An Atlanta Democrat running for governor spent the weekend in Coastal Georgia shaking hands and making promises.
Georgia Sen. Jason Esteves, who represents parts of both Douglas County and Fulton County in the state legislature’s upper chamber, introduced himself to voters in Midway, Savannah and Sandfly to give locals a taste of what his priorities would be as governor.
“Georgia deserves a governor that’s going to put people ahead of the politics. Whether it’s in Washington, D.C. or in Atlanta, Georgia, know that I’m someone that’s going to put you ahead of the special interests,” Esteves, 41, told a crowd of about 50 people in Sandfly on Sunday.
“And for too long, Georgia has had issues, whether it’s with housing, whether it’s with healthcare, whether it’s with education. We have persistent issues that started long before Donald Trump, but have persisted and gone unaddressed,” he said. “In me, you’re going to get a governor that’s going to fight against what’s happening in Washington, D.C., which, to me, is a whole bunch of chaos, but at the same time, I’m going to focus in on you.”
Esteves’ campaign is centered on issues of affordability: He says he plans to reduce taxes and costs of housing, healthcare, and senior and child care, if elected governor. Esteves, former chair of the Atlanta Board of Education, also wants to redirect dollars towards the public school system.
But in a state that hasn’t elected a Democratic governor in over 20 years, Esteves — a Columbus native — understands that he must mobilize a coalition outside of Atlanta and persuade young voters to go to the polls.
“I want to make sure that our young people understand how I will make sure that they have a pathway to success, not based on luck, but based on hard work, based on merit,” he said in Sandfly. “I will be going through social media. I will be going to college campuses, high school campuses, and making sure that I’m talking to young people and talking to them about restoring hope, not just in the political system, but in their future.”
Lily Belle Poling is a rising junior at Yale. She is a summer 2025 intern at The Current GA with support from the Ida B. Wells Society in collaboration with the Nonprofit Newsroom Internship Program created by The Scripps Howard Fund and the Institute for Nonprofit News.