GSU Library Research Guides: Ellen Rafshoon Oral Histories: A

Amico, Sarah Riggs

Interviewee: Sarah Riggs Amico
Interviewer: Ellen Rafshoon
Date of interview: June 15, 2018

Biography:
Sara Riggs Amico is a businesswoman, political activist, and Democratic political candidate who lives in Kennesaw, Georgia. Born in St. Louis and raised in Joplin, Missouri, she graduated from local public schools before attending Washington and Lee University where she studied politics. Upon completion of an undergraduate degree in 2001, she entered Harvard Business School and received an MBA in 2003. After several years working in the field of entertainment marketing, she joined a family trucking business, Jack Cooper Holdings, Corp., where she currently serves as Executive Chair.

Riggs Amico's interest in politics began in high school and continued in college. HIllary Clinton's defeat and Donald Trump's election to the presidency in 2016 inspired her to a greater level of political activism. Encouraging women to run for political office, she also contributed financially to their efforts. Ultimately, Riggs Amico decided to seek political office herself. She was the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia in 2018, losing to Geoff Duncan. In 2020, she sought the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, but lost in the primary race to Jon Ossoff.

Abstract:
Riggs Amico describes her evolving interest in politics, beginning in high school in Joplin, Missouri, where she joined the "constitution club," to Washington and Lee University where she studied politics, to an interest in public policy through her role as Executive Chair of her family's trucking company. She discusses the election of Donald Trump as a catalyst for her emerging political activism, including her role in One Hundred Sunflowers, an organization focused on encouraging women to seek political office., and Leadership Now Project, a national organization of business professionals dedicated to protecting American democracy. Riggs Amico expresses her concern about the future of American democracy, including election security and free press, her support for smart economic growth, and her advocacy for reproductive freedom and pay equity. At the time this interview was conducted, Riggs Amico sought the office of Lieutenant Governor of Georgia.