Editor’s Note: This article is part of an ongoing series on both the Republican and Democratic candidates for Georgia Secretary of State
Dr. John Eaves is no stranger to the political arena. Eaves served as the chair of the Fulton County Commission from 2007 until his resignation in August 2017, when he left to focus on a run for Mayor of Atlanta. Now, Eaves is one of six Democrats in the race to become Georgia’s next Secretary of State. There are four Republicans in the race, including incumbent Brad Raffensperger.
On his campaign website, Eaves says he has been involved in politics since he was a young adult and served as volunteer coordinator in his uncle Reginald Eaves’ campaign for Mayor of Atlanta.
Eaves says he achieved his dream in 2006 when he was elected as Chairman of Fulton County Commission, where he focused on healthcare, transportation, voting, homelessness and criminal justice reform.
John Eaves
“Georgia has been a battleground for partisan bickering surrounding voter access and claims of fraud,” he said. “I am prepared to fight to make our state a model of democracy, where we honor everyone’s right to vote, and we have systems in place to encourage greater voter access and election integrity. We have come too far to go back now.”
When announcing his candidacy for Secretary of State, Eaves said that during his time a Commission Chairman he increased the number of black entrepreneurs incorporated as small businesses with the state of Georgia and collaborated with local governments to establish more business incubators to increase the number of minority entrepreneurs and facilitated licensing requirements so that more medical professionals could work in urban and rural areas to improve health care.
Eaves says he is focused on “including, protection, and accountability,” adding that he will “stimulate the economy by recruiting diverse and inclusive businesses to Georgia.” He also says he will “protect the right to vote through education, coordination and restoration and will protect you from financial fraud by empowering you to make viable investments.”
Eaves also lists expediting professional licenses and streamlining corporate filing processes among his priorities.
Eaves graduated from Morehouse College after serving as captain of the football team. He earned a Master’s Degree from Yale University and PhD from the University of South Carolina.
