Lucy McBath suspends bid for governor as husband battles cancer

Democratic U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath is stepping back from a run for Georgia governor, saying in an interview Monday that she’s focusing on her husband’s health as he undergoes treatment for complications from a recent cancer diagnosis.

McBath didn’t rule out a gubernatorial bid, but told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution she is suspending the exploratory committee she launched weeks ago.

“It’s a hard decision. It’s a really difficult decision to make. And right now I can’t make the decision on whether or not to run for governor,” she said. “I’ve always said my priorities should be where I’m supposed to be. And that’s helping my husband.”

The four-term congresswoman earlier this month became the first Georgia Democrat to launch an exploratory committee to start raising campaign cash, fueling expectations she would follow up with a full-scale campaign for the 2026 campaign.

McBath was seeking to become Georgia’s first female and Black governor — and the nation’s first Black female governor.

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McBath said her husband, Curtis McBath, has suffered complications from cancer surgery this month that made clear to her that “his road to ultimate health is going to be a little longer and more difficult than we thought.”

She added that she is not stepping down from her U.S. House seat, but for “right now I have to organically look at everything and make sure I’m where I’m most needed.”

The 64-year-old had hoped to build momentum and deter potential rivals in the wide-open contest to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Brian Kemp — and capitalize on Democratic frustration with President Donald Trump’s return to power.

But McBath’s decision to stand down, at least for now, injects fresh uncertainty into an unsettled Democratic field as the party seeks to reclaim the Governor’s Mansion for the first time in more than two decades.

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Other potential contenders include Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, state Sen. Jason Esteves and former DeKalb chief executive Michael Thurmond. And two-time nominee Stacey Abrams, who twice lost to Kemp, hasn’t ruled out a third campaign.

Adding to the party’s internal strife, U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams stepped down on Monday as chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia amid pressure from activists, donors and elected officials — including U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, who privately urged her to quit.

While Democrats sort out their options, the Republican race is well underway. Attorney General Chris Carr launched his campaign shortly after the November election and is locked in an intensifying rivalry with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is expected to enter the race within months.

Carr has tried to align himself more closely with Trump ahead of a GOP primary that could be shaped by the president’s influence.

Other Republicans are waiting for Kemp to decide whether to challenge Ossoff before they choose to seek higher office or sit out a statewide campaign.

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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

A former flight attendant, McBath became a nationally known voice for gun control after the 2012 murder of her teenage son, Jordan Davis, who was fatally shot while sitting with his friends at a gas station in Jacksonville, Florida.

She entered politics in 2018, flipping a Republican-held U.S. House seat once represented by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Since then, McBath has been one of the party’s leading advocates for gun safety legislation, a platform that earned her a primetime speaking slot at last year’s Democratic National Convention.

She also positioned herself as a sharp critic of Trump’s policies, as his Georgia allies have backed his efforts to dismantle the federal bureaucracy, implement mass firings and impose tariffs.

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Still, any Democrat running must navigate a delicate political balance in a state that Trump captured in November. When McBath initially filed paperwork for governor, GOP officials quickly framed her as a liberal loyalist to former President Joe Biden.

Her initial announcement that she might seek the governor’s office also set off a down-ballot scramble as ambitious politicians jockeyed to compete for her seat in Georgia’s 6th District, which is now a safely Democratic territory that spans much of west metro Atlanta.

Among the potential contenders is state Sen. Sonya Halpern of Atlanta, who filed paperwork last week to run for the seat — but told the AJC she would only move forward with her campaign if McBath pursued the governor’s race.

McBath said in the interview she was “grateful for everyone who has supported me, who knows my heart is in the right place.

“And I’ll keep working for them. I’m not ever going to stop,” she said. “I’m not leaving Congress. I’m not leaving the people’s work. There’s a lot to be considered now. I want to continue to give people hope.”