By Mark Woolsey

Georgia Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath, whose congressional district includes portions of  Cobb County, has filed paperwork to explore a potential race for Georgia governor.

According to the Roll Call website and other publications, the move enables the congresswoman to begin fundraising for a possible candidacy for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

“Georgians deserve a governor who understands at stake-because they lived it,” McBath said in a statement. “As a mom and a breast cancer survivor I’ve seen firsthand how Georgians are too often left out of the political process, I look forward to continuing this conversation with my neighbors and  fellow Georgians.”

McBath, a former flight attendant,  first gained notice as a gun control activist after her teenaged son was murdered  at a Florida gas station in 2012. The gunfire followed an argument over loud music. She first ran for Congress in 2018 from the 6th winning two terms there, then switched to the 7^th after the 6^th was significantly redrawn to favor Republicans. She returned to her original district after winning the election covering that area in 2024.

“Georgians deserve a governor who understands what’s at stake — because they’ve lived it,” McBath said in a statement announcing her exploratory campaign Wednesday. “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.” 

Current Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican,  is barred from seeking a third term, setting up what sine political observers consider a wide-open race for the job.