Democrat Michael Thurmond has joined the race to become Georgia’s next governor in what is shaping up to be a heated 2026 election.
“I’m running for Governor to fight for working families, protect and expand access to healthcare, and build an education system that creates multiple pathways to success,” Thurmond said in a statement on social media Wednesday morning.
Thurmond, 72, served as CEO of DeKalb County from 2017 until January.
Thurmond was the son of a Clarke County sharecropper, and in 1986, he became the first African-American elected to the Georgia General Assembly from his home county since Reconstruction. He served three terms as Georgia labor commissioner and was interim superintendent of the DeKalb County School District, where he was credited with helping reverse a threat to the district’s accreditation.
Thurmond pledged to travel the state and campaign on his record.
“This campaign won’t be about promises, but performance,” he said in a statement. “I have led the transformation of broken private and public organizations, passed tax relief for Georgia seniors and working families, and helped more than 300,000 unemployed Georgians find good jobs. Georgia deserves a leader with the courage to tune out the political nonsense, bring people together, and get results.”
Thurmond is not the only one with eyes on moving into the governor’s mansion next year once Gov. Brian Kemp’s second and final term is up.
Atlanta state Sen. Jason Esteves, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and state Rep. Derrick Jackson are among those also competing for the Democratic nomination, with Lt. Gov Burt Jones and Attorney General Chris Carr the early frontrunners for the GOP nomination.
The party primaries are scheduled for May 19, 2026, after which the winners from each party will face off in the Nov. 3 midterm, which will also include the race for U.S. senator, other top offices like lieutenant governor and attorney general as well as every seat in the state legislature.
This story originally appeared at the Georgia Recorder.
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