C.J. Pearson, who is running in the February 13 special election to fill the District 125 seat in the Georgia State House vacated when former Representative Barry Fleming accepted an appointment to a judgeship by Governor Brian Kemp, told The Georgia Star News the political attacks about him are due to his strident conservatism.
Political operatives and organizations connected to Kemp are reportedly “taking aim” at 21-year-old Pearson with political advertisements claiming his previous work for Prager University in California and prior support for Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in 2016, when Pearson was himself just 13-years-old, are proof he does not share Georgia’s values.
Pearson first received national attention at age 12, when he released a video criticizing former President Barack Obama in 2014.
“Instead of focusing on the issues that matter to the people of Georgia, the Atlanta political establishment would rather focus on the political opinions expressed by a young preteen boy who hadn’t yet hit puberty,” Pearson told Star News on Monday when reached by text message.
Citing his longtime political advocacy, Pearson stated, “For nearly a decade, I’ve been on the front lines of the conservative movement, fighting for my hometown’s values on the national stage – taking on the Radical Left, standing up for Georgians, and standing beside President Trump.”
“I’m the only conservative candidate in this race. That’s why they’re coming for me,” Pearson told Star News.
In previous remarks to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Pearson indicated Kemp was not directly behind the attacks, and said he considered it a “rogue operation” by those close to the governor.
“This looks like a rogue operation. I can’t imagine Gov. Kemp signing off on fake attacks against a Gen Z Republican who is growing our party with both African-Americans and young people,” Pearson told the outlet, adding that young people who might vote for him “could really help Republicans win in 2024.″
Pearson also faces a challenge to his residency that AJC reported came from “Kemp’s allies.” It claims Pearson “does not meet the residency qualifications to be a candidate” because “he has never voted” from the Grovetown address associated with his candidacy and posted images to social media that purportedly indicate “he was recently living in Los Angeles.”
The candidate told the outlet he was not concerned about the residency challenge and has tax documents and driver’s licenses that will prove he meets the state’s requirements to be a candidate.
Pearson was previously a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the results of the 2020 election results in Georgia.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “CJ Pearson” by CJ Pearson.
