Former state Rep. Scott Hilton, a known entity, looking for State House win

Scott Hilton, former Georgia Representative for House District 95 is running for the House District 48 seat with an eye on bi-partisanship and inclusivity.

In perhaps the most diverse county in Georgia, during a time when voices for inclusion and minority empowerment have become the influencers, can a white conservative Republican win an election?

Scott Hilton believes he can.

Unlike many on the November ballot, he’s already proven that he knows his way around the State House from having been there before. Hilton was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, representing District 95 during 2017 and 2018. He ran for re-election but lost in the general election to current seat-holder Beth Moore.

With re-drawing of district lines, Hilton is now in the race for Georgia House District 48, serving the communities of Peachtree Corners, Johns Creek, Roswell and Alpharetta.

He hasn’t rested on his laurels and longs for the days when Gwinnett County was solidly red, he told Peachtree Corners Magazine in a recent interview.

After 2018 elections, Hilton said he was ready to go back to his day job of banking.

“And the governor called and said, ‘Hey, you’re good. I need you. Would you come work for me?’ And so, … I worked for Gov. Kemp. He created a commission called the Georgian’s First Commission. Our job was to explore ways to cut red tape for small business.”

Hilton said he spent 18 months traveling the state, figuring out where the “rub was, and where to eliminate, reduce and streamline state government.”

After that, ee wrapped up that work and went back to the private sector with South State bank until friends urged him to put his hat back in the ring. Although he certainly hopes for a different outcome, he’s not convinced that it’s an uphill battle.

“Looking at national politics, [this area] is more Democrat,” he said. “I’m assuming that on the local level, there’s still … a lot of Republican support.”

He pointed out that demographics in his district show about one-third Republican, one-third Democrat and one-third independent. He believes that more than party affiliation, local voters are looking for candidates that can move the needle on personal issues.

I focus on “things like living wages and minority representation, stuff like that. … I think the I focus on “things like living wages and minority representation, stuff like that. … I think the district is looking for someone who will listen, work hard, do the right thing when no one’s looking. And then just make wise decisions that are pragmatic, that get things done, that put people over politics,” said Hilton, adding he embraces the diversity.

Embracing differences

“The reason we moved to Gwinnett County is because it is a majority-minority county, and I wanted my children to be exposed to what America is going to look like 20 years from now. Frankly, what heaven’s gonna look like when we get there. I mean, we’re not the same color, and so my campaign is big on that. It is a big tent, all ideas are welcome, regardless of race, gender, background,” he said

Hilton is not Georgia-born, but Georgian by choice.

Born in Florida and raised in a Kansas town of 300,000 he ended up at Emory University by way of Georgetown University for his MBA. In between, he lived in Philadelphia while his wife attended law school at Temple University. An offer from Bank of America led him to commercial banking and a future in the Peach State.

With three young children (two boys – 15 and 12 – as well as a 10-year-old daughter), Hilton has goals for the future of this area and the state.

“There is still so much work to be done to keep Georgia the number one state to live, learn, work and play. We must provide transparency in our children’s education, increase public safety for our communities and reduce burdensome regulation on small businesses,” he said in his campaign statements. “During my first term in office, we fought hard to give all communities a voice  — passing legislation to support individuals with special needs, giving parents a greater choice in public education and keeping your taxes low.”

This sense of public service took hold of Hilton while he was just a lad.

“At an early age I had public service on my heart for about as early as I can remember,” he said. “I love my day job. But what is that thing that I want to leave behind for the next generation and the generation after that? I just feel like God’s kind of giving me the time, talent and ability to invest in others through public service and that’s kind of my mission field, so to speak.”

On his Facebook page, he has an autographed photo where he’s shaking hands with President Ronald Reagan.

“The first and only president I’ve ever met — and still my favorite!” reads the accompanying caption. “Also, the moment I became a life-long Republican.”

Uniter, not divider

It’s that sense of community that propelled him toward public service.

“When we moved to Peachtree Corners, the city was just forming,” he said.

Hilton got involved with the issue and a new city was born. That win fueled the desire to help shape the vision for what is now the largest city in the county by population.

Along the way, Hilton also shaped who he is and is unapologetic in his faith and his values.

“The biggest thing you have is your credibility, your brand, who you are, the trust, and you’ve got to treasure that for sure,” he said.

He’s held steadfast in his stance on parent’s rights – even moderating a panel recently on Public Education policy for Frontline Policy Council.

“As a former member of the House Education Committee, I believe now more than ever, we need to empower parents in decisions that impact their child’s education — including curriculum content, school choice flexibility and our School Board structure,” he said on his Facebook page. “I am excited to offer District 48 a new type of conservative leadership that builds relationships, solves problems and empowers everyone in our community.”

Proven track record

The loss to a Democrat in 2018 isn’t lost on Hilton, but he doesn’t believe it has to make that big of a difference this time.

“The good news/bad news, I’ve got a record, so people can see, it’s not just words. People can see I’m not afraid to work with the other party or not afraid to get things done. I’ve got a record on how I voted,” he said. “I’m transparent and open book and the beauty about this district, it’s small enough that I can go out and knock on a lot of doors. The last campaign I knocked on 3,000 doors — that comes out to about 6000 voters.”

Despite the headlines, he said he lost by about 1,000 votes, which he attributes to Stacey Abrams supporters who just voted the entire party on the ballot.

He hasn’t gone as far as to term some news reports as “fake,” but pointed out that the pundits didn’t shed light on all the statistics.

“I feel like news is intermixed with opinion and analysis. And Americans have a difficult time discerning between the two. I encourage our kids: as you read something, try to discern what the author is trying to tell you. Do they have an angle, what is that angle? Is it on the right or the left?”

Hilton said that an analysis done by his team post-election showed there was a significant number of voters that stood for Abrams and went across the ballot and voted for him. 

“And for me, that’s the testament that people still believe that I’m willing to cross party lines for good people,” he said. “And so that’s our job this time around is to communicate my record who I am what I stand for, and when that message gets across, I think we’ll be successful in November.”