As It Stands
The 2026 Primaries for Georgia are here.
Views expressed are my own and do not reflect those of the Savannah Chapter of DSA or national DSA.
Greetings! My name is KeyShawn Housey, born and raised in Savannah, Georgia.
When election time approaches, people usually ask me how to make sure they’re registered to vote and who I am voting for. Usually, when I speak on political or social issues, I do so through short-form videos. However, I felt as though I was still unable to get all my thoughts out. So, I said, why not? Let’s try something a little bit more long-form and get these thoughts out on paper. My hope is that this pushes people in my age group to look further into these candidates, and come Election Day, be confident enough to make an informed choice. Hopefully, this inspires others around my age demographic (I’m 28) to write or create similar pieces and express themselves politically.
These are my thoughts and feelings regarding each of the Democratic candidates, informed by my research, my experiences in the community and professionally, and honestly, the vibes. I know people are going to disagree with me on that, and I accept it. However, if the 2024 Presidential Elections and 2025 Public Service Commission Elections taught me anything, it is that this is a vibes-based political system. With our literacy rate decreasing, I fear that in the short term, we don’t have a choice but to try and move accordingly. Hell, this piece may have been written in vain because people are not reading as much as we need to. Regardless, as one will see via the length of this piece, I still want to try.
Dropped Out
State Representative Ruwa Romman. Oh, Romman, what could have been. When she announced her campaign for Governor, I was very excited. I knew of her from TikTok and watched countless videos of her breaking down policy as it was being debated in the Georgia Legislature, advocating for the people of Georgia. She is an excellent communicator, and in the forums I saw her in, she made the policy she was advocating for sound easy to understand, follow, and obtain.
I knew that it would have been a long shot for her ascension into the Governor’s mansion—to the point where, when she first announced her candidacy, I remarked to a friend that I did not think she would make it out of the primaries. Ultimately, we were correct, not realizing how soon that would be. Ideologically, she’s progressive. Biologically, she’s a woman. And potentially most damning, she is a Muslim of Palestinian descent. As of this writing, there are still people litigating the 2024 Elections and Gaza’s role in those results.
In spite of that, momentum was building, especially among young people, and I was preparing to go all in. Alas, right before qualifying, she ended her campaign and pivoted to run for the open GA State Senate seat. Her exit from the race was indeed a shock and a blow for me, as at the time she was my preferred pick. While I am still hurt from the pivot, I hope that she’ll win her senate seat and maybe one day try again for statewide office.
In the Running
Amanda Duffy. I must admit, I do not know anything about her. Most people will not consider her to be a serious contender; nonetheless, I wanted to recognize her candidacy. I presume she qualified late and is now building out her campaign infrastructure.
In my opinion, like many in this race, she doesn’t have a shot at winning. But I will say this: based on her website and social media, she seems to be a genuine person who was inspired to run because she believes in creating and implementing policy that would better families and the people of Georgia. Unlike one of the top contenders currently, she has an issues page! I can tell you what her main priorities are. The top three are financial security, education, and infrastructure. She ties her plan for Georgia to legislation that had recently been debated in the state legislature. I think that shows her ideas are grounded in reality, if not necessarily new.
Olu Brown. Of the candidates running for Governor this cycle, Olu Brown is the one I’ve seen the most, and every time he appears, he seems surer of his platform and more confident overall. Olu Brown is the founder and former pastor of Atlanta’s Impact Church. I remember when he first appeared on my radar, conducting a listening tour primarily through social media and going from town to town.
I remember just as he began his campaign, he visited my hometown, and as personable as he was, I was left wanting something more fleshed out policy-wise. The listening tour was successful because he returned a few months later, and by then, he showcased and attempted to sell what seemed to me to be a progressive and robust platform. I remember that he took the time to visit Yamacraw Village and learn about the remaining residents’ ongoing struggle. I appreciated that a lot. When he returned to the forum in Savannah, he came off very well, showcasing his experience organizing in the church and working with his congregation to meet their needs and those of their community.
