Jason Esteves
Jason F. Esteves (born July 19, 1983)[1] is an American attorney, businessman, politician, and former educator representing Georgia's 35th Senate district. He served as an at-large representative and later as Board Chair of the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education from 2013 until he assumed office in the Georgia State Senate. He assumed office on January 9, 2023 after being elected in November 2022. He is a member of the Democratic Party. In April 2025, Esteves announced that he will run for Governor of Georgia in the state's 2026 gubernatorial election.[2] EducationEsteves attended South Columbus Elementary, Eddy Middle School[3] and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Miami and a Juris Doctor from the Emory University School of Law.[4] CareerAfter graduating from college, Esteves began his career as a middle school Social Studies teacher at a public school in Houston, Texas. He worked as an associate at McKenna Long & Aldridge in Atlanta from 2010 to 2014. From 2014 to 2022, he served as a member of the Atlanta Board of Education and as its chair from 2018 to 2022.[5] Esteves joined Equifax as Assistant General Counsel in 2014 and became Vice President of Legal in 2019. In 2023, he and his wife opened the Flying Biscuit Cafe in Columbus,[6] and in 2025 opened a second location in Macon.[7] He currently serves as Of Council at Hudson Cook, LLP. Political careerIn 2013, Esteves was elected to the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education, representing the ninth district. He served as an at-large representative and later board chair until becoming a Georgia State Senator in 2023. During his tenure, he was instrumental in driving reforms that achieved record-breaking graduation rates, redirected funding towards schools and classrooms, and secured multiple salary increases for teachers. Esteves was elected as the Treasurer of the Democratic Party of Georgia in 2019, a position that he occupied until 2025. He was elected to the Georgia State Senate in November 2022. During his campaign, Esteves was endorsed by Latino Victory Fund,[8] National Democratic Redistricting Committee,[9] Human Rights Campaign[10] and Georgia Equality.[11]He ran unopposed for reelection in 2024,[4] and was endorsed for reelection by the Democrats for Education Reform, [12] Vote Common Good,[13] Reproductive Freedom for All, CASA in Action,[14] Fair Fight Action[15] and United Auto Workers.[16] 2026 Georgia gubernatorial campaignIn 2025, Esteves announced his candidacy in the Democratic primary for the 2026 Georgia gubernatorial election.[17] Political positions2020 electionIn 2024, Esteves opposed the confirmation of Rick Jeffares for member of Georgia Election Board on the grounds that he promoted conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. Esteves said that Jeffares' nomination and confirmation was dangerous. 2024 electionAfter the first 2024 election debate, Esteves continued to back Joe Biden's re-election campaign,[18] and he endorsed Kamala Harris after Biden dropped out.[19] AbortionEsteves is pro-choice. He opposes Georgia's heartbeat bill and supports abortion rights.[20][21] Artificial intelligenceIn 2024, in a hearing on AI, he said that the legislature must support AI while also protecting people from its repercussions.[22] Confederate statuesIn 2025, Esteves proposed replacing the statue of Confederate leader Alexander Stephens in the U.S. Capitol with former President Jimmy Carter, citing his legacy of human rights and public service.[23] EducationIn a 2021 op-ed, Esteves supported a transition to zero-emission electric school busses.[24] Esteves opposes the banning of Critical Race Theory, calling the bans a failed political strategy.[20][25] Esteves advocates for supporting and strengthening special education programs.[21] In 2024, he introduced a bill to update and modernize Georgia's quality-based education formula.[26] He is a critic of Georgia's school voucher program, saying that it does not live up to its promises, and suggested the resources would be better allocated to public schools.[27] In 2025, Esteves spoke at a rally supporting the restoration of federal funding for the sciences.[28] Gun policyEsteves opposed allowing the concealed carry of firearms without a license.[20] HealthcareEsteves supports Medicaid expansion.[20] In a 2025 op-ed in the Ledger-Enquirer, Esteves argued for a bill he introduced that would allow Medicare to cover expenses for assisted living and care facilities.[29] HousingIn 2025, Esteves proposed legislation that would stop private equity firms from being allowed to purchase houses.[30][31][21] ImmigrationIn a 2024 letter, Esteves urged President Joe Biden to extend work visas to long-term migrants.[32] InfrastructureEsteves supports public transportation.[20] PrivacyIn 2023, Esteves introduced a bill which would redact personal identifying information from public records.[33][34] RedistrictingEsteves supports a nonpartisan commission for redistricting.[20] Minimum wageEsteves helped raise the wage of Atlanta public school employees to 15 dollars an hour and supports doing that at a federal level.[20] Small businessIn 2025, he introduced a resolution honoring the International Franchise Association and its former president Doc Cohen for boosting economic growth and making contributions to communities coast to coast.[35] U.S. Supreme CourtIn a 2022 letter that he wrote, Esteves endorsed the expansion of the U.S. Supreme Court.[36] ChildcareIn 2025, Esteves supported and co-sponsored a bipartisan bill that declared children being unsupervised is not child neglect and those decisions should be left to the parent.[37] Personal lifeJason Esteves was raised in Columbus, Georgia by Linda and Fernando Esteves. Linda was a florist and customer service representative while Fernando served in the army. Esteves was the first in his family to attend college. Briefly, while attending the University of Miami, he worked as a character mascot for Universal Studios, where he played Shrek and the Hulk. After college, Esteves attended Emory Law School. He met his wife, Ariel, at Emory while she was attending Nursing School and he was attending Law School. Ariel is a nurse practitioner and small business owner. They own several small businesses across the state, including an urgent and primary care clinic in Atlanta and The Flying Biscuit in Columbus and Macon. They were married in Atlanta in 2012 and have two children, Jaeden and Zoe.[38] Since his mother Linda's diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease, [29]Jason and Ariel have served as her caregivers. AwardsIn 2017, Esteves was included on the Atlanta Business Chronicle 40 under 40 list.[39] In 2019, he was recognized at the ADL Southeast Jurisprudence Luncheon for his values rooted in public service and education.[40] He was also placed on the top 50 most influential Latinos in Georgia by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.[41] Electoral historyGeorgia House
Atlanta Board of Education at Large
Georgia Senate
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