Latest news with #OluBrown
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Georgia state Rep. Derrick Jackson to join 3 other Democrats in run for governor
ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) — Georgia state Rep. Derrick Jackson said Tuesday that he's running for governor next year, joining three other Democrats in a race without a clear frontrunner after two high-profile candidates decided not to run. The metro Atlanta Democrat said he will launch his campaign Friday, emphasizing his work in business and politics and his 22 years of military service. The U.S. Navy veteran was elected to the state House in 2016 and worked as a marketing executive with General Electric. As governor, Jackson said he would 'put Georgia families first,' in part by expanding access to medical care and economic opportunities in rural areas. 'My Republican friends love to tout Georgia as the number one state to do business, but I'm going to campaign on making Georgia the number one place to work, to play, to have a family and for young professionals to realize that regardless of which of the 159 counties they live in, there's going to be opportunity there,' Jackson said in an interview with the Associated Press. He plans to push for stricter gun regulations and to repeal Georgia's abortion law, which took effect in 2022 and effectively prohibited abortions beyond about six weeks of pregnancy. Jackson will join former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Atlanta state Sen. Jason Esteves and Atlanta pastor Olu Brown in the Democratic primary. They will compete for the Democratic nomination in the race to replace the state's popular term-limited Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Democrat Stacey Abrams, who ran and lost to Kemp in 2018 and 2022, has not closed the door on a third run. Jackson finished sixth in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor in 2022. After losing, he was reelected to the House in 2023 following the death of state Rep. Tish Naghise. He was defeated last year by Rep. Carolyn Hugley after running for House minority leader. Despite past losses, Jackson said his experience campaigning for statewide office will help him pull ahead of his competitors. Inspired by civil rights icon John Lewis, Jackson said he has a 'moral obligation' to run because he saw state and federal policies that were 'not right, not fair, not just.' He wants to help Georgians who could be impacted by President Donald Trump's sweeping bill that Jackson said 'will devastate a lot of families' with provisions such as cuts to Medicaid funds. U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, once the expected frontrunner known for her gun control advocacy, announced in March she wasn't running because she needed to focus on her husband's health after complications from cancer surgery. Former state Sen. Jason Carter, former President Jimmy Carter's moderate grandson and the Democrats' 2014 nominee for governor, said he would not run because his wife was diagnosed with cancer. ___ Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Olu Brown, former pastor and business owner, announces run for Georgia governor
The Brief Former faith leader and small business owner Olu Brown is running for governor. Brown worked in ministry for 25 years, including 15 years growing the Impact Church congregation. Brown is currently conducting listening tours around the state and is running as a Democratic candidate for governor. EAST POINT, Ga. - Another candidate has thrown his hat into the ring to run for Georgia governor. What we know Brown is a 47-year-old husband and father of four. He was born in Texas and came to Atlanta to attend the International Theological Center. As the founding pastor, Brown grew Impact from a congregation of 25 to one of the fastest-growing churches in the state of Georgia. Brown faces former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and current state Senator Jason Esteves for the Democratic nomination for governor. He is known in the metro area as a retired popular pastor who led one of the fastest-growing congregations in the state. What they're saying Olu Brown, who has never run for office, says Georgians aren't looking for a long political resume, but rather a problem-solver who sees all Georgians. "What qualifies me to be the next governor is... a governor is a CEO of a state, and that is what I have been. A small business owner. And that is what I have been as a pastor," Olu Brown said with a smile. Meet the former energetic pastor of Impact Church. Brown says he grew the East Point United Methodist Church from 25 people to a $4-million-dollar megachurch. "The tools that you need to be a successful minister and also, from my world, a church planner, are the same tools and techniques you need in politics because, at the end of the day, it's all about people. Can you build bridges? Can you collaborate? Can you solve big, complex problems? And that's what I did for 25 years," Brown said with confidence. Brown is 47 years old. He is originally from Texas but came to Atlanta for seminary at ITC. He retired from the ministry in 2022 and now owns his own consulting and coaching firm. With no elected office on his resume, he says education, affordable health care, and advocating for small businesses will top his agenda. He believes Georgians will support him. "I haven't been elected, but if you look at the state of Georgia, there is a current precedent. Our two United States senators are first-time office holders," the husband and father of four said. Brown says he is a bridge builder who can solve complex problems. His listening tour continues around the state. The Source FOX 5's Aungelique Proctor spoke with Olu Brown for this article.
Associated Press
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms launches bid for Georgia governor
ATLANTA (AP) — Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms says her single term as Atlanta mayor gave her 'battle-tested executive leadership' that she can offer to Georgia voters as she runs for governor. Bottoms, 55, officially launched her campaign Tuesday, becoming the second well-known Democrat to jump into the 2026 race. State Sen. Jason Esteves of Atlanta announced his campaign in April. 'As we are facing the uncertainty and the anxiety that's being created in Washington right now, I'm running to be a fighter for Georgia,' Bottoms told The Associated Press on Monday. 'I want to be able to fight and deliver for our communities, whether it's from expanding Medicaid, to delivering for our small businesses, to making sure that people have a pathway to vocational and career training or college,' she said. Bottoms and Esteves hope to succeed Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who can't run again at the end of his second term. On the Republican side, Attorney General Chris Carr kicked off his campaign in December, while Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is expected to announce that he's running sometime this summer. Among other Democrats, former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond has expressed interest, and two-time candidate Stacey Abrams could choose to run again. Also running as a Democrat is the Rev. Olujimi 'Olu' Brown, a Methodist minister. A lawyer and former magistrate judge, Bottoms won election to the Atlanta City Council in 2009 and was reelected in 2013 before outgoing Mayor Kasim Reed endorsed her as his successor. Bottoms narrowly was elected and served one term that was defined by the pandemic. Every Atlanta mayor since World War II had sought a second term before the day in 2021 when Bottoms shocked Georgia's political establishment by saying she would not. But she says that didn't reflect a lack of desire for public service. 'Not having the energy to do the job, that was not the case. In fact, I ran through the tape,' Bottoms said, arguing she continued to accomplish things until the end of her term. As an early supporter of former President Joe Biden, Bottoms was among those considered to be his vice president. After stepping down as mayor, she joined the Biden administration as director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. Bottoms said she's not worried about being associated with an unpopular Biden. She also said she thinks her record on crime and public safety is a positive one, even though her administration struggled with the same COVID-19 era rise in murders as did other cities nationwide. 'As mayor I gave our police and firefighters a historic pay raise. I actually supported the building of the public safety (training) center in Atlanta that's servicing people across the region,' Bottoms said. 'So I have a very strong record when it comes to public safety.' Proponents say the $118 million project, now complete, was sorely needed to replace outdated facilities. One early night of Atlanta protests following the death of George Floyd in 2020 ended with the burning of a police car and broken windows downtown that were broadcast worldwide. Bottoms won national praise that night for ordering protesters to 'go home' as she stood alongside Atlanta hip-hop stars Killer Mike and T.I. But weeks after Floyd's death, Rayshard Brooks, a Black man, was killed by an Atlanta police officer after a struggle following a field sobriety test. Atlanta's police chief resigned hours later. After one of the officers was criminally charged, Atlanta police officers called in sick in waves. Later, protesters burned down the Wendy's where Brooks died and an 8-year-old girl, Secoriea Turner, was killed when the car she was riding in was shot at near the restaurant. The turmoil led then-President Donald Trump and Kemp to repeatedly attack Bottoms' leadership. But Bottoms is betting that it's Trump that Democratic voters will view as the chaos agent. 'My record has been one of providing steady leadership during chaotic times,' Bottoms said.
