Kevin Martin has spent more than 35 years in accounting and finance. Now, at 60, he wants to take his first big step into politics.
In an exclusive conversation with HT.com, Martin, a Republican running from Georgia’s 6th District, spoke about his childhood, why he left accounting for politics, his views on President Donald Trump and the Iran war, and his message to voters.
From cutting grass at nine to a career in numbers
Martin says he grew up in a hard-working family. According to him, his father was a crew foreman at Atlanta Gaslight Company. His mother worked full-time at Bell South.
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He says his parents paid for food, clothes and school needs. But if he and his brother wanted something extra, they had to earn it. That is why he started cutting grass at nine to buy a bike.
He says the lesson stayed with him. “I’m not tired. I actually enjoy work simply because it gives me something to do,” Martin said.
Martin is a fifth-generation Cobb County native. He studied at Georgia Tech and Georgia State, and still lives in Smyrna.
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Why he left accounting for Congress
Martin says that in every company where he worked as a controller, he found problems with budgets or reports. He feels Congress has the same problem.
{{/usCountry}}Martin says that in every company where he worked as a controller, he found problems with budgets or reports. He feels Congress has the same problem.
{{/usCountry}}“For the past 20 plus years, Congress has not had a budget,” he said. He also said the defense department has failed 28 straight audits. In his view, the country cannot control its deficit if it does not know what it spends and why.
He also says the move felt like a calling. “It feels like there was a godly presence behind me saying, I need you to walk this path,” Martin said.
According to Martin, the district is about 55% Democrat and 45% Republican after the last redistricting. He believes a Republican candidate has a chance to win it back this time.
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His campaign priorities and message to voters
Martin named three top priorities: veterans, education and health coverage for the elderly.
On veterans, he says long waits at VA hospitals are a big problem. As per him, veterans should be able to get care anywhere. “Just tell the veterans you can go to any place or facility to get the medical attention that you need,” he said.
On education, he says he wants practical degrees that lead to jobs, so students are not stuck with huge loans. He says the US is short of skilled workers like welders and electricians, and trade licenses help them earn more.
On health, Martin says many seniors have to choose between food and medicines. He wants an open market with many insurance providers, so one big company does not decide the rates. He also wants doctors kept separate from insurers and hospitals. “Let doctors be doctors and do what they do best, which is curing people,” he said. He also wants better medical centers and patient transport in rural areas.
Martin also spoke about high housing costs. According to him, about 30% of a house’s cost comes from government red tape. He also says property values were pushed up so counties could collect more tax. He wants less red tape, and more single-family homes where children can play in a yard.
Martin also wants Washington to give local leaders more control. According to him, federal money often comes with strings, which stops towns from picking the best and cheapest contractor. He says Congress members should ask local leaders what their needs are.
His message to voters in simple, Martin says he sees the campaign like a job interview, with voters as the boss. “I am interviewing for a job where you’re the boss,” he said.
His ask is simple. Voters should tell him their needs first, and he will work to meet them. “If we meet the needs we will find a way to get to the wants,” Martin said.
He ended by saying how close he is to the district. And he will more than likely be buried there.
His views on Trump and the Iran war
Martin says he backs President Donald Trump’s plan to grow the economy. As per him, the first step is to bring down energy costs, because high energy prices have driven most of the recent inflation.
To do that, he wants more oil and gas pipelines, including the Keystone pipeline. He also supports small nuclear reactors and calls them clean energy. He says he is not against solar and wind power, but he believes more research is needed on them.
On the Iran war, Martin says there is no single fix. The leaders of Iran’s IRGC care only about their own power, not about the Iranian people. He says they attack other countries to make people afraid of them.
His answer is to cut off their money. “The best way is choking off their economy,” he said. As per Martin, once the IRGC has no money, it can no longer pay groups like the Houthis, and the people of Iran can then take back control.
He says he would continue Trump’s current plan of putting economic pressure on Iran. He says any country that helps or supplies Iran should face the same sanctions. He also said Russia and China need to understand that what Iran is doing is harmful to the world.
If the US does take military action inside Iran, Martin said it should be done all at once and with full strength. “We don’t do it lagging,” he said.