'More Than Jimmy Carter's Grandson': Jason Carter Carves His Niche

May 24, 2010— -- When Jason Carter began campaigning for the Georgia state Senate, he had no experience as a public official. But politics was hardly a novel idea for the 34-year-old.

"I grew up campaigning for all kinds of things before I could walk," Carter joked.

Carter joined the long list of political dynasties this month and became the first in his family to win elective office since his grandfather, former President Jimmy Carter, left the White House three decades ago.

The young Carter doesn't shy away from discussing the family's influence on his career path. In fact, he cites President Carter and maternal grandfather Beverly Langford, the late former member of the Georgia legislator, as his role models.

But Carter, who won a May 11 special election in a landslide, clearly wants to distinguish himself and keep his family's name at length. His campaign website made little mention of his famous grandfather, who didn't even campaign for him until the last days of the campaign.

"I needed to be more than Jimmy Carter's grandson and I needed to be sure that I could introduce myself and my vision for this state in an effective way," said Carter, whose District 42 covers Decatur and a portion of Atlanta.

"Being Jimmy Carter's grandson, sometimes it just takes up a lot of the oxygen and it's a distraction really from the issues and the relationship that I want to have with my district," he added. "We made sure our campaign was about the future and what it is that we wanted to do and not about who we we're related to."

Former President Carter, 85, also began his political career as a state senator, serving two terms before being elected governor in 1971 and then president in 1976.

But the political landscape Jason Carter faces is considerably different from when his grandfather joined the state legislature nearly half a century ago. Carter, who will continue to work as a lawyer at Atlanta-based Bondurant, Mixson & Elmore, will have his work cut out for him.

"It's not the same political climate Jimmy Carter faced in Georgia," said Trey Hood, an associate professor at the University of Georgia. "That was still a period in the South when almost everyone was a Democrat. ... You had a different sort of ideological stripes among Democrats, from conservatives to liberals."

Republicans have firmly controlled Georgia's state legislature since 2004, and while the parties are not as divided on issues as the U.S. Congress, it is still a challenge for Democrats to accomplish their goals without crossing party lines. There are 34 Republicans and 22 Democrats in the 56-member state Senate.

"Counter to some other states, the deep South is still trending Republican and probably will for the short term," Hood said. "It's not easy for any Democrat from whatever political family you're from to exert a lot of influence right now."