Jerica Richardson was surprised when she saw how Georgia‘s 6th Congressional District had been redrawn.
The newly drawn limits now include sitting congresswoman and activist Lucy McBath, who announced her intentions to run for the seat in the 2024 election. When Richardson, a Cobb County commissioner, announced she would remain in the race, many headlines read that McBath had a challenger. Richardson wanted to reassure the public of her decision to stay in a race ahead of the May primary in the state. She announced her intentions to enter in September 2023 before McBath’s announcement in December 2023, not because she had an issue with McBath.
The wildly popular McBath won the last Democratic primary against incumbent candidate Carolyn Bourdeaux with 63% of the vote in 2022. McBath is the mother of Jordan Davis, the Black teenager who was shot to death after an argument with Michael Dunn, a 45-year-old White man, over loud music in 2012.
Richardson has grown a strong following in the area as a county commissioner who has keyed in on inclusiveness at various community events around the metro Atlanta area.
Recently, rolling out spoke to Richardson about her latest campaign ambition.
When did you first decide to run for Congress, and what do you want to do in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District?
We started looking at this seat back in June.
For me, it was about continuing the work I was already doing. The 6th District looked different, but it still comprised a significant portion of the area I currently represent. Through my time as an elected official, I know so many people feel left out and have lost trust in the government … I feel like we’ve been able to reignite some of that trust … There are several initiatives I was working on with our federal reps and some of the federal agencies on. I figured it’d be easier to close them out if I were right down the street in D.C.
What are your thoughts on Congresswoman McBath, and why did you decide to remain in the race after the district was redrawn?
I was upset, if not more, than other people in the community when the maps came out the way they were and the scenario they presented. It weighed on me.
The reason I got into this has nothing to do with anyone else. It has everything to do with my community and knowing people turn on the TV and are like, “What are these people talking about? I’m not seeing that change down the street, and I can’t even reach these people.” I think that’s where new leadership has to be presented.
What are some specific issues you want to see addressed?
Making sure people have access to their benefits and opportunities … there’s the Georgia Backbone. This is something I’m building a lot of different coalitions around, not just for the 6th District but around the state and southeast, as well … the big vision of it is a high-speed rail path cargo passenger down Chattanooga through Dobbins, Robbins; it splits off to Savannah and then down to Florida.
We’re looking at spreading out economic access and spreading out some of the demand of where people need to live just to get a good job.
Writer’s note: Please watch the full video interview above for more of Richardson’s plans and thoughts on the election.
