Jimmy Carter's Grandson Is Running For Governor
Jimmy Carter's Grandson Is Running For Governor
By Josh Voorhees
Jason Carter, the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter, is running for governor of Georgia. "We cant wait as a state," the 38-year-old state lawmaker told the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an interview announcing his decision. "The bottom line is we cant afford four more years of an economy thats not working for the middle class and an education system thats underfunded. Its not about politics. Its about making sure we can get the state that we need."
Jason Carter was first elected to the Georgia Senate in May 2010. His grandfather also served two terms in the state's upper chamber before launching a gubernatorial bid (although it should be noted that he lost that bid, only to win his second four years later). Carter's entry into the 2014 campaign will put the race squarely in the national spotlight, and likely draw the attention of deep-pocketed donors outside of the state. One big question, as the Associated Press points out, is just how large of a role his grandfather will take on the campaign trail:
When the younger Carter first ran for office, the former president didn't start campaigning until a few days before the election. At the time, Carter told The Associated Press he wanted to prove that he could do the hard work on his own and didn't want to be "trading on my family name."
It remains to be seen whether Carter and his family name will be able to score a win for Democrats in Georgia. Peach State politics were once dominated by Democrats, but that ended in 2002 when voters elected their first GOP governor (Sonny Perdue) since Reconstruction. Georgia has likewise gone red in every presidential election since 2000.
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