democratic voters are looking to “break the status quo.
“For too long the Republican-held legislature has played into bandwagon culture war bills instead of things that impact Georgians’ everyday life. The race for District 44 is highly competitive and voters will have the choice of someone like Danielle who listens to the people or someone stuck in the past like Rep. Parsons,” she said.
Johnson said, based on Parsons’ website and voting history, he has not had a “fresh idea in a long time.”
Bell’s biggest challenge, Johnson said, will be reaching voters in District 44.
“She has an excellent digital team and her ground game is just getting started,” Johnson said.
Mary Clarice Hathaway, the chair of the Cobb GOP, said Republican voters are looking to support a candidate who is consistent.
“I think at the end of the day, what Republicans are looking for is good Republicans that are going to continue to promote conservative consistent values and do that through passing of bills and how they vote,” she said.
Hathaway also pushed back on the idea that District 44 could flip during the election.
“Don Parsons has been in office since 1995 because he continues to do well. That’s why people continue to get reelected. So, I think to say it’s the most flippable seat, maybe that’s the narrative that they’re trying to create,” she said.
She noted that, while both candidates are concerned about the cost of living, the two parties propose different solutions.
“Democrats want the government to pay for all of that. They want the government to be responsible for making things affordable and Republicans want to pass legislation that empowers us to be able to afford to live our lives,” she said.
OFF THE COURT: For former state Sen. Jason Esteves, D-Atlanta, politics is no different from a game of basketball.
Esteves, who is running as a Democrat to become the state’s next chief executive officer, sat down with the Journal Tuesday to discuss his campaign as part of a series of interviews with Georgia gubernatorial candidates.
Though he has cut out working out, Esteves said he still plays basketball three times a week.
“That’s my stress relief,” he said.
He explained pickup basketball, in particular, is “very much like politics.”
“You go out and you play on this team. … You don’t necessarily get to pick (teammates) ... just random guys come together, and you have one goal, which is to win,” Esteves said. “You may not like these people, but you have to learn — if you want to win — how to play together.”
Oftentimes, Esteves said he works to figure out what everyone’s strengths are and use those to succeed.
“You figure out how to use each piece to get you to the ultimate goal,” he said. “And the same way I do that in Monday morning basketball, you do that in the Legislature. You do that on the school board, and ultimately in the governor’s office, the skills are very transferable.”
TOWN HALL: State Rep. David Wilkerson, D-Powder Springs, will have a town hall meeting at 6:30 p.m. on April 20 at the George E. Ford Center, 4181 Atlanta Street in Powder Springs. Participants can hear the latest news from the Georgia State Capitol and how it impacts them.
ON THE RIGHT: The 2026 Republican Candidate Forum, hosted by the Cobb County Republican Women’s Club, will be 6:30 to 9 p.m. on April 13-14 at Mission Church Roswell Street, formerly known as Roswell Street Baptist Church, 774 Roswell Street NE in Marietta. Candidates on April 13 will be for the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, Public Service Commission — District 5 and state school superintendent. Candidates on April 14 will be for U.S. Senate; congressional Districts 6, 11 and 14; Public Service Commission — District 3; and Cobb County Board of Commissioners Districts 1 and 3. Register at ccrwc.org. Cost: $20 per person, $10 for students.
ON THE LEFT: April 11 is Donuts with Dems! from 9 a.m. to noon at the American Legion — Smyrna Post 160, 160 Legion Drive SE in Smyrna. Sponsored speakers include Solicitor General Makia Metzger, Rep. Solomon Adesanya, D-east Cobb, Tanya Miller, candidate for attorney general, and Geoff Duncan, candidate for governor. RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/33ytdn4j.