Jason Fernando Esteves[1] (born July 19, 1983)[2] is an American attorney, businessman, politician, and former educator who represented Georgia's 35th Senate district from 2023 until his resignation in 2025. 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.[3]
Jason Esteves was raised in Columbus, Georgia, by Linda and Fernando Esteves.[4] He attended South Columbus Elementary and Eddy Middle School.[5] He is of Afro–Puerto Rican descent.[6]
Esteves attended Columbus High School for his first two years before graduating high school in Orlando, Florida. [7] He later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Miami and a Juris Doctor from the Emory University School of Law.[8] Esteves was the first in his family to attend college.
After graduating from college, Esteves began his career teaching social studies at a public middle school in Houston, Texas.[9] He worked as an associate at McKenna Long & Aldridge in Atlanta from 2010 to 2014. 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,[10] and in 2025 opened a second location in Macon.[11] He currently serves as Of Counsel at Hudson Cook, LLP. [12]
From 2014 to 2022, he served as an at-large representative of the Atlanta Board of Education and as its chair from 2018 to 2021.[13]
During his tenure, Atlanta Public Schools boosted high school graduation rates and increased salaries for employees.[14][15] While Esteves was chair of the board, they passed an equity policy to address resource gaps,[16] created a task force to support LGBTQ students and teachers,[17] pledged to promote safe and responsible storage of firearms,[18] and prioritized mental health.[19] Esteves helped raise the wage of Atlanta public school employees to 15 dollars an hour and supports raising the federal minimum wage.[20]
He was elected to the Georgia State Senate in November 2022. During his campaign, Esteves was endorsed by Latino Victory Fund,[21] National Democratic Redistricting Committee,[22] Human Rights Campaign[23] and Georgia Equality.[24] He ran unopposed for reelection in 2024,[8] and was endorsed for reelection by the Democrats for Education Reform, [25] Vote Common Good,[26] Reproductive Freedom for All, CASA in Action,[27] Fair Fight Action[28] and United Auto Workers.[29]
Esteves serves on multiple Georgia State Senate Committees including the Children and Families Committee, the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee, the Finance Committee, the State and Local Governmental Affairs Committee, and the Ethics Committee. [30]
In 2024, the Georgia Senate Democratic Caucus elected Esteves to serve as the Vice Chair of Finance for their caucus. [31]
Esteves supported additional investments in public education[32] and authored legislation to establish health savings accounts for Georgia government employees, including public teachers. [33]
In a 2021 op-ed, Esteves supported a transition to zero-emission electric school busses.[34] In 2024, he introduced a bill to update and modernize Georgia's quality-based education formula to include more funding for low-income districts.[35] Esteves has also advocated for supporting and strengthening special education programs.[36] He is also 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.[37] In 2025, Esteves spoke at a rally supporting the restoration of federal funding for the sciences.[38]
Esteves supports legal access to abortion. In 2023, he sponsored legislation to repeal Georgia House Bill 481, the so-called "heartbeat" bill passed in 2019. This bill outlaws most abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat.[20][36]
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.[39]
In 2025, Esteves proposed legislation that would stop private equity firms from being allowed to purchase houses.[40][41][36]
In 2023, Esteves opposed the effort to let the Atlanta neighborhood, Buckhead, secede from the city of Atlanta, claiming the proposed breakaway measures were "at best half-baked plans that would endanger the livelihoods of all Georgians, especially [his] Buckhead constituents."[42]
In 2025, Humberto Garcia-Sjogrim, a co-founder of the movement to block Buckhead cityhood, endorsed Esteves's candidacy for governor. [43]
In 2022 Esteves supported a nonpartisan commission for redistricting.[20] In the same year, he opposed allowing the concealed carry of firearms without a license.[20] In a 2022 letter that he wrote, Esteves endorsed the expansion of the U.S. Supreme Court.[44]
In 2023, Esteves introduced a bill to protect judges, prosecutors, and other public officials by requiring governmental agencies to redact personal identifying information from public records. [45][46]
In 2024, in a hearing on AI, he said that the legislature must support AI while also protecting people from its repercussions.[47] In a letter that same year, Esteves urged President Joe Biden to extend work visas to long-term migrants.[48]
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.[49] Also in 2025, Esteves 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.[50] Also in 2025, Esteves co-sponsored a bipartisan bill that declared children being unsupervised is not child neglect and those decisions should be left to the parent.[51]
Esteves was elected as the Treasurer of the Democratic Party of Georgia in 2019, a position that he occupied until 2025.[52]
After the first 2024 election debate, Esteves continued to back Joe Biden's re-election campaign,[53] and he endorsed Kamala Harris after Biden dropped out.[54]
In 2025, Esteves announced his candidacy in the Democratic primary for the 2026 Georgia gubernatorial election.[55] He resigned from the Georgia Senate on September 10, 2025, in order to focus on his campaign.[56]
He met his wife, Ariel, while he was attending Emory University School of Law. 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.[57] They were married in Atlanta in 2012 and have two children, Jaeden and Zoe.[58] Esteves is Catholic.[59]
Since his mother Linda's diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease,Jason and Ariel have served as her caregivers.[39]
In 2014, Esteves was recognized by Georgia Trend as one of the most outstanding Georgians under 40.[60] In 2017, Esteves was included on the Atlanta Business Chronicle 40 under 40 list.[61]
In 2019, he was recognized at the ADL Southeast Jurisprudence Luncheon for his values rooted in public service and education.[62] He was also placed on the top 50 most influential Latinos in Georgia by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.[63]
In 2024, Esteves was named the Legislator of the Year by multiple organizations including the Technology Association of Georgia, Alzheimer's Association, and the League of Southeastern Credit Unions.[64]
Georgia House
| 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
| 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% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Jason Esteves | 10,564 | 71.39% | |
| Nonpartisan | Lori James | 4,233 | 28.61% | |
| Total votes | 14,797 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Jason Esteves (Incumbent) | 100% | ||
| Total votes | 100 | |||
| 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
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jason Esteves | 6,805 | 54.5% | |
| Democratic | Luisa Wakeman | 5,680 | 45.5% | |
| Total votes | 12,485 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jason Esteves | 45,076 | 56.6% | |
| Republican | Fred Glass | 34,607 | 43.4% | |
| Total votes | 79,683 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jason Esteves (Incumbent) | 18,265 | 100% | |
| Total votes | 100 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jason Esteves (Incumbent) | 100% | ||
| Total votes | 82,713 | 100 | ||
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)