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DeKalb County, GA - This week, former DeKalb County CEO Mike Thurmond kicked off his campaign for Georgia Governor. Reporting on Mike’s launch highlighted his deep Georgia roots, engagement with voters outside of metro Atlanta, and record of winning statewide elections. 

Coverage also highlighted Mike’s proven ability to fix broken institutions as a ‘problem-solving ‘bridge-builder,’” from stabilizing the DeKalb County School System as Superintendent when its accreditation was at risk and saving homeowners more than $1.6 billion as DeKalb County CEO to establishing the Georgia Works training program as Labor Commissioner and helping over 90,000 welfare-dependent families move into Georgia's workforce as Director of the Division of Family and Children’s Services.

While Washington dysfunction allows the cost of living to skyrocket and extreme Republicans work to rip away 750,000 Georgians’ access to health care, Mike will put ‘Boots on Georgia Ground’ to fight for working families by tackling soaring grocery and housing costs, protecting and expanding Medicaid and defending our rural hospitals, and creating multiple pathways to success for Georgia students.

AP: Democrat Michael Thurmond is running for Georgia governor, pledging to improve everyday lives

Democrat Michael Thurmond on Wednesday announced his 2026 bid for Georgia governor, seeking to add the state’s top office to the long list of positions he has held.

Thurmond said in an interview Tuesday that he’s “going to fight for the people of Georgia every day,” but also pitching himself as someone who can bridge racial and political divides to become the first Democrat to win the state’s top office in 28 years.

Thurmond promised to be a leader who “will focus on the everyday issues that most Georgians are concerned about — i.e. the cost of groceries or rent or paying the mortgage, access to health care and quite frankly ending divisiveness that has prevented us from progressing more in this state.”

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Thurmond most recently served two terms as the elected CEO of DeKalb County, an Atlanta suburb that had $150 million in the bank when he left office. Before that, he was credited with stabilizing the DeKalb County school system as interim superintendent, after its accreditation agency threatened to strip its seal of approval, citing financial mismanagement, school board dysfunction and nepotism. 

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Both Bottoms and Esteves have showcased plans to oppose what they see as wrongheaded policies put forth by President Donald Trump, appealing to Democratic partisans who are fearful and angry. Thurmond says he too is a fighter, but frames it differently.

“It’s not fighting Trump,” he said. “I’m going to fight for Georgia residents.”

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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Michael Thurmond enters Ga. governor’s race pledging to be ‘bridge builder’

The former DeKalb County chief executive told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he sees himself as a problem-solving “bridge builder” who can create bipartisan coalitions to counter President Donald Trump’s policies.

“We know that political pressure makes it very difficult in this environment for anyone to build consensus to address seemingly intractable issues,” he said. “But I believe we have to rise together to reject hyperpartisan nonsense.”

Thurmond is vowing to use state resources to offset the federal cuts in the Trump-backed tax and spending law, which could strip hundreds of thousands of Georgians from Medicaid rolls and reduce food stamp benefits to help pay for extended tax cuts and new defense and immigration enforcement initiatives.

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He’s drawn large crowds and applause even in deep-red areas. At a recent event in Cartersville, he won over an audience of hundreds with his call to bring more quality jobs to struggling communities. Stops like that one, he said in an interview, helped cement his decision.

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“What I bring to this campaign is a history and record of taking on tough jobs, standing in the gap and finding innovative solutions to what some would consider to be intractable problems,” he said.

Fox 5

DEIDRA DUKES: Thurmond told me his deep Georgia roots, decades of public service, and ability to bring diverse communities together make him the best candidate to take on the Republicans in ‘26. Thurmond spent the past eight months traveling the state, talking to Georgians about the things they are most concerned about, like the economy, health care, and education. 

MIKE THURMOND: In order to solve these problems, we must rise together. Black and white, Hispanic, Latino, rich and poor, urban, rural, suburban – we all must put boots on Georgia ground to work together shoulder to shoulder.

DEIDRA DUKES: Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson calls Thurmond's entry into the race a game-changer.

THARON JOHNSON: We heard from him that he spent a lot of time going across the state of Georgia, listening to voters. I think that tells you right away what type of campaign he's going to run. He has a moderate lane that he's going to focus on, and he believes that it's going to take a base-plus strategy in order to win the nomination.

WTOC 11

MADELINE HUNT: Thurmond has experience working at the state level. He was a Georgia House member and also served as labor commissioner from 1999 until 2011. Thurmond says he's prepared to fight for all families in Georgia.

MIKE THURMOND: It’s not who you're fighting against. The real question is, who do you have the courage to fight for? Who are you fighting for? I will be fighting for families who are struggling to pay the rent. I will be fighting for families who are struggling to put food on the table or get to a hospital.

Channel 2 News

MIKE THURMOND: The state of Georgia now has an opportunity to reimagine itself in a way that can help it to be more effective, more successful, and provide greater support for the millions of residents who call Georgia home. This is an opportunity for Georgia, but we have to embrace it.

KARYN GREER: We're starting to look at a very crowded race. Quite a few people have already thrown their hats in the ring. What makes you different from these other candidates?

MIKE THURMOND: Well, I share something with other candidates, and I think it's a joy and a love for this state, but what makes me different is that I'm not running on promises. I'm running on a record of service and a record of success, running on a record of having during difficult times, in moments of crisis and conflict, standing in the gap and creating innovative, creative solutions. People out there, regardless of party affiliation or color, they're worried about food on the table, being able to own a home that they can actually pay the rent for. People need to be heard, and I'm going to be that voice, and hopefully it will be a voice that will allow us to use the resources that we have and leverage them in a way that will allow more people to benefit from the greatness and the promise that is the state of Georgia.

95.5 WSB “The Mark Arum Show”

MIKE THURMOND: The bottom line, people are tired of the foolishness. They want leaders who will focus on the kitchen table issues. The cost of groceries, skyrocketing rents, people unable to get access to affordable health care. They want to end the hyperpartisanship and put people before politics.

ABOUT MIKE 

Mike Thurmond has dedicated his life to public service, building a distinguished record of fighting for working families and taking on tough jobs to help Georgians in need of support. A Clarke County native and the youngest of nine children, Mike learned the value of hard work and education from his family. Throughout his career in public service, from the Georgia General Assembly to Labor Commissioner and DeKalb County CEO, Mike has become Georgia’s go-to turnaround expert when institutions are broken and communities need results – not just promises. Whether it's eliminating multi-million-dollar deficits, modernizing outdated systems, or creating programs that support working families, Mike gets things done when others say it’s impossible. Now, Mike is running for Governor to help Georgia live up to its full promise.