ATLANTA — Georgia state Rep. Derrick Jackson is set to join the governor’s race this week.
He said he will officially launch his 2026 campaign on Friday at Liberty Plaza at the Georgia State Capitol.
Jackson has served in the Georgia General Assembly representing District 68 since 2017.
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He cites as his qualifications “22 years of selfless service in the military, 10 years of strategic leadership in corporate America, and his current impactful fifth term as State Representative. His 42 years of proven leadership are a testament to his extraordinary capabilities.”
Jackson’s Democratic primary bid follows his unsuccessful candidacy for lieutenant governor in 2022. He came in sixth in the Democratic primary, the Associated Press reports.
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Jackson joins three other Democratic primary candidates: Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Georgia state Sen. Jason Esteves and Atlanta pastor Olu Brown.
Prominent Democrat Jason Carter, former President Jimmy Carter’s grandson, has chosen not to run for governor because his wife is being treated for brain cancer.
A second prominent Democrat, Stacey Abrams, hasn’t made her plans known yet, the Associated Press said.
Republican incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp cannot run for governor again because of term limits.
On the Republican side, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is running for governor.
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