ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The last Democrat to hold a statewide elected constitutional office apparently wants to be the next governor of Georgia.

During a brief appearance at the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia’s Annual Congress of Christian Education in Albany on Thursday, Michael Thurmond condemned President Donald Trump’s policies of stripping federal benefits from social programs.

Then, he said, “I’m not going to talk long today because they only gave me four minutes. I ain’t going to stay long, but y’all invite me next year, when I’m running for governor, I’m going to be up here for a while.”

Political analyst Ben Taylor said the moment felt like he jumped the gun on an announcement.

“I think he was getting carried away in the moment,” Taylor said.

Thurmond has been traveling across Georgia on what he describes as a “listening tour,” engaging with voters and community leaders — a move Taylor said often precedes a formal campaign announcement.

“Listening tours are almost always a precursor to announcing a run for any sort of high-level office,” Taylor said.

Taylor said Thurmond’s entry could further divide the primary vote.

“He is well known in Democratic Party circles. He’s also recognized in Republican circles,” he said.

Thurmond would join four other members of his own party who are seeking to become Georgia’s first elected Democratic governor of the 21st century: state Sen. Jason Esteves, state Rep. Derrick Jackson, former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and businessman/pastor Olu Brown.

In 1998, Thurmond was elected Georgia Labor Commissioner, becoming the first non-incumbent African American to be elected to statewide office in Georgia. He served three terms as labor commissioner.

Thurmond recently concluded his second and final term as CEO of DeKalb County. He also served as the interim superintendent of the DeKalb County School District which, in 2012, was about to lose its accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Under Thurmond’s 2013-2015 stewardship, the system was upgraded from “probation” to “accredited warned.” The system was reinstated to full accreditation in 2017.

Thurmond’s political career began in 1986 when he became Clarke County’s first African American elected to the state legislature since Reconstruction. He is also a former head of the state Division of Family and Children’s Services.

In 2010, Thurmond ran as a Democrat in an unsuccessful bid against incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson.

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