Ted Terry to run for U.S. Senate

Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry announced July 10 his candidacy for the United States Senate.

Terry, 36, threw his hat in the Democratic race hoping to win the nomination and then face Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue in the November 2020 general election. Only one other Democratic candidate, former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson, has announced so far. Terry said he is running because there needs to be new energy, new vision and courage in Washington, D.C.

“My record as mayor of city of Clarkston these last six years hopefully speaks for itself and indicates the kind of policies and platforms that I want to push forward in the United States Senate—a lot of issues that I think aren’t just being talked about and raised right now,” Terry said.

Terry became the youngest mayor ever elected in Clarkston in 2013. The millennial mayor led the charge in establishing several progressive pieces of legislation in Clarkston, including increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour for city employees, making election day a holiday, decriminalizing simple marijuana possession, passing the first-in-the-state “tiny house” neighborhood development ordinance and adopting a nondiscrimination ordinance.

Terry said the U.S. Senate needs a voice to represent younger voters in America.

“There are 80 million eligible voters under the age of 35 coming up in the 2020 election, and the median age of the United States Senate is over 61 years old,” he said. “I think it’s really crucial that the perspective and the voice of an entire generation be represented in certainly one of the most powerful legislative bodies in the world.”

Terry said he learned valuable lessons as mayor of Clarkston that could help him succeed as a U.S. senator. One of those lessons is listening.
“I learned early on as mayor that the way to bring people together is to do less talking, less tweeting and more listening,” he said. “The principles of being a public servant apply whether you’re a small-town mayor or running for the United States Senate. I want to bring that same spirit of being willing to listen to people who might disagree with me and try to find common ground.”

Some of the initiatives Terry said he will focus on in his campaign are raising the minimum wage, as well as addressing climate change, college debt and universal healthcare.

Georgia’s last Democratic U.S. Senator was Zell Miller, who retired from office in January 2005. Terry said he believes he can end the Republican streak because a young person has not run for U.S Senate in previous elections.

“Speaking as a young voter, I can tell you that my friends and my generation are looking for people who represent our values and who represent the policies that will impact us as a generation the most,” he said. “I believe that when voters—particularly voters who may not be engaged or who have never registered to vote or maybe first-time voters—see my record, when they see what I stand on, they’ll see that I’m representing the perspective of the largest voting block in America. I think that will motive them to not just turn out to vote but to donate, to volunteer and to get other people to turn out as well.

“I think that formula is ripe for Georgia,” Terry added. “[Democratic nominee] Stacey Abrams got really close to winning the governor’s race [in 2018] and I think the excitement and energy in Georgia is even greater now than it was just in the last few election cycles.”

State law requires elected officials to resign from their current office once they qualify for another office. Terry said he will resign as mayor in March 2020 when qualifying begins. Clarkston will hold a special election to fill the vacant seat to finish Terry’s term, which ends January 2022.