Even so, something isn’t resonating, and I just don’t know what the disconnect is. Here is where I wish we had something akin to a ranked-choice system in the state. In that system, I think he would appear more viable. Another hindrance to his campaign is that he doesn’t have experience working in government. I get the hesitation behind it; however, we live in a society where a reality TV host was able to become President on his first attempt… and now twice. It’s not a far-fetched idea to attempt to do something similar, but of course, Georgia politics is a bit different than federal politics. For Georgia voters, political experience matters. Maybe he will try for political office again in the future.
State Representative Derrick Jackson. I would learn late this legislative term that Rep. Jackson had worked closely with my state representative, Carl Gillard, over the years to advocate and advance policy through the legislature that has directly affected my community. Together, they addressed issues such as poverty, youth, homeownership, and cultural preservation, among others. For that, I definitely thank him for his service to the people of Georgia.
As I have seen him post many times, his experience as a CEO, veteran, and legislator makes him uniquely qualified to serve in the Governor’s mansion. He was the first Gubernatorial candidate I had met in person at the start of the primary cycle, and he made an early impression on me as the only candidate who had even mentioned COVID and its ongoing impact on our healthcare system. Additionally, unlike some of the top candidates, he also has a platform—and more importantly, a proof of concept. His platform consists of legislation he has, at one point or another, advocated for, and he explains how it would help Georgians. Like Brown, Jackson has one of the most robust and progressive platforms in the entire race.
Unfortunately, I put him in the same category as Olu Brown: just unable to gain traction. His forum performances have not been his best showings; however, he is very engaged on social media and in intimate spaces with the constituency. That is where I’ve seen him really shine as he shares his vision for Georgia.
Fundraising has been a weak point as well. Now, unlike the other candidates, he could not fundraise for his campaign as efficiently because Georgia law prevents sitting General Assembly members from fundraising during the legislative session. As of this writing, the GA Legislative Session ended a few weeks ago. That said, with just under a month remaining in the primaries, I do not foresee him raising enough to be competitive. With a potential special session… sheesh. Again, he’s another who may have benefited from a ranked-choice voting system. I wonder if he will try again for statewide elected office in the future or just stay involved politically. I believe he still has a lot to offer.
Former State Senator Jason Esteves. I met Jason Esteves early on in his campaign, while he was still a State Senator. My first impression of him was that he was very tall for the space we were in. I remember him touting his accomplishments and his overall record as a businessman, former Atlanta School Board Chair, and former State Senator, but again, there was a disconnect. I remember leaving the space kinda unimpressed by him.
For a long time, that first impression remained with me. While that impression did improve over time—reflecting again on the Savannah forum, where he had a solid performance and directly called out Geoff Duncan over Medicare expansion in Georgia and how Duncan worked against those efforts while he was Lt. Governor—he was just another candidate in my eyes. Solidly in the middle.
Esteves would actually resign from his state senate seat, citing the need to focus more on his Gubernatorial campaign. I think this move allowed him to effectively fundraise, which he then used for various campaign expenditures, making himself viable. Additionally, Romman dropping out of the race created a vacuum. As stated previously, Romman appeared to be the “progressive” candidate in the race. Who would take up that mantle? Esteves, with his specialized and stated focus on education, universal healthcare, and childcare, would take it up.
As a Black male, I do appreciate that he has a well-intentioned and thoughtful plan regarding Black men. He discusses marijuana legalization, increased access to capital, educational opportunity, and building electoral power, amongst other ideas. I remember in the 2024 elections, it was a weak spot in VP Harris’s campaign. I’m glad to see political operatives such as Esteves at least attempt to prioritize us. As it stands, his efforts are paying off. As he builds grassroots support, his name is rising in recent polls. In my corner of GA, he was name-dropped by current Chatham County Commissioner Adot Whitely as being a very strong advocate against the unmitigated expansion of data centers throughout the state. That’s a good thing in my book. With under thirty days before the primaries, if he continues on the path he is on, there’s a chance he could make it to the runoff.
The Top Contenders
Former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond. With a career in Georgia politics spanning several decades, one of the most seasoned operatives is making a run for the Governor’s mansion: Michael Thurmond. He served in the GA House of Representatives and later as the state’s Head of the Division of Family and Children Services. He would later serve statewide as Labor Commissioner and, most recently, as CEO of DeKalb County, one of the largest counties in the state.
