Jason Carter to challenge Gov. Deal next year | www.ajc.com

Democratic state Sen. Jason Carter will challenge Gov. Nathan Deal next year in a move that catapults the gubernatorial contest into the national spotlight and tests whether Georgia’s changing demographics can loosen the Republican Party’s 12-year grip on the state’s highest office.

Carter’s decision, which he announced Wednesday in an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is another step along the trail forged by his famous grandfather Jimmy Carter, who was elected to the state Senate and then the Governor’s Mansion before winning the presidency.

“We can’t wait as a state,” said Jason Carter, who plans to formally announce his candidacy Thursday. “The bottom line is we can’t afford four more years of an economy that’s not working for the middle class and an education system that’s underfunded. It’s not about politics. It’s about making sure we can get the state that we need.”

Carter, 38, becomes the second high-profile Democratic scion to compete for a spot on Georgia’s 2014 ticket. Senate candidate Michelle Nunn, the daughter of former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, is her party’s front-runner in the crowded contest to replace retiring Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Carter, who is not stepping down from office, pitches himself as a fiscal conservative who will revamp an education funding system he derides as a “shell game” and restore trust in the government.

Whether his grandfather will be an asset or liability in the eyes of Georgians remains unknown. The elder Carter canvassed door to door with his grandson days before the 2010 election, and he’s popular among many Georgia Democrats. But, like Michelle Nunn’s family connection, the biggest benefit will likely be Carter’s ability to tap his grandfather’s donor network.

“He’s my grandfather and he cares about me and we talk,” the younger Carter said. “But at the end of the day, this campaign will be about getting Georgia back to where it needs to be. It’s about the future and not my family.”

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