Democrat Jamin Harkness Launches Campaign for Georgia State Senate District 7

February 14, 2026

(Isstories Editorial):- Duluth, Georgia Feb 14, 2026 (Issuewire.com) – Jamin Harkness, a Gwinnett County Planning Commissioner, former Duluth City Councilman, accomplished business executive, and dedicated community advocate, announced his Democratic candidacy today for Georgia State Senate District 7. Harkness, who has served on the Duluth City Council for one-term, enters the race for the Democratic primary on May 19, 2026, to represent the residents of Duluth, Peachtree Corners, Berkeley Lake, Suwanee and Lawrenceville. The seat is currently held by Democratic Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes, who is running for Georgia Insurance Commissioner.

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“My record in Duluth is one of action, not just words–fighting for safer communities, affordable housing, and delivering real results,” said Harkness. “Now, this seat deserves to continue to have a Democratic Senator with the courage to take on the toughest fights: protecting our democracy from Georgia Republicans who seek to undermine it, guaranteeing affordable, high quality healthcare as a right, fully funding our public schools, addressing our housing crisis, defending a woman’s right to choose, standing up to the abuses of ICE, and securing civil rights and opportunity for every family. I won’t ask permission to do what’s right. I’ll go to the capitol and fight like hell to make housing affordable, healthcare accessible, and to protect civil rights for everyone.”

Jamin’s platform, rooted in his professional expertise and governmental service, focuses on several core pillars:

Affordability: Jamin understands that Trump’s economy has put families in economic hardship. Healthcare premiums are skyrocketing, grocery prices are through the roof, the cost of the essentials is out of reach. As a state senator, Jamin will work to bring down prices and make life more affordable, lowering costs for healthcare, housing, and insurance.

Addressing the Housing Crisis: Housing is Jamin’s life work, for working and middle-class families, our seniors, and young professionals, high housing costs have made the American dream feel unreachable. Our state can’t sit idly by as Wall Street Investors speculate with homes that belong to our families, we also need to make it easier to deliver workforce housing in our communities and address the burden of property taxes on our families.

Protecting Our Democracy: Our democracy isn’t a spectator sport–it’s a fight. We are facing a direct assault from Republican extremists who want to suppress votes, undermine elections, and silence the voices of everyday Georgians. I will be a brick wall against these attacks. In the State Senate, I will lead the charge to expand voting access, not restrict it. I’ll fight to end racist gerrymandering, protect our election workers from harassment, and ensure every eligible vote is counted. Because democracy only works when every voice is heard and every voice matters. We will protect the sacred right to choose our leaders.

Supporting Our Civil Rights & Dignity: Civil rights are the foundation of our promise of equality, and that promise is under threat. For me, this fight is personal. From attacks on a woman’s right to choose, to the targeting of LGBTQ+ Georgians, to the unjust ICE abuses that tear families apart–we need leaders who will fight back without apology. I will stand unequivocally for the dignity of every person. I’ll defend reproductive freedom as a fundamental right. I’ll champion legislation to ban discrimination in all forms, stand up to ICE abuses, and protect the right to love who you love and be who you are. In Georgia, we believe in freedom, and that freedom must be for everyone.

Public Safety: Jamin knows true public safety means safe streets and safe homes. He helped deliver a 36% reduction in crime in Duluth by investing in what works: funding mental health crisis responders, expanding youth opportunity, and supporting community policing models that build trust. In the State Senate, he’ll stand up to the NRA to champion common-sense gun safety laws, make bold investments in mental health services, and ensure officers have the resources and training they need to protect and serve every community with dignity.

Championing Our Public Schools: As a PTA parent, I see every day that our public schools are the heart of our community and the engine of our future. But they are being starved and undermined by Republican politicians pushing private school vouchers–a scheme that drains critical funds from our classrooms to benefit the wealthy few. I will stand as an unapologetic firewall against this attack. In the State Senate, my fight will be to fully fund our public schools, pay our teachers like the professionals they are, and ensure every child, in every zip code, has access to a world-class education. Our commitment must be to strengthen the schools that serve all our children, not abandon them for a voucher scam.

Jamin has lived in Duluth since 2005. He was elected to the Duluth City Council in 2021 and has served on the body for the past four years. A graduate of Kennesaw State University with an MBA in Organizational Leadership, Jamin has served as a Business and Real Estate executive for over 20 years.

He is very active in the community and has served in various capacities: volunteer for the Duluth Fall Festival; the former president of the Duluth Cluster School Foundation; a school council member at Coleman Middle School; a non-profit board president at Professional Adoption & Family Services; a former board member at Kaiser Permanente; a member of the Atlanta Apartment Association; a volunteer, educator, and committee member at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; a regular volunteer at Gwinnett County’s Warming Center’s ,guest lecturer at University of Georgia and Georgia Tech; and as a former board member of All Saints Episcopal Church.

Jamin lives in Duluth with his husband have been together 20 years and their son, Ben. He and his family attend North Point Community Church. As an openly gay Christian man and husband of an immigrant, he brings a unique and inclusive perspective to his public service, emphasizing a safe and respectful environment where all businesses and families can thrive and live the American dream.

About Jamin Harkness

Jamin Harkness is a Gwinnett County Planning Commissioner, a former member of the Duluth City Council, a business executive, and a candidate for Georgia State Senate District 7. He is running for the statehouse to make life more affordable and safe for Georgians in the district and beyond.

Learn more at Jamin4Georgia.com