Platform

A picture of Robin next to a Ride Gwinnett bus. The text reads: "Progress is here."

Civil Rights

In recent years, the Georgia General Assembly has attempted to pass bigoted and authoritarian laws that gut our statewide hate crimes statute, which was created in 2020 to protect against discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and religious affiliation. McCoy wants to protect Georgians’ civil rights by introducing a bill that defends the rights of vulnerable Georgians on a grand scale by protecting them regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, or disability status.

Housing

Georgians currently face record levels of housing insecurity. By forcing out hedge funds and speculative investment from the housing market, Robin will fight to make housing accessible for all Senate District 5 constituents. McCoy plans to introduce a Tenant Bill of Rights that will set the standard for establishing freedoms for tenants and limitations for those in power. McCoy also wants to close loopholes that allow hedge funds and large investment firms to box out the housing market. Additionally, Robin wants to prioritize first-time home buyers and those that are moving from a single-family household into another should have priority in the market to those making investments.

Transit

Gwinnettians currently face one of the longest average commutes in Georgia. McCoy will encourage equitable investment and focus of transportation funds and efforts to build infrastructure to help all Senate District 5 constituents.

LGBTQ+ Rights

While Georgia is a leader in the South when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights, this isn’t the case because of efforts made by the state government, but rather because of federal court cases requiring the state to maintain a minimum level of protection for queer people. County governments and local municipalities– mostly in the metro Atlanta area– also play a part by passing their own ordinances that offer varying levels of protection. While these efforts have been incredible, they are not enough on their own to combat the levels of hate and vitriol that Georgia’s queer community is currently facing, and they will not hold up against the rising tides of anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ policies that are being pushed at all levels of government right now. We need to create better protections for queer Georgians at the state level and ensure that these policies that are attacking our rights are dismantled. In order to do that, we need to target three areas:

Shore up the protections we already have. Much of the protections that have been afforded to the queer community in Georgia have come through rulings in US Supreme Court cases such as Lawrence v. Texas, Obergefell v. Hodges, and Bostock v. Clayton County. These rulings have kept the state from enforcing older laws that discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community and have made it more difficult for the state to pass new laws that directly do so. Unfortunately, the current Supreme Court has not only shown a willingness to overturn these kinds of cases, but they eagerly named these very cases as they stripped away the federal protections established in Roe v. Wade. For this very reason, we need to fight to pass laws that protect rights such as marriage equality and the right to privacy at the state level. Furthermore, with the passage of bills such as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the local protections that have been hard-fought for are being put under fire. We need to codify these protections at the state level so that we no longer have to worry about them being meddled with by Republicans. This is our opportunity to make them put their votes where their mouths are.

Expand into further protections. Just because we are in the minority in the Georgia General Assembly and are fighting off attacks that try to take our rights away, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be trying to expand protections for the LGBTQ+ community as part of our fight. Making Republicans put themselves on the record as standing against legislation that would unambiguously benefit our community would show where their priorities lie– which is not with Georgians. It would also give us a chance to create good policies that have long-lasting, positive effects on the community. 

Continue to fight against all anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the state. The onslaught of anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in Georgia is only getting started, and will only get more aggressive going forward. Even the slightest inch given to Republicans will provoke them to attempt to take a mile. This will lead to even more of our rights being taken away and make any future fights that much more difficult. It is for that reason that it is important to stand up and fight with every fiber of our being. We have to call their dangerous, irrational hatred out for what it is, and show them the damage that their actions have already had and will continue to have down the line. We must ensure that when they choose hatred with their legislation and votes, the role that they played in allowing Georgia’s LGBTQ+ community to be hurt is never forgotten.

Environment

By investing in transportation infrastructure that allows for public transit which will operate efficiently, safely, and regularly– as well as makes our communities more walkable– we can help reduce air pollution from motor vehicles. The rise in data centers has brought with them a rise in demand on power grids, water usage, and land usage.  However, these data centers don’t bring with them the equitable benefits of large numbers of jobs or efficient usage of the land that is being taken up. Not only do we need to stand up against these data centers from swarming into our state, but we need to create more restrictions for how they use our natural resources. 

Healthcare

Healthcare is an essential need for survival for all humans in order to live happy, healthy, and fulfilling lives, but profit motivations at every stop in the healthcare process have created a barrier to entry that is impossible to overcome for many people. We have for-profit hospitals that put money over the wellbeing of their patients and employees, pharmaceutical companies that prioritize the highest profit margins over providing affordable life saving medicine, and insurance companies that illegally practice medicine by telling doctors what procedures they can and cannot perform to nickel and dime practices and patients. We are now seeing the end goal of a greedy system built to line pockets of those at the top rather than help those who need care. We must step in to limit just how much money these corporations are allowed to bleed us dry for, and to keep them from playing doctor all in the name of making money.

