The Georgia Democrat for underdogs

The Georgia Democrat for underdogs
Jason Esteves, a rising gubernatorial candidate, says he’s a champion of Georgia’s working class against GOP policy

By Tatyana Tandanpolie
Staff Reporter
Published April 27, 2026 6:30AM (EDT)


(Salon) Jason Esteves knows what it’s like to make the most out of very little. The Georgia Democrat watched both his mother and father work two to three jobs at a time to provide for their family throughout his childhood in the ’80s. In adulthood, he climbed his way up through roles as a public school teacher, an Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education member and chair, an attorney and even a state senator, while opening a handful of local businesses with his wife.

Esteves also knows that, these days, many Georgians are struggling to make much of anything as opportunities seem to dwindle; the cost of living on the rise, housing is increasingly unaffordable and healthcare costs mount with no relief in sight. So the Columbus native decided to run for governor to do something about it.

“At the end of the day, I’m running to level the playing field for hard-working people, regardless of who they are, regardless of where they live in the state,” Esteves told Salon. “If you work hard, then you should have the opportunity to thrive.”

In the Peach State’s upcoming Democratic primary on May 19, Esteves also sees himself as something of an underdog, pulling in 14% of voters in a late-March 20/20 Insight poll compared to the just 4% support he netted in an early March Emerson College survey. Still, he remains far behind frontrunner Keisha Lance Bottoms, Atlanta’s former mayor who boasts greater name recognition and 32% of voter support. The ex-state senator is hoping, however, that his grassroots campaign and policy agendas on increased healthcare access, universal childcare, reproductive rights and education will entice the remaining 30% of undecided Georgians to cast their ballot for him.

....(snip)....

Let’s start with your campaign slogan and campaign goals: providing health, wealth and opportunity for Georgians. I want to know what that means to you and how that shapes how you have built your run for governor.

What health, wealth and opportunity means to me is the fact that Georgians want us to focus on the issues that matter. At the end of the day, no matter whether you’re Democrat, Republican, Independent or agnostic to politics, what you ultimately care about is that you and your family have access to the healthcare that you need, that you have opportunities to keep and grow the money in your pocket so that you can build your wealth, and ensuring that our children and our grandchildren have more opportunities than what we’ve had. ....................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/04/27/the-georgia-democrat-for-underdogs/