McBath forms exploratory committee to run for governor

Caption

Lucy McBath

ATLANTA — U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, filed paperwork Wednesday creating an exploratory committee for a potential race for governor next year.

“Georgians deserve a governor who understands what’s at stake because they’ve lived it,” McBath wrote in a prepared statement. 

“As a mom and breast cancer survivor, I’ve seen first hand how regular people are too often left out of the political process. I look forward to continuing this conversation with my neighbors and fellow Georgians.”

McBath was elected to Congress in 2018 and reelected in 2020, 2022 and again last year, despite repeated attempts by the General Assembly’s Republican majorities to redraw her congressional district in a way that would favor GOP candidates.

She entered politics after her teenage son, Jordan Davis, was shot and killed by a man objecting to the music he and his friends were playing in their car. She has been a leading advocate for gun safety legislation during her years in the House.

McBath is the only Democrat thus far to take steps toward running for governor in 2026. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is term-limited.

On the GOP side, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is the only candidate thus far to enter the race. Others — notably Lt. Gov. Burt Jones — are expected to follow.

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Capitol Beat News Service.