He is the most experienced candidate running in either party, having been elected locally and statewide in rural and urban communities throughout the state. I put him here in the top contenders because, in a state where voters 50+ turn out the most, I can see them remembering the work he has done and pushing him over the mountain. His biggest strength, I’ll say, is that he sure does have crossover appeal with members of the Republican party.
He does not have an issues/priorities page. As a leading candidate for the state’s top office, I don’t understand why he doesn’t have one. Maybe he’s waiting to debut the priorities list after the primaries if he wins. Regardless, from what I have heard from him, he offers a solid platform of Medicare expansion and job creation for Georgians. Interestingly, he has advocated for job expansion in the AI sector. Personally, I don’t know how I feel about that one. At best, it shows his willingness to “keep up with the times.”
Also, I would be remiss not to mention that Thurmond played a major role in the development of Atlanta’s Public Safety Training Center, also known as Cop City. While I personally opposed Cop City’s construction and still do oppose similar projects nationwide, if you are a staunch advocate for public safety, I would look into his work there, as it provides an inkling as to how he would govern in that sense.
His AI and public safety stances don’t wow me, but they haven’t been major hindrances to his campaign. If anything, it has been his relatively low fundraising compared to the other front-runners and his age. He is currently 73 years old, and while that is not nearly as old as other politicians currently in office, I can see why people are wary, given the Biden presidency and how he seemingly deteriorated throughout his term. Trump, now in his second term, is showing signs of deterioration as well. The risk for Thurmond is: if he wins, would we see a similar mental/physical deterioration from him? No one really knows. Granted, when I saw him at the Savannah forum and other speaking engagements, he appeared to be as confident, quick-witted, and strong as ever.
Former Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan. Immediately after the Gubernatorial forum concluded in Savannah, I went straight to Duncan and told him I had read his book. He asked me not to define him by the book he had written. I responded that I understood, and I let him know that he did better than he thought that night. In my opinion, he did really well that night; as a matter of fact, I would say he had the strongest showing of all the candidates. I mean, as a former Lieutenant Governor, I would expect nothing less.
When you get a chance to look at his recently released issues page, you can view his priorities and what mechanisms he plans to use, including the utilization of a $1.2B budget surplus to enact those policies. Observers have noted that Duncan may be the strongest candidate in a general election for the Democrats to win the Governorship. I agree with that.
Here’s the thing, though: this isn’t the general election. Remember how I mentioned that he was a former Lt. Governor? Yeah, he was the former Republican Lt. Governor under Brian Kemp. Remember that book I mentioned, and how he asked me not to define him by it? That book is called GOP 2.0.
It gets worse. When he presided over the state senate, he helped push a litany of harmful legislation, including legislation that blocked Medicaid expansion, as well as the infamous Heartbeat Bill, HB 481, which severely limited the ability of women to receive an abortion statewide beyond six weeks. Not only was that piece of legislation unpopular, but it has cost lives. I reflect on Amber Thurman, who passed away in 2022 due to septic shock as a result of not receiving proper care because of the law. I reflect on Adriana Smith, a woman who was declared brain dead in 2025 but kept alive long enough to keep her fetus just viable enough for birth. Smith would later die, and her baby, named Chance, continues to deal with medical complications.
In 2021, Duncan broke with his Republican colleagues by maintaining that the results of the 2020 election in Georgia were legitimate, with Georgia’s electoral votes going to Biden over Trump. This choice would ultimately lead to Duncan writing the aforementioned book in 2021, stepping away from his Lt. Governor role in 2023, campaigning with Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, and being suspended from the GA GOP in January 2025. By August 2025, he officially joined the Democratic Party, and by September, he announced his gubernatorial candidacy.
He has done well in his campaign, and he has expressed regret for his past policy decisions. Will that be enough? There’s still a lot of pain and hurt surrounding what he did as Lt. Governor. My concern is that he could win the primary, win the general race, reveal his true self, and then set out to build GOP 2.0 instead of what he campaigned on. People have commented that they would rather have seen Duncan first do some dedicated stumping and fundraising for Democratic candidates. Realistically, though, of course he would run for Governor.
