A Georgia mayor who was featured in an episode of Netflix’s “Queer Eye” announced his campaign Wednesday to challenge Republican Sen. David Perdue who’s running for reelection next year.
Ted Terry, who at 36 is the youngest mayor in the Clarkston, Georgia’s history, leads a municipality that describes itself as “the most ethnically diverse square mile in America” due to its large refugee resettlement population.
“I’m running for the US Senate because we deserve better than the politicians who use fear to divide us. We deserve a compassionate leader with a bold vision and the courage to see it through,” Terry, whose makeover was featured in the second season of the Netflix show, wrote on his Twitter account.
Terry’s entrance into the race comes as Democrats seek a competitive challenger to Perdue in a state that Republicans have dominated for years but has seen some Democrats mount competitive challenges. Stacey Abrams, a Democrat who narrowly lost a bid for governor last year, announced in April that she would not run for the US Senate seat. Besides Terry, former Columbus, Georgia, Mayor Teresa Tomlinson has announced a bid for the Democratic nomination for Senate.
In an Atlanta Journal Constitution interview, Terry explained that his liberal policies are the future of Georgia politics.
“Campaigns are ways we can move the needle on policies. … And I’m going to set the marker on what being a progressive in Georgia stands for. I won’t be surprised if the others follow suit,” he told the newspaper.
Terry has already made waves for his work on progressive legislation in Clarkston, overseeing an agenda that includes a $15 minimum wage for city employees, the decriminalization of simple marijuana possession and a commitment for Clarkston to utilize 100% clean energy by 2050.
When asked by the Journal Constitution whether he considers himself to be a socialist, Terry responded, “I would describe myself as a Democrat who gives a damn – I give a damn about people who are in poverty, about people suffering, about our planet, about the rent being too damn high. I’m a Democrat who gives a damn.”
