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Jason Esteves
Esteves in 2025
Member of the Georgia State Senate
from the 35th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 9, 2023
Preceded byJen Jordan
Personal details
Born (1983-07-19) July 19, 1983 (age 42)
Columbus, Georgia, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Miami (BA)
Emory University (JD)

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]

Education

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Esteves 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]

Career

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After 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 career

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In 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 campaign

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In 2025, Esteves announced his candidacy in the Democratic primary for the 2026 Georgia gubernatorial election.[17]

Political positions

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2020 election

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In 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 election

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After 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]

Abortion

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Esteves is pro-choice. He opposes Georgia's heartbeat bill and supports abortion rights.[20][21]

Artificial intelligence

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In 2024, in a hearing on AI, he said that the legislature must support AI while also protecting people from its repercussions.[22]

Confederate statues

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In 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]

Education

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In 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 policy

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Esteves opposed allowing the concealed carry of firearms without a license.[20]

Healthcare

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Esteves 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]

Housing

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In 2025, Esteves proposed legislation that would stop private equity firms from being allowed to purchase houses.[30][31][21]

Immigration

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In a 2024 letter, Esteves urged President Joe Biden to extend work visas to long-term migrants.[32]

Infrastructure

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Esteves supports public transportation.[20]

Privacy

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In 2023, Esteves introduced a bill which would redact personal identifying information from public records.[33][34]

Redistricting

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Esteves supports a nonpartisan commission for redistricting.[20]

Minimum wage

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Esteves helped raise the wage of Atlanta public school employees to 15 dollars an hour and supports doing that at a federal level.[20]

Small business

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In 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 Court

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In a 2022 letter that he wrote, Esteves endorsed the expansion of the U.S. Supreme Court.[36]

Childcare

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In 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 life

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Jason 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.

Awards

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In 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 history

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Georgia House

2012 Georgia House District 53 Democratic Primary [42]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Shelia Jones (Incumbent) 3,562 64.79%
Democratic Jason Esteves 1,624 29.54%
Democratic Robert Patillo 312 5.67%
Total votes 5,498 100.0%

Atlanta Board of Education at Large

2013 Atlanta Board of Education at Large[43]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Jason Esteves 13,304 34.32%
Nonpartisan Lori James 11,909 30.72%
Nonpartisan Sean Norman 5,029 12.97%
Nonpartisan Ed Johnson 4,558 11.76%
Nonpartisan Eddie Lee Brewster 3,772 9.73%
Nonpartisan Write In 191 0.49%
Total votes 38,763 100.0%
2013 Atlanta Board of Education at Large Runoff[44]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Jason Esteves 10,564 71.39%
Nonpartisan Lori James 4,233 28.61%
Total votes 14,797 100.0%
2017 Atlanta Board of Education at Large[45]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Jason Esteves (Incumbent) 100%
Total votes 100
2021 Atlanta Board of Education at Large[46]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Jason Esteves (Incumbent) 42,307 61.38%
Nonpartisan Jason B Allen 16,588 24.07%
Nonpartisan D'Jaris James 10,029 14.55%
Total votes 68,924 100.0%

Georgia Senate

2022 Georgia State Senate - District 6 Democratic Primary [47]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jason Esteves 6,805 54.5%
Democratic Luisa Wakeman 5,680 45.5%
Total votes 12,485 100.0%
2022 Georgia State Senate - District 6 General election[48]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jason Esteves 45,076 56.6%
Republican Fred Glass 34,607 43.4%
Total votes 79,683 100.0%
2024 Georgia State Senate - District 35 Primary election[49]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jason Esteves (Incumbent) 100%
Total votes 100
2024 Georgia State Senate - District 35 General election[50]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jason Esteves (Incumbent) 100%
Total votes 100

