Rep. Lucy McBath has taken her first formal step toward a bid for Georgia governor in 2026, launching an exploratory committee to raise money.
“Georgians deserve a governor who understands what’s at stake — because they’ve lived it,” McBath, a Democrat, said in a statement Wednesday. “As a mom and breast cancer survivor, I’ve seen firsthand how regular people are too often left out of the political process.”
McBath has long been rumored to be considering a run for statewide office, with GOP Gov. Brian Kemp term-limited next year.
If she runs and wins, McBath could be the nation’s first Black woman governor. She would also be the first Democrat to occupy the governor’s mansion in over two decades.
McBath was swept into politics in 2012 after her son Jordan Davis was shot and killed at a gas station after a man objected to the teenager’s loud music. In 2018, she won a battleground House seat in the Atlanta area on a platform that underscored gun violence prevention, and has won reelection to Congress since despite Republicans trying to push her out during the redistricting process.
Several candidates have already entered the fray for governor, including Republican state Attorney General Chris Carr, while a smattering of other state officials have mulled bids for a crowded Republican field.
“I look forward to continuing this conversation with my neighbors and fellow Georgians,” McBath said.
Republicans have largely controlled state offices in Georgia, but Democrats have seen some success on the federal level. Former President Joe Biden carried the state in 2020, and Democrats won both Senate elections that year.
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) is on the ballot next year, and Republicans are heavily recruiting Kemp to run against him.
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