Wilensky Will Not Seek Re-election

State Rep. Mike Wilensky, the only Jewish member of the Georgia General Assembly, announced Monday that he will not seek re-election to the House of Representatives.

In a statement to the AJT on Monday afternoon, the two-term Democrat from Dunwoody said: “I want to announce that at this time, I am not going to run to be the state representative for the new House District 80. In four years[,] I accomplished many of the goals I set out to perform. These goals included the passing of the hate crimes bill, working on the Judiciary and Regulated Industries committees and having two bills pass the House, one of which was signed into law by the governor. While I have enjoyed my time serving in the legislature, I am looking forward to spending more time with my children. Thank you to everyone who has supported me and has worked with me to serve our community. It has been a privilege to serve you as your state representative.”

Rep. Mike Wilensky said that he will not seek re-election.

Wilensky represents House district 79, which is comprised of Dunwoody, part of Doraville, and a small section of Chamblee. He said he will serve the remainder of the term, which ends when the General Assembly convenes in January 2023.

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Wilensky had announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination and re-election to the House from newly drawn district 80, which will contain all but two precincts in Dunwoody, all of Doraville, and a greater share of Chamblee.

Several hours before Wilensky’s announcement, Long Tran, the 45-year-old son of Vietnamese immigrants and co-owner of a Peachtree Corner restaurant, announced that he had filed the necessary papers to seek the Democratic nomination from district 80.

Wilensky, an attorney with a practice in wrongful death and serious injury law, was elected to the House from district 79 in November 2018, receiving 53.8 percent of the vote in defeating Republican Ken Wright. He was re-elected in November 2020, receiving 59.7 percent of the vote against Republican Andrea Johnson.

Long Tran introducing Biden at rally in April held in Duluth, Ga.

Wilensky currently sits on the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Intragovernmental Coordination Committee, and the Regulated Industries Committee.

Wilensky, 38, graduated from North Springs High School, received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia, and his law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law. He is the father of two daughters.

There are 236 seats in the General Assembly, 180 in the House and 56 in the Senate. An estimated 130,000 Jews make up about 1.2 percent of the population of Georgia. One Jew makes up 0.4 percent of the legislature.

In October 2020, Wilensky told the AJT: “It is important that our legislature represents the diversity of Georgia’s population, including race, religion, and ethnicity. The Jewish community reflects different views politically and about almost all issues. People of all backgrounds bring different perspectives, due to experiencing life through their own lens, and it is important to have different voices on how our state should move forward.”

In January 2020, Wilensky delivered an emotional speech in the House to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. “My family tree has branches that don’t exist anymore,” he said. His voice broke as he explained that seven of his great-grandmother’s 10 siblings and 42 of his relatives were murdered in the Holocaust.

Long Tran and his family.

Tran, 45, told the AJT that the change in the district’s borders, to include all of Doraville and a greater share of Chamblee, was a factor in his decision to seek the Democratic nomination. He listed education, immigration, and small business concerns as the three issues on which he would focus his campaign.

“I’m running because the district has changed,” Tran said of the redrawn lines of district 80. “I’ve had so many leaders from Doraville and Chamblee and Dunwoody as well voice the need for a representative who can cover all three areas and best address the challenges we’re having,” citing education in particular.

Tran and his wife, Susie Martono-Tran, with whom he owns the Peachy Corners Cafe that opened in January 2020, are the parents of two boys, ages 10 and 14.

Tran introduced President Joe Biden on April 29, 2021, at a rally held in Duluth, Ga., marking Biden’s first 100 days in office. A month earlier, he helped organize a vigil for victims of the killings of eight people, including six Asian women, at metro Atlanta spas on March 16.