Rep. Lucy McBath takes steps to launch run for Georgia governor

ATLANTA - Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath could throw her hat into the ring to succeed Brian Kemp as governor in 2026.

On Wednesday, McBath, who represents Georgia's 6th District, announced that she has filed paperwork to explore a run for governor.

The backstory:

McBath won a House seat in 2018 from a suburban district held by former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich for two decades. The former Delta flight attendant is known nationally as a fierce gun safety advocate, rising to prominence after her son was killed in 2012.

After Georgia Republicans redrew election maps in 2022 that eliminated her district, McBath moved to the new 6th Congressional District, which includes parts of Fulton, Cobb, Douglas and Fayette counties. She has since won two elections.

McBath is a graduate of Virginia State and a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. 

Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) speaks during a press conference discussing gun violence prevention on Capitol Hill on June 13, 2024, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

What they're saying:

"Georgians deserve a Governor who understands what’s at stake - because they’ve lived it. As a mom and breast cancer survivor, I’ve seen firsthand 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 said in a statement.

What's next:

As Gov. Brian Kemp cannot run for a third term; many high-profile Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been considered possible contenders for the position. 

Republicans have won six straight governor's races in Georgia since Sonny Perdue became the first Republican to be elected in modern times in 2002. Democrats had hoped to break that streak under Stacey Abrams in 2022 after she narrowly lost to Kemp in 2018, but Kemp defeated her by a comfortable margin in their rematch.

Republican Attorney General Chris Carr announced that he was running for governor in November, becoming the first major candidate from either party to announce a bid. In January, his campaign announced that he had raised more than $2 million before the start of the legislative session.

Other potential Republican contenders include Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. On the Democratic side, DeKalb CEO Mike Thurmond and former state Sen. Jason Carter could try to replace Kemp.