The Rev. Olujimi (Olu) Brown, founder and former lead pastor of Impact United Methodist Church in East Point, has announced he is running for Georgia governor in 2026.
“I believe it’s time for a new face, a new voice and a new generation of leadership in Georgia who listens,” he said.
Brown, a United Methodist Church pastor, leadership consultant and author, faces a major challenge as a Democratic candidate in Republican-led Georgia. Brown is considered a long shot for the nomination with a number of high-profile Democratic challengers who could raise huge amounts of campaign dollars.
“I’ve said over the years that Georgia is a big place and this campaign is going to recognize that from Day One,” said Brown, 47, who talked about his campaign on social media sites such as Instagram, X and Facebook. “Whether it’s a town of 600 people or a metropolitan place with six million people, your voice matters. As a candidate for governor, I will always listen ... I will listen and I do care.”
Brown has also launched a website, listeningtogeorgians.org, where people can donate to his campaign.
Brown retired from Impact in 2022. The progressive-leaning church started with 25 members and by the time he left it had a weekly in-person and online attendance of 5,000.
The gubernatorial election will be held on Nov. 3, 2026. Incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, is serving his second term and the state constitution bars him from seeking a third consecutive term.
Brown, a father of two, plans to hold in-person and virtual listening tours around the state through December. He said he will ask three main questions: What do you love about Georgia, what are your concerns about Georgia and what would you change about Georgia?
The last time Georgia had a Democratic governor was from 1999 to 2003, when Roy Barnes, an attorney and politician, became the 80th person to hold that seat.
A native of Lufkin, Texas, Brown graduated from Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Texas, and earned a master of divinity degree from Gammon Theological Seminary in Atlanta.
“What we saw in 2022 is that Georgia is still a predominately red state,” said University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock. “Republicans won all of the statewide constitutional offices — governor, secretary of state, commissioner of labor. The only things Democrats came away with was a U.S. Senate seat ... We’re more red than blue or purple.”
Brown does not have a widely recognizable name, which will be a big factor, said Bullock, unlike U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, who has hinted at seeking that office. “As a Democrat, the odds are not particularly good and for an unknown Democrat even more so.”
In May, McBath did not expressly rule out a 2026 run during an interview on the “Politically Georgia” podcast. Other potential Democratic contenders, according to a previous article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, include former state Sen. Jason Carter and DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Michael Thurmond. Republicans eyeing the governor’s office include Attorney General Chris Carr and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, according to that same article.
That doesn’t deter Brown, however. He said he will work across the aisle and his campaign will speak directly to people in Georgia, whether Republican, Democrat or Independent. Georgians, he said, care about their children, having a safe community, job readiness and employment.
“As a person and as a pastor, I’m comfortable being in situations with people who believe and feel differently than I do, and finding common ground.”
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