State Sen. Jason Esteves becomes first Democrat to enter governor’s race

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - As the 2026 race for Georgia governor draws closer, the field of Democratic candidates is becoming clearer.

On Tuesday, Jason Carter, the grandson of former Georgia governor and U.S. President Jimmy Carter, announced he would not undertake another run for the office, citing his wife’s battle with brain cancer.

Other high-profile names have been mentioned. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has been hinted at as a possible Democratic candidate, as has former DeKalb County CEO and state labor commissioner Michael Thurmond. Of course, former state representative and two-time gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams is never out of the question.

But on Monday, one candidate committed loud and clear to a run: State Sen. Jason Esteves.

Esteves, a Democrat from Atlanta, was raised in Columbus and has served at the Capitol since 2023. He’s an attorney and former Atlanta Public Schools social studies teacher as well as the former chair of the APS School Board.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Democratic Sen. Jason Esteves announces bid for Georgia governor

His background, Esteves says, has informed his education policy from the beginning.

“I made sure that we moved money from our administration to our classroom, more money than ever before,” he said of his time on the school board. “I made sure that the students were receiving the tools that they needed to succeed, and as a result we saw record-breaking graduation rates.”

Esteves was raised by two parents who often worked multiple jobs to keep the family afloat. His father, an Army veteran, worked other jobs while in the service.

“I’ve seen the value of hard work, but they also instilled in me the value of giving back to my community,” Esteves said.

If elected, Esteves would be Georgia’s first Black and first Latino governor. The history isn’t lost on him.

“I’m excited about the fact that while I may be the first, I’m going to make sure that I’m not the last,” he said.

Outside of education, Esteves also wants to lower the cost of housing. A 2024 analysis of Atlanta’s housing market showed corporate investors owned 25% of the single-family housing market, and it’s an issue all over the state.

“We can start tackling the cost of that by ensuring that these foreign corporations that are coming from out of state are not buying up all of our single-family homes,” Esteves said. “They’re doing this across the state, raising rent and making it tougher for a first-time home buyer or someone who wants to downsize to buy an affordable home. And that needs to stop.”

RELATED COVERAGE: Here’s who is running — or not — in the 2026 Georgia governor’s race

A restaurant owner himself, Esteves said he’s experienced how difficult it is not only to start a small business, but grow it. He wants to offer the same tax incentives and low-interest loans to main street businesses that large corporations get in Georgia.

“Access to capital, making sure that you have the money to start that business, is something that the state can help with, by ensuring that these small business owners are receiving low-interest loans,” he said. “If we provided low-interest loans, we would provide people right here in this state with opportunities to create their business, but also grow their business, hire more employees, have a bigger imprint in their neighborhood.”

Esteves is also a caretaker for his mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. That’s informed his experience on senior care in Georgia and what needs to get done.

“I’ve seen how hard it is for seniors and those who care for them to navigate the system, and the senior care system in Georgia is broken,” he said. “Georgia is one of the few states that does not have a comprehensive master plan for aging for seniors and that is something that we need to tackle head on.”

While the current administration and Gov. Brian Kemp have turned down federal assistance to expand Georgia’s Medicaid program, Esteves said he would work to get the federal dollars on day one.

If he’s elected, Esteves would be Georgia’s first Democratic governor since Roy Barnes was elected in 1998.

The only other candidate to officially declare in the race is Republican Attorney General Chris Carr, who announced his run back in November.

MORE COVERAGE:

‘The wrong time’: Jason Carter says he will not run for governor in 2026