Medicaid. As long as the federal money for Medicaid expansion is there, Georgia should be participating in it. While this money may be under fire under the current administration, the state should not be turning down money from the federal government to help its people. 

Medical Debt and Disability. There need to be protections in place against bankruptcy and credit score damage from medical costs and debt. Furthermore, there needs to be expanded disability and assistance for those that are sick with chronic illnesses that keep them from being able to work, either because they physically cannot or because working is detrimental to their recovery. 

HIV. Federal cuts to programs like Medicare and Medicaid will have outsized impacts on many groups in the state, but to those in the state that have HIV it will be a big blow. We need to continue to expand programs that not only help those individuals, but that help to expand access to both treatment and to preventative care like PrEP.

State Funding for Bike Paths

Bike paths should be created and maintained in order to help keep traffic down and make sure cyclists stay safe and off of the main roads. Bike paths create business by incentivizing local business plans for bike shops, bike maintenance and services, fostering another industry, and saving money for residents’ commutes, all of which helps bring revenue into the community. Additionally, cycling promotes better public health and greater longevity for lives in the district.

Working with Gwinnett County and Its Cities

Gwinnett County and its cities have done great work to help move Georgia forward, even when policies from the state are moving things backward. In 2024, steps were taken by the Georgia General Assembly that pushed back against the county’s great work and ultimately resulted in the terribly-planned adoption of the City of Mulberry. Not only will Mulberry be a drain on the county's resources, but Gwinnettians are powerless when it comes to how those resources are used.  For those reasons, it is vital that lawmakers at the state level work with Gwinnett County and the existing cities within it to ensure that the laws being passed at the State Capitol allow for the kind of resources and funding to ensure that Gwinnett can continue to be the model for the state.  

Universal Childcare

Children are our future, and it’s important that they are cared for and given all of the time and attention that they deserve. But the reality is that we live in a world where a single income isn't enough to rent a studio apartment, much less a home. We still treat childcare as if it’s a luxury and not a vital aspect of a parent’s everyday life that is required so that they may continue to provide for their children. 

Georgia lawmakers need to incentivize and subsidize more programs that provide childcare from birth through Pre-K.  We also need to expand already existing programs that provide services such as Pre-K and after-school programs for older children.  Additionally, we need to create programs that allow lower income parents and families to more easily afford existing childcare programs.  Better funding of these programs should go hand in hand with better pay for staff and employees within them,  especially those that interact with children on a day-to-day basis. 

Oversight for AI

While a strong pursuit of innovation and technology is one of the things that has put the United States ahead of the rest of the world in the past, doing so with no concern for the potential negative side effects that these developments can bring is a recipe for disaster. Artificial Intelligence is no different when it comes to such potential– even though the technology may bring about many great strides, it can also bring with it many horrible downsides if we do not tread the path ahead lightly. 

AI requires the use of extreme amounts of data in order for their models to be trained.  Furthermore, it has already been demonstrated that this data is mined from everyday people’s public and personal information. As AI grows and becomes more and more unavoidable, protection of our personal data will not stop with things as simple as our names, addresses, and phone numbers. Instead, we will be fighting to protect our very voices, images, and public personas.  For this reason, we must limit AI’s access to our personal information and force companies to get us to personally opt in to having our data being used for their models and to otherwise delete any data that was obtained without our explicit consent. 

AI also requires the use of large data centers that use large amounts of land, power, and water and provide very little in the way of jobs and economic stimulation in return. On top of this, once these data centers are no longer needed for AI computing, then the buildings will be relatively useless and will stand abandoned. 

Trump-proofing the District

We don’t want authoritarians in our district. We don’t want Trump. We don’t want Trump’s terrible policies. We don’t want his cronies. And we ESPECIALLY don’t want ICE causing issues and overreaching for the people that are living their lives happily in our district.  We must repeal HB 1105 so that sheriffs’ departments in the State of Georgia aren’t forced to cooperate with ICE and do Trump’s illegal bidding.  We will hold elected officials accountable and oppose and vote against publicly funded programs that comply with any demands from the Trump Administration that do not carry the weight of law. If we do not stand up to Trump’s baseless threats, then we will all suffer. 

Public Safety

More than ever, the police are using harmful strategies to investigate and harass private citizens. They treat every interaction with the suspicion that a crime has been committed, even when there is no evidence that one has even occurred.  When combined with further militarization of the police, this puts private citizens in greater danger than ever before. We need to combat these actions by holding any and all police officers that participate in misconduct fully accountable for their actions and further hold their leadership accountable for any attempts to sweep these actions under the rug. 

