# Georgia State House — District 23 — 2026 Candidates — The GA Files > Where the 2026 candidates for Georgia State House — District 23 stand — bio, prior offices, top donors, positions on DEI, LGBTQ+, abortion, and data centers, plus any scandals. Sourced. *Source: https://thegafiles.com/candidates/house-district-23.html · The GA Files (thegafiles.com)* --- [← 2026 Candidates](https://thegafiles.com/candidates.html) # Georgia State House — District 23 D ### Rob Epstein Democratic nominee · retired engineering manager Rob Epstein, 61, is a retired engineering manager who lives in Canton and grew up in Marietta. A widowed father of two sons, he studied at Shorter College and Kennesaw State and earned a business degree with a focus on computer information systems from Georgia State University. He is running on health-care access and the cost of living in a district where, he says, residents are “struggling to make ends meet.” #### Previously held - Retired engineering manager #### Top contributors $10,844 raised and $5,328 in the bank, with $6,000 in loans. More than half of his money comes from a single PAC, Fighting Fifty PAC of Decatur; the rest is small gifts, several from out of state. - $6,109.04 — Fighting Fifty PAC (Decatur, GA — includes $109.04 in-kind) - $1,000.00 — Heather Froy (Woodstock, GA) - $800.00 — Luke Bilger (Williamsburg, VA) - $500.00 — Rob Epstein (Canton, GA — the candidate) - $252.00 — Manoj Budidha (Gibsonia, PA) - $250.00 — Megan Hull (Oakland, CA) - $200.00 — Ross Brubaker (Peachtree City, GA) - $200.00 — Matthew Rycyk (Woodstock, GA) - $200.00 — Pete Levy (Canton, GA) **$10,844** raised · **$5,328** cash on hand — as of **Sep 14, 2026** (GA Ethics latest filing). Source: [Georgia Ethics Commission (PeachFile) — cycle-to-date, Sept. 14, 2026](https://peachfile.ethics.ga.gov/) · [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) · [Ballotpedia — Georgia House of Representatives District 23](https://ballotpedia.org/Georgia_House_of_Representatives_District_23) · [Wikipedia — Mandi Ballinger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandi_Ballinger) · [Wikipedia — 2026 Georgia House of Representatives election (2024 presidential margins by district)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Georgia_House_of_Representatives_election) #### Where they stand Education We reviewed the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his campaign site as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) Healthcare Says affordable, reliable health care “remains out of reach for many” in the district and supports accepting federal Medicaid expansion and lowering costs. Source: [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) Minimum Wage Supports raising minimum-wage standards as part of his economic-stability platform. Source: [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) Homelessness We reviewed the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his campaign site as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) Veterans Affairs We reviewed the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his campaign site as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) Immigration We reviewed the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his campaign site as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) Gun Control We reviewed the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his campaign site as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) Abortion We reviewed the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his campaign site as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) LGBTQ+ We reviewed the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his campaign site as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) DEI We reviewed the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his campaign site as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) Marijuana We reviewed the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his campaign site as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) Data centers We reviewed the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his campaign site as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) #### Accountability File None documented. [Campaign site](https://robepstein.org/) R ### Bill Fincher Republican incumbent (since Jan. 2026) · former prosecutor William Wesley “Bill” Fincher III is a Cherokee County native, a former FBI agent and a career prosecutor who retired as an assistant district attorney. He studied at Mercer University before law school. His wife, Deanie, taught in public schools for 36 years. He won House District 23 in a January 6, 2026 special-election runoff over Scott Sanders, filling the seat left vacant when Rep. Mandi Ballinger died in October 2025, and served in the 2026 session. #### Previously held - State Representative, House District 23 (January 2026–present) - Retired assistant district attorney - Former FBI agent #### Top contributors $18,443 raised this cycle and $4,282 left, after about $47,700 in reported spending and with $7,000 in outstanding loans. Several of his largest donors are fellow Republican legislators' campaign committees, along with the Realtors' PAC. - $2,031.25 — Solutionbuilt (Marietta, GA) - $1,800.00 — Stan Gunter for Georgia, Inc. (Blairsville, GA — Sen. Stan Gunter's committee) - $1,500.00 — Alan Powell Campaign (Hartwell, GA — Rep. Alan Powell's committee) - $1,000.00 — M. E. Pigott (Brookhaven, MS) - $500.00 — Steven Meeks (Screven, GA) - $500.00 — Donald Keeter (Chatsworth, GA) - $500.00 — Natalie Woodward (Smyrna, GA) - $500.00 — Georgia Association of Realtors PAC (Atlanta, GA) - $250.00 — Committee to Elect Matthew Gambill, LLC (Cartersville, GA — Rep. Matthew Gambill's