Georgia State Representative Derrick Jackson, a Democrat out of Tyrone in Fayette County, has formally announced his intentions to run for Governor in 2026. Jackson currently represents the 68th State House District, which contains portions of Fulton and Fayette counties.
During his conversation with The Atlanta Voice, Jackson emphasized his 42 years of combined leadership experience in the U.S. Navy, corporate America, and state politics. Jackson believes that experience, which includes seven deployments and four combat missions, will help him stand out in a crowded field of now four Democratic contestants.
“No other candidate on the Democratic side is going to put up a 42 year-long resume like I have,” says Jackson. “And so the Democratic Party must ask themselves the question, do we want to win? Because this is not a high school popularity contest. Anybody could win, you know, the primary. But do we want to win the general election? Right? That’s what matters most.”
Jackson, a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, believes in Dr. Martin Luther King’s axiom “The Urgency of Now.” He desires to help the least of these and be a voice for the voiceless.
“I would be a governor for everyone: White, Black, urban, suburban, rural, Gay, straight,” Jackson says. “Listen, if Georgia is going to be successful, we need to make sure every family in all these areas can thrive. I don’t care if you’re coming from Valdosta or in Rome. You should be able to look at the same entrepreneur that’s in Atlanta and say: I can birth an idea and it will and it will survive, because Georgia is one of those states that would not leave one entrepreneur behind. Not one working class family member behind.”
Medicaid Expansion
Jackson has a strong commitment to expanding Medicaid, which could boost Georgia’s economy while improving healthcare access, particularly in rural areas. While former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and State Sen. Jason Esteves both push for Medicaid expansion, Jackson says the time is now.
“We’ve been fighting for Medicaid expansion the last 15 years,” Jackson says. “Georgia is sitting on a huge surplus, and we have nearly $7 billion sitting on the table because one individual, the governor, refused to put his signature on the dotted line to say, ‘Medicaid expansion to Georgia.’ He refused and tried his Pathways Program.”
Governor Brian Kemp’s Pathways to Coverage program, rolled out in 2023, has enrolled about 6,500 Georgians to date. However, an estimated 200,000 Georgians do not have health insurance. To qualify, adults must work, go to school, volunteer or do other qualifying activities for 80 hours a month.
“Hospitals will stay open, we will be able to bring greater access to health care across all of Georgia, especially rural Georgia,” said Jackson. “The last 12 hospitals that closed were in rural Georgia. And so when you think about just simply a signature of a governor saying Medicaid expansion that will increase jobs, keep hospitals open, and will put us on a true pathway to open up more accessible clinics across all of Georgia. There’s no reason why, as rich and prosperous as we are, that we still have individuals who are dying.”