When policing works, it’s because of the connections that are built between the police and the community at large. However, all too often, police fail at building this relationship because their techniques cause them to build distrust and animosity amongst the communities that they serve. If we wish to have a system of public safety that truly makes our communities safe, then we must construct systems and structures that are built around community engagement– and, more importantly, community itself. Dealing with incidents such as mental health crises and petty crimes with the full force of a militarized police force will only put both the police and the public in harms’ way.  The punishment should fit the crime.

Sensible Gun Safety

Motor vehicles, by their nature, are inherently dangerous and require specific skills and knowledge in order to be operated safely. Guns are no different. It is unacceptable to allow people to openly carry firearms without the required skills and knowledge to handle them properly. Furthermore, letting those that don’t show the proper care for owning and using firearms continue to live without repercussions is a failure that rests upon our current lawmakers and those in control of the legislatures across the country. As such, we will overturn the lenient open carry laws and replace them with laws that not only require gun owners to show a certain level of competence when it comes to safely owning, carrying, and handling firearms, but will also punish gun owners that participate in risky and dangerous behaviors while carrying or handling firearms, such as being intoxicated. 

Assault Weapons. Assault weapons and modifications that make any other firearm perform more like an assault weapon have no place in the hands of civilians for any reason whatsoever. These weapons are specifically designed to cause as much damage and bloodshed as possible.  By consequence, it should come as no surprise that they largely succeed in carrying out mass shootings– even when used by those that are not trained to use them to their full potential. No level of recreation can come close to making up for the danger caused by allowing these weapons to be sold as commodities and used as expensive shooting sports or hunting toys. All assault weapons must be banned as well as any modifications that can be used to make any other firearm perform more like an assault weapon. 

Education

The current formula used for calculating how schools are funded in the State of Georgia prioritizes pooling money around schools in communities that already have access to the best resources, while communities that lack these resources and are in the most need of funding are left with nothing. This enlarges the divide between communities with and without these funding privileges and makes the differences between zip codes worse. Because of these inequities, children in the school districts our current legislature refuses to help have fewer resources and opportunities than their peers down the road, simply because of the neighborhoods that they live in. In order to close the gaps between our communities and neighborhoods and ensure that every child in the state has an equal opportunity to receive the same great education, no matter where they live, we will rewrite this formula to spread school funding equitably so that the schools that need the funding the most get the funding they need.

The issue of underfunded schools is further exacerbated by the state’s use of school voucher programs that further bleed these underfunded schools dry.  While these programs can have their uses in specific cases to allow for children to find better learning outcomes, their implementation leaves much to be desired. First and foremost, this is because a school that does not have the funds to be able to meet the minimum standards of education required to not be considered “failing” will only continue to struggle as their funds are stripped away from them as students leave.  Second, while these programs are great, they have drawbacks including not being as accessible for less affluent families that cannot transport their children to school, even with the stipend provided. Further, the state has shown an unwillingness to use these programs to cover students in unusual living situations, such as those in foster care. 

Abortion Rights and Bodily Autonomy

With the exception of when public health is at stake, any and all medical decisions made by an adult of sound mind and body should be up to them and their doctor. There should be no intervention by the state to tell an individual that they cannot receive a procedure or treatment or take a medication, unless it is in instances in which the procedure or treatment or medication is known to not do what it is intended to do. This is at the heart of the meaning of the phrase, “my body, my choice.” We should all have the right to allow the expertise of licensed medical professionals to guide you on your medical choices and then to have the freedom to make the choice that is best for you. 

As such, there should be no state intervention on elective abortion procedures within reason and any medically necessary abortion procedures. Furthermore, there should be an emphasis on teaching comprehensive sex education and an expansion of funding of secular family planning options, which will not only appease Republicans’ stated goal of helping the number of elective abortions go down, but will also allow the next generations to have better control over their own body and reproductive lives. 

Protecting Voting Rights

Over the past 20 years, Republicans in the state of Georgia have become more and more vocal about the possibility of mass voter fraud occurring in our elections, even as U.S. elections have seen lower rates of voter fraud in the past 50 years than any other time in history.  It's obvious that these bills are not in Georgians’ best interest, and are really being used to make it more difficult for us to choose the federal and state representatives we want. This can be seen in the passage of a voter ID law in 2006 to restricting all state IDs to only Real IDs, making it harder to get a voter ID in the first place.  These voter suppression strategies even led to the 2021 voting law that allows for more restrictive policies to be adopted on the fly and even bars anyone from passing out water to voters waiting in line to vote. These laws all make voting access and the conditions for voting more difficult. I will fight to not only roll back these restrictive laws to stop this non-existent fraud, but also to broaden the voting options in the state so that our elections are not only free and fair, but are accessible and hassle-free through programs such as universal mail-in ballots.  Read more about voter fraud and see data here.