Georgia state Rep. Derrick Jackson joined a crowded field of Democratic candidates seeking to become the Peach State’s next governor.
Jackson launched his campaign on Friday after teasing the bid with a preview announcement earlier this week. While he faces stiff competition ahead of the primary, which includes Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, state Sen. Jason Esteves, and former pastor Olu Brown, Jackson said his experience sets him apart from other candidates.
“No other candidate on the Democratic side is going to put up a 42-year-long resume like I have,” the metro Atlanta lawmaker told the Atlanta Voice. “And so the Democratic Party must ask themselves the question, do we want to win? Because this is not a high school popularity contest. Anybody could win, you know, the primary. But do we want to win the general election? Right? That’s what matters most.”
As he heads into the campaign, Jackson, a Navy veteran who was elected to the state House in 2016, is highlighting his political expertise while touting his 22 years of military service and experience in the business sector as a marketing executive with General Electric.
Jackson is underscoring campaign promises to press for more stringent gun control laws, repeal Georgia’s heartbeat law, which prohibits most abortions beyond the sixth week of pregnancy, and push for family-friendly policies that ensure “not one working-class family member [is left] behind.”
He’s the latest Democrat hoping to break into an office held by Republicans for over two decades. And Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) has helped solidify support for the GOP, winning reelection by 53% to 45% in 2022 after a razor-thin victory of just over 1 point during the 2018 election.
Jackson, who made a failed bid in 2022 to become Georgia’s attorney general, sought to make a broad appeal to voters across the aisle this week.
“I would be a governor for everyone: White, Black, urban, suburban, rural, Gay, straight,” he said. “Listen, if Georgia is going to be successful, we need to make sure every family in all these areas can thrive. I don’t care if you’re coming from Valdosta or in Rome. You should be able to look at the same entrepreneur that’s in Atlanta and say: I can birth an idea and it will survive because Georgia is one of those states that would not leave one entrepreneur behind. Not one working-class family member behind.”
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On the Republican side, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is the only candidate who has declared a gubernatorial bid.
“As a proven conservative, building on the legacy of Brian Kemp, Nathan Deal, and Sonny Perdue, I’m running to create jobs for hardworking Georgians, keep our families and our neighborhoods safe, and vigorously defend our constitution and our freedoms,” Carr said when he launched his campaign in November.