committee) **$18,442** raised · **$4,282** cash on hand — as of **Sep 14, 2026** (GA Ethics latest filing). Source: [Georgia Ethics Commission (PeachFile) — cycle-to-date, Sept. 14, 2026](https://peachfile.ethics.ga.gov/) · [Bill Fincher for Cherokee — campaign site](https://billfincherforcherokee.com/) #### Where they stand Education Supports “School Choice so parents can decide the best learning environment” and expanding “trade and technical education opportunities.” Source: [Bill Fincher for Cherokee — campaign site](https://billfincherforcherokee.com/) Healthcare We reviewed his campaign site, the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his 2026 roll-call votes as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. On insurance, he wants to “lower insurance rates for homeowners, drivers, small businesses, families” through “market-based reforms that increase transparency, expand competition,” and by curbing “frivolous lawsuits.” Source: [Bill Fincher for Cherokee — campaign site](https://billfincherforcherokee.com/) Minimum Wage We reviewed his campaign site, the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his 2026 roll-call votes as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. On taxes: “no Georgian should be taxed out of the home they have already paid for.” He pledges to “cap the constant rise in property taxes” and voted YES on SB 33 (2026), local-option homestead tax relief. Source: [Bill Fincher for Cherokee — campaign site](https://billfincherforcherokee.com/) · [Georgia General Assembly — House roll-call votes](https://www.legis.ga.gov/votes/house) Homelessness Voted YES on HB 295 (2026), which restricts unsanctioned public camping and sleeping and pushes local governments toward enforcement. On housing, he favors deregulating homebuilding and policies that favor individual homeownership over rentals. Source: [Georgia General Assembly — House roll-call votes](https://www.legis.ga.gov/votes/house) · [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) Veterans Affairs We reviewed his campaign site, the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his 2026 roll-call votes as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Bill Fincher for Cherokee — campaign site](https://billfincherforcherokee.com/) Immigration We reviewed his campaign site, the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his 2026 roll-call votes as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Bill Fincher for Cherokee — campaign site](https://billfincherforcherokee.com/) · [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) Gun Control We reviewed his campaign site, the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his 2026 roll-call votes as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Bill Fincher for Cherokee — campaign site](https://billfincherforcherokee.com/) · [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) Abortion We reviewed his campaign site, the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his 2026 roll-call votes as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. He took office after the 2025 session, so he did not vote on that year's major social bills. Source: [Bill Fincher for Cherokee — campaign site](https://billfincherforcherokee.com/) · [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) LGBTQ+ We reviewed his campaign site, the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his 2026 roll-call votes as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. He took office after the 2025 votes on transgender athletes (SB 1) and was not in office for SB 140 (2023). Source: [Bill Fincher for Cherokee — campaign site](https://billfincherforcherokee.com/) · [Georgia General Assembly — House roll-call votes](https://www.legis.ga.gov/votes/house) DEI We reviewed his campaign site, the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his 2026 roll-call votes as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Bill Fincher for Cherokee — campaign site](https://billfincherforcherokee.com/) · [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) Marijuana Voted NO on SB 220 (2026), the expansion of Georgia's low-THC medical cannabis program, which passed with bipartisan support. Source: [Georgia General Assembly — House roll-call votes](https://www.legis.ga.gov/votes/house) Data centers We reviewed his campaign site, the Tribune & Ledger voter guide and his 2026 roll-call votes as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Bill Fincher for Cherokee — campaign site](https://billfincherforcherokee.com/) · [Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News — Voter Guide: Georgia House District 23 (Apr. 24, 2026)](https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/voterguide/voter-guide-georgia-house-district-23/article_3de01bbb-2639-491c-b1bc-b75a47993d92.html) #### Accountability File None documented. [Campaign site](https://billfincherforcherokee.com/) · [Ballotpedia — HD-23](https://ballotpedia.org/Georgia_House_of_Representatives_District_23) · [Full legislator fact sheet](https://thegafiles.com/BillFincher.html) [⬇ Share image](https://thegafiles.com/share/candidates/house-district-23.png) [⬇ Download for offline](https://thegafiles.com/candidates/house-district-23.offline.html) Every entry is drawn from published reporting, official records, or the candidate's own statements, with sources on each item. Policy summaries are condensed from that reporting and reflect the candidate's stated positions; where a matter is an allegation or unresolved, that is noted, and inclusion is not a finding of guilt. Contributor figures are early/partial where the official itemized filings (Georgia Ethics Commission) are still being compiled. Corrections welcome via the contact link in the footer. Last updated 2026-06-17.