11th District Leans to the Right

Georgia’s 11th Congressional District is considered a “safe” seat for Republicans.

In 2016, President Donald Trump won the 11th District by 25 percentage points, while Barry Loudermilk won re-election to Congress for a second term by 35 percentage points.

As he seeks a third term, Loudermilk is being challenged by Democrat Flynn Broady Jr.

Get The AJT Newsletter by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

The 11th extends northwest from Fulton County, cuts a swath through Cobb County, and includes all of Bartow and Cherokee counties, taking in part of Atlanta, along with Marietta, Woodstock and Cartersville.

An estimated 16,000 Jews make up 2.3 percent of the 11th District’s population, the second-highest percentage in Georgia behind the 6th District, at nearly 8.4 percent.

Neither Loudermilk nor Broady faced a primary challenge.

According to their Sept. 30 campaign finance reports, Loudermilk had raised nearly $768,000 and had cash on hand of $366,000, while Broady had raised $44,000 and had $3,000 available.

Loudermilk, 54, holds seats on three U.S. House committees: Financial Services, House Administration and Space, Science and Technology.
Prior to his election to Congress in 2014, Loudermilk was founder and owner of a data networking and information systems company, and of a flight training business. He also served in the state House and Senate for more than nine years.

An eight-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Loudermilk received a bachelor’s degree from Wayland Baptist University.

Broady, 56, also is a veteran. He served three overseas tours during Operation Iraqi Freedom, as an infantry first sergeant in the U.S. Army.

He credits the GI Bill with helping him earn his bachelor’s degree from Austin Peay State University, a graduate degree from Kennesaw State University and a law degree from Seton Hall University.

He worked as an assistant solicitor general in Cobb County, and then as the veterans treatment court coordinator.

Regarding Israel, Loudermilk supported Trump’s decision to relocate the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

“When I visit with members of the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, I go to Jerusalem. Both times I have met with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu we met in Jerusalem. And my meeting with President Reuven Rivlin of Israel was also in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the seat of the Israeli government; it is the location of their Parliament building and the offices of the prime minister and president,” Loudermilk said last December.

He also backed Trump’s earlier decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, saying, “This bad deal – negotiated and signed by the Obama administration – only emboldened Iran’s posture in the Middle East and further antagonized one of our closest allies, Israel.”

Broady also supported the Embassy move. “However, Israel and the Arab world must still jointly work out a long-term solution to their issues and conflicts. The United States’ position is clear. We support Israel and the need for lasting peace,” he said in a statement to the Atlanta Jewish Times.

“In Congress, I will study the priorities and policy positions of the U.S. and other countries, existing economic aid for Middle East countries, and what effects these are having on long-term peace. I also pledge to consider the opinions and welfare of the people of the 11th District,” Broady said. “In this, as in all matters, I will encourage meaningful dialogue among the parties. If they are not willing to sit at the table with a focus on common ground, very little will be accomplished toward lasting peace. In the meantime, the United States must remain committed to Israel’s security, which includes protecting it from Iran’s nuclear program.”