An Atlanta lawyer is entering the race for attorney general, announcing Thursday his intent to seek the Democratic nomination.
Christian Wise Smith, 39, in announcing his candidacy, referred to himself as a “prosecutor with heart.”
“It really comes down to the basic promise that our country was built on for me, and I really take to heart that God created all people equal, and that justice and opportunity should exist for everyone,” he said in an interview. “But I know that across the country, and in our state of Georgia, we aren’t doing enough to live up to that promise right now. For so many Georgians, the justice system especially has been profoundly unjust.”
Smith, a Cincinnati native who moved to the Atlanta area in 2005, worked as an Atlanta city solicitor and then as a member of the Fulton County district attorney’s office. In 2020, he ran for Fulton County district attorney, finishing third with about 23% of the vote in the three-way primary.
Smith founded the National Social Justice Alliance, a nonprofit organization that works with prosecutors with a goal of ending police brutality. In 2021, Smith wrote the children’s book, “WISEUP Adventure Series: Chris & Key Go Vote!”
Smith will face state Sen. Jen Jordan, an attorney who has served four years in the Senate, in the primary. Charlie Bailey, who had embarked on a campaign for attorney general, announced last month that he would instead pursue the lieutenant governor’s office.
Smith, a Sandy Springs resident, said he knows he has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to raising campaign funds.
Jordan, who launched her campaign in April 2021, last month announced she had raised about $1.3 million in donations. She reported having about $1.1 million in cash on hand as of the Jan. 31 campaign filing deadline.
Smith said he was confident that he will “excite some people that aren’t already excited about folks already in the race.”
“And I’ll bring a new energy around this election that I think will excite some people that want to be involved to contribute to the campaign and help us have everything we need to reach everybody we need to come out and vote,” he said.
The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Attorney General Chris Carr, who was appointed to the office in 2016.
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