ATLANTA — Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Jason Carter has thrown his support behind Jason Esteves in his campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor ahead of next year’s election.
“He’s the new generation of leadership that Georgia needs, and he still has a long record of fighting for our families,” Carter said in a statement released Wednesday by the Esteves campaign.
Carter won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination himself in 2014 only to lose the general election to Republican Nathan Deal. The former state senator and grandson of former president Jimmy Carter said he knows Esteves’ family. He said Esteves, who recently stepped down as a state Senator representing Cobb and Fulton counties and previously served on the Atlanta school board, “has heart and wisdom,” adding, “I love his Columbus roots; he knows that Georgia is more than just Atlanta.”
The endorsement is intended to give Esteves an edge in an increasingly crowded Democratic field that includes political figures with name recognition.
Two of them, former DeKalb County CEO and state labor commissioner Michael Thurmond and former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who recently switched from the Republican party, have won statewide. Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has been touring the state to enhance recognition outside the capital city, recently meeting with farmers in Albany, The Albany Herald reported.
The winner of the Democratic primary will face whoever emerges from the Republican contest, which includes several competitors with statewide name recognition, as well, including Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump; Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger; and Attorney General Chris Carr, who touted his endorsement by 53 Georgia sheriffs last month.