Top GA Dem "can't imagine" gov run in 2026
Carter appears unlikely to mount second gov run
A top Georgia Democrat has taken his name out of the running to be the next governor of Georgia.
Jason Carter, a former state senator and the grandson of the late former President, told the Associated Press that he “can’t imagine” making a second run at the state’s top job, calling it “the wrong time” for him and his family while his wife undergoes treatment for a rare type of brain cancer.
A moderate Democrat with a mixed record on gun rights, Carter was first elected to the state senate in 2010, where he would serve two terms before mounting what would be an unsuccessful challenge to then-Gov. Nathan Deal.
He recently started stepping back into the political spotlight — addressing delegates at last summer’s Democratic National Convention to eulogizing President Carter in January, leading observers and party insiders to believe he was getting his feet wet for another run for office.
But he told the Associated Press this week that he wants to spend less time on the campaign trail and more time at home while his wife, Kate, undergoes treatment for glioblastoma. The couple has two teenaged sons.
“For all intents and purposes, I can’t imagine making a decision to run because it’s the wrong time for my family,” the 49-year-old told the AP on Monday.
He’s not the only prominent Democrat to bow out of the contest for personal reasons: U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath told supporters last month that her husband Curtis is also dealing with complications from a recent cancer surgery, forcing the metro Atlanta congresswoman to pull the plug on her expected governor run for now.
Democrats did land their first major candidate this week in Jason Esteves, a state senator who served as president of Atlanta’s school board during the COVID-19 pandemic. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond are both weighing bids as well.
But circling back to Carter, he said that he would not be endorsing any candidate for the Democratic nomination but told the AP that he was “very excited” about the candidacy of his fellow Jason.
Georgia’s political fault lines are rumbling. With Brian Kemp term-limited and the state’s purple status cemented, the 2026 governor’s race is shaping up to be a brawl. The suburbs are restless, the countryside’s still red as clay, and everyone’s got an angle. But the early chatter—especially from the usual media suspects—is hyping the wrong names and missing the real players.
Here’s the unfiltered rundown on who’s running, who’s thinking about it, and who’s just chasing clout. https://pineandpeach.substack.com/p/the-2026-georgia-governors-race