References

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  1. ^ "Georgia Democrat Jason Esteves says he's running for governor in 2026". 21 April 2025.
  2. ^ "Sen. Jason Esteves announces campaign for governor of Georgia". FOX 5 Atlanta. 2025-04-21. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  3. ^ Wilson, Chuck (Apr 23, 2023). "Sunday Conversation: Georgia State Sen. Jason Esteves talks about his deep Columbus roots". WRBL.
  4. ^ a b "Jason Esteves". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  5. ^ McCray, Vanessa. "Esteves to resign from Atlanta school board after state Senate win". ajc. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  6. ^ McGee, Brittany (May 23, 2023). "This Georgia state senator is opening an Atlanta-based restaurant in Highside Market". Ledger-Enquirer.
  7. ^ "All day breakfast coming downtown | Flying Biscuit Cafe coming to Macon". WMAZ. 2024-10-22. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  8. ^ "Georgia's Latino population keeps growing. Why are there so few in office?". POLITICO. 2022-05-21. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  9. ^ "Georgia". National Democratic Redistricting Committee. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  10. ^ "Human Rights Campaign Endorses Pro-Equality Champions in Georgia". HRC. 2022-10-05. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  11. ^ abryant (2022-09-09). "Release: Georgia Equality Releases Endorsements for 2022 General Elections". Georgia Equality. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  12. ^ Searcy, Alisha (2024-05-14). "DFER's Regional President, South, Alisha Searcy Endorses Thirteen Candidates for Georgia Primaries". Democrats for Education Reform. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  13. ^ "2024 Candidates for Common Good". Vote Common Good. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  14. ^ "CASA in Action Announces Endorsements for Georgia's State Races - CASA IN ACTION". casainaction.org. 2024-08-20. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  15. ^ "Endorsements". fairfight.com. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  16. ^ "Georgia - UAW Endorsements". UAW Endorsements. 2024-09-06. Archived from the original on 6 September 2024. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  17. ^ "Sen. Jason Esteves announces campaign for governor of Georgia". FOX 5 Atlanta. 2025-04-21. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  18. ^ "Georgia Democrats react to Atlanta presidential debate political fallout". 11Alive.com. 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  19. ^ Reardon, Doug (2024-07-24). "Georgia Democrats unanimously endorse VP Harris as presidential nominee". www.atlantanewsfirst.com. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g Gaunt, Rebecca (2022-03-20). "Jason Esteves: Democratic candidate for state senate district 6". Cobb Courier. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  21. ^ a b c Lee, Maggie (2022-10-09). "Jason Esteves". Atlanta Civic Circle. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  22. ^ Williams, Ross (July 16, 2024). "Artificial Intelligence on the minds of Georgia Senate study committee". Georgia Recorder. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  23. ^ "Push to replace Confederate statue with Jimmy Carter's in US Capitol". 11Alive.com. 2025-03-05. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  24. ^ Esteves, Jason (2021-09-15). "Esteves: Why Electric School Buses Are A Win for Georgians". The Atlanta Voice. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  25. ^ Chidi, George (2021-06-04). "Georgia Board of Education Votes to Censor American History". The Intercept. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  26. ^ Cook, Brianna (2024-03-27). "Georgia lawmaker introduces bill to boost education funding for impoverished students". WGXA. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  27. ^ Kousouris, Abby (2025-03-11). "Georgia lawmakers consider lowering budget for school voucher program". Atlanta News First. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  28. ^ GPB, Amanda Andrews | (2025-03-09). "Protesters rally for science and against federal cuts at state Capitol". Rough Draft Atlanta. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  29. ^ a b Esteves, Jason (February 10, 2025). "Georgia lawmaker pushes for better senior care, expanded Medicaid for home care | Opinion". Ledger-Enquirer.
  30. ^ "Atlanta Senator Jason Esteves Unveils Bills Targeting Housing Affordability Crisis in Georgia". Hoodline. 2025-03-06. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  31. ^ Keenan, Sean (2024-02-08). "Forget "rent control" for now. What about first tracking landlord practices?". Atlanta Civic Circle. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  32. ^ abic (2024-05-14). "U.S. Rep. Espaillat, Key Swing State Latino Elected Officials Issue Urgent Call to President Biden: Extend Work Permits to Long-Term Immigrants". American Business Immigration Coalition. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  33. ^ Glier, Ray (2023-03-03). "Plan to shield government officials' personal info from public records sweeps Ga. Senate • Georgia Recorder". Georgia Recorder. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  34. ^ AllOnGeorgia (2023-02-18). "Senator Jason Esteves Introduces Bipartisan Legislation". AllOnGeorgia. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  35. ^ Vinnedge, Mary (2025-03-24). "IFA and Doc Cohen Recognized for Franchise Leadership". FranchiseWire. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  36. ^ Silva, Liyanga de (2022-08-08). "50+ Elected Officials Across GA, NC Endorse Supreme Court Expansion". Demand Justice. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  37. ^ lskenazy (2025-02-14). "No More Knocks on the Doors of Decent Parents: 5 States Considering Reasonable Childhood Independence Laws!". Free-Range Kids. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  38. ^ "Jason Esteves – NewDEAL". 2025-04-14. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  39. ^ "40 Under 40 Awards: Equifax's Jason Esteves". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  40. ^ Intern, A. J. T. (2019-03-20). "ADL Timely Stalwart in Fighting Hate". Atlanta Jewish Times. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  41. ^ "50 Most Influential Latinos". Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
  42. ^ "Election Results". results.sos.ga.gov. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  43. ^ "Four Atlanta School Board Races to be Decided in Runoffs". Midtown, GA Patch. 2013-11-06. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  44. ^ "New Reps Make Up Two-Thirds of Atlanta School Board". Midtown, GA Patch. 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  45. ^ Kelley, Collin (2017-11-01). "Election Day: Run-offs expected in a number of contested city races". Rough Draft Atlanta. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  46. ^ "Election Night Reporting". results.enr.clarityelections.com. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  47. ^ "Georgia State Senate - District 6 Democratic Primary Results | Fall River Herald News". www.heraldnews.com. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  48. ^ "Georgia State Senate - District 6 Election Results | The Commercial Appeal". www.commercialappeal.com. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  49. ^ "Election Results". results.sos.ga.gov. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
  50. ^ "2024 Georgia Candidates". WABE. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
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