Recently, he received the endorsement of James Woodall, activist and former Georgia NAACP President. While I have no intentions of endorsing Duncan, I completely understand why Woodall would move to endorse him. Not necessarily because they agree on policy, but because he has a history of winning, and winning big. I remember Duncan saying at the forum that the Democratic Party hasn’t won the Governorship in 18 years; that’s true. He could actually change that.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Mayor Bottoms, who has experience working at the local and national levels, boasts the highest name recognition of any candidate, Democrat or Republican, in this race. On the Democratic side, she has managed to be the top fundraiser. It’s to a point where, if and when there is a runoff, Bottoms will most likely be one of the two competitors on the Democratic side. All of the other candidates are essentially fighting for that second spot.
She finally has a page on her track record in addition to an issues page, which I think is useful in reminding voters what she has delivered for Georgia’s capital city and what she wants to accomplish as our next Governor. Reading what she accomplished in Atlanta as Mayor and in DC as an Adviser to President Biden, it is clear to me why she is considered a top candidate in this race. Additionally, she has stood up against the Trump and Kemp administrations. I remember in 2020, she, along with several GA mayors, ordered mask advisories and mandates to protect against the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas Kemp was against that. Bottoms was the only Mayor to be sued for implementing it.
It’s almost too easy. Does an easy primary give way to an easy general, or will she be plagued with difficulties along the way? That is to be determined. I’m concerned that if she makes it to the general election, we would see echoes of 2024 as those “-isms” would come into play, as they did for VP Harris and Stacey Abrams in both of her gubernatorial campaigns. Bottoms is a highly educated and qualified Black woman running for the top executive position in the state. I fully expect a barrage of the most racist, sexist, and damn near slanderous ads and comments targeting her. Would her general support of the LGBTQ+ community be used against her?
Mind you, she does have her weaknesses. She was a popular mayor who would have easily won re-election; however, she opted not to stand. That’s still a head-scratcher. That still doesn’t make sense to me, and it is definitely something that can be used against her. Why did she not run? How can one run for Governor but not go through two terms as Mayor?
Of course, she would later be appointed a Senior Advisor to the President, leading the Office of Public Liaison. Not necessarily the most influential role in the administration. I would argue that she had more power as Mayor.
Earlier in this piece, I discussed Cop City and Thurmond’s role in it. The project began under the Bottoms administration. Cop City and similar projects arose as a reaction to 2020 and the George Floyd protests. She has since stated that she stands by her decision to move forward with the Cop City project. On her website, she touts investments in public safety technology and personnel. On her issues page, she notes a goal of expanding GBI capacity. Nice. Again, if public safety is your thing, I am sure it will be a priority in her administration. It is funny, though, that she didn’t list Cop City as one of the top achievements of her administration, even though it was a net positive for law enforcement. Maybe it’s an acknowledgment of just how unpopular Cop City is. I can’t be too critical, however; I am a big fan of Atlanta’s Policing Alternatives and Diversion program, and Bottoms did help bring that to fruition.
Assuming she makes it to the runoff, I would like to see her campaign more, especially as she goes through the more rural areas of the state.
Final Thoughts
Well, if you made it this far, thank you. Thank you for reading what I had to say, and I hope that I was able to assist you, the reader, in making a decision ahead of early voting on April 27 and Primary Election Day on May 19. If not, well, thank you for reading what has been on my mind for a long time now.
The Governor of Georgia, whoever it is, will wield great power and the ability to transform this state for the better. The Governor does have the ability to line-item veto any bit of legislation they choose. If we are able to elect a Democratic Governor, we may very well be guaranteed Medicaid expansion—that’s important. Additionally, I predict that the Governor will only become more powerful as America’s geopolitical influence wanes. Kemp’s response to the Hyundai raid provides a glimpse of how the Governorship can and will play a more international role in the future.
After nearly 20 years of Republican control, it is time for a change. Regardless of who wins on May 19, I will be voting for the Democratic candidate in the general election, even if I have to grit my teeth while doing it. With that said…
I will be voting for Jason Esteves to become the Democratic Party nominee for Georgia Governor. I want Georgia to be taken in a very clear, progressive direction, and I believe we can get there with Esteves at the helm. I encourage everyone voting to do the same. He has the momentum on his side, and I believe we can carry him over the mountain.
Early Voting begins April 27. Primary Election Day is May 19.
Thank you all for reading, much love.