Helping keep Black Georgians safe has been a major part of Chris Carr’s job while serving as attorney general the past nine years. It’s a priority he said he plans to maintain as the state’s next governor.
“I truly believe that government is supposed to keep people safe,” Carr told Capital B Atlanta during a recent interview. “I don’t care your race, your gender, your religion, your sexual orientation, your political party and where you’re from. You deserve to be safe in this state.”
The 54-year-old Dunwoody resident and married father of two is one of eight candidates competing in a May 19 Republican primary for a chance to replace Gov. Brian Kemp. He argued he gives Republicans the best chance to win in November.
“The only way you win is to appeal to persuadable voters that care about jobs, safety, education, [and] affordability,” he said. “I have heard from some Democrats that they don’t want me to be the nominee because they’re afraid they can’t beat me. … I know I can win in the general [election] and that’s what I’m working every day to do.”
He said improving affordability is at the top of his campaign priority list, along with promoting more educational opportunities, cultivating well-paying jobs, and battling violent criminals.
“I spent three years as the commissioner of economic development, helping the private sector, either bring good-paying jobs to this state or helping businesses here create good-paying jobs,” Carr said.
“I think part of the role of the governor is to go out and find that next job and that next dollar of investment,” he said. “We created 84,000 jobs when I was a commissioner of economic development, $14 billion worth of investment in the state. I think that’s critically important.”
On the issue of public safety, Carr’s resume of accomplishments includes securing more than 120 convictions of gang members via the Gang Prosecution Unit his office launched in 2022 and rescuing more than 200 children from human trafficking rings.
Carr stressed that gang crime, human trafficking, and retail theft are crimes that disproportionately impact Black Georgians, and combatting them benefits everyone.
“If you look at those issues … which communities are disproportionately impacted? Lower income, racially diverse, and immigrant populations,” Carr said.
Prior to his current job, he spent a decade working on federal issues like immigration, the economy, public safety and national defense while serving as chief of staff to former GOP U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson.
He said continuing to make gains with Black voters is a priority for him and the state Republican Party.
“We are a diverse state,” Carr said. “I want to get my message out to everybody, to appeal to everybody, focusing on solid leadership based on the things government should do — providing opportunities and keeping people safe. And your ZIP code shouldn’t matter when it comes down to those issues.”
Carr has taken heat from fellow Republicans for not investigating the disproven election fraud claims made by President Donald Trump and his supporters following the 2020 election.
His primary competitor, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, has been the main target of Trump loyalists, including Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and “election integrity” champions like Secretary of State candidate Kelvin King, who have suggested Raffensperger hasn’t done enough to combat alleged voter fraud.
Raffensperger famously refused to cooperate with Trump’s request to “find” the votes Trump needed to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.
A risk-limiting audit conducted by Raffensperger’s office found no widespread voter fraud took place during the 2020 election. His refusal, along with Kemp, to heed Trump’s call to “find” enough votes to reverse Georgia’s 2020 results was viewed as a betrayal by the president and many of his supporters.
Carr stressed to Capital B Atlanta that getting involved in the case wasn’t legally an option for him.
“I have not declined to investigate anything because I don’t have the authority to investigate,” he said. “The secretary of state was part of this. I’m not.”
When asked about the Trump administration’s FBI raid on the Fulton County Elections Hub, Carr noted his own support for the Election Integrity Act of 2021. He also suggested Republicans who want to win in November move on from the past.
“If Republicans are going to win in 2026, we need to focus on the issues that really are important and front of mind to the voters of this state,” Carr said. “That’s jobs, safety, education, and affordability.”
In addition to Jones and Raffensperger, Carr’s primary competitors include business leaders Clark Dean and Rick Jackson. Others vying for the GOP nomination include biotech executive Gregg Kirkpatrick, military veteran Ken Yasger, and Tom Williams, a retired Air Force software engineering and electronics professional.
The long list of candidates competing in the May 19 Democratic primary for governor includes former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former pastor Olu Brown, former state Sen. Jason Esteves, and state Rep. Derrick Jackson.
State Rep. Ruwa Romman dropped out of the race on Feb. 26.
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