Meet the candidates for Georgia’s U.S. Congressional District 3 seat

By Brittany McGee

bmcgee@ledger-enquirer.com

U.S. Rep. Brian Jack (R-Peachtree City) is defending his Georgia District 3 seat from Democratic opponent Maura Keller as the 2026 midterm election approaches.

Jack was elected in 2024 to the Congressional seat that represents all or part of 15 middle and west Georgia counties, including Carroll, Coweta, Haralson, Harris, Heard, Lamar, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, Troup and Upson counties. It also comprises parts of Douglas, Fayette, Henry, and Muscogee counties.

Jack, 38, ran unopposed in the 2026 Republican primary, while Keller defeated George Melville Johnson in the Democratic primary, receiving about 60% of the vote.

Here’s what District 3 voters need to know about Jack and Keller:

Democratic congressional candidate Maura Keller

Keller, 67, served 26 years in the U.S. Army and worked as a nuclear medicine technologist for the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Healthcare System before deciding to run for Congress.

She has lived in Fayetteville for 30 years, Keller told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email, and has coached cheerleading, written dog biographies for the Fayette Humane Society and mentored at-risk students.

“I am running for Congress because the people of Georgia’s 3rd District deserve a representative who will put them first — not a party line or a political machine,” Keller said.

Her years in the Army and working inside the VA system showed her what happens when “leaders stop listening and systems fail the people they are supposed to serve,” she said.

Wages haven’t kept up with the rising cost of living, including healthcare, food and gas, Keller said.

The inflation rate in Georgia was about 1.1% in 2024 and rose to about 3.87% in 2025, according to data from the Federal Reserve.

“I will fight to protect and reform Social Security so it remains strong for current retirees and future generations,” she said. “On Medicare, I will oppose cuts that harm seniors and veterans while supporting practical reforms that improve efficiency and keep the program sustainable without reducing the care people rely on.”

Keller promises to rein in wasteful spending and be accountable to constituents. This would be achieved through publishing her schedule and hosting regular town hall meetings.

“The most significant problem I want to address is the rapid growth of large data centers without strong protections for ratepayers, water resources and productive farmland,” Keller said. “This crosses party lines because it hits people’s power bills, local water systems and the ability of families and farmers to stay in their communities.”

The Columbus Council has faced pushback from residents after plans for a hyperscale data center, Project Ruby, became public, leading to a controversial vote on a technology overlay district that created rules to allow hyperscale data centers to be built in Muscogee County.

Although a member of Congress can’t set local zoning, Keller said, she would push for federal rules requiring large energy users to pay the full cost of the power and infrastructure they need.

“I will push for greater transparency and work to strengthen farmland conservation tools so productive agricultural land is not the easiest target for industrial conversion,” Keller said. “These steps protect affordability and community survival for the people who already live here.”

You can learn more about Keller on her website, www.maurakeller.com, and on her social media @MauraKellerforGeorgia.

Incumbent Rep. Brian Jack

Jack is a Fayette County native and provides color commentary at Columbus Clingstones home games in the radio booth, he said in an email to the Ledger-Enquirer. 

He is “very involved” with sports and athletic programs and is working to address many problems that college sports face, Jack said.

Jack was the only freshman congressman on the House Rules Committee. He also chairs the Small Business Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Workforce Development.

“I seek re-election because I want to continue making life better for the incredible people of Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District,” Jack said. 

After winning 66% of the vote in his 2024 race, Jack thought he had a mandate from the people in his district, he said.

“I voted to codify and fully fund President Trump’s historic border security agenda,” Jack said. “And I voted to end Joe Biden’s disastrous catch-and-release policies.”

He also co-sponsored the Laken Riley Act, which prioritizes the deportation of undocumented immigrants who commit crimes against American citizens.

Some lawyers say the Laken Riley Act is eroding due process, but Jack and Republicans were joined by some Democrats in passing the law, including Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff.

“On the economy, I promised throughout my campaign to extend the Trump Tax Cuts that were set to expire at the end of 2025,” Jack said. “ I kept that promise by passing the largest tax cut in American history, which enacted No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime and a New $6,600 Tax Deduction for our senior citizens. And, for the next generation of Georgians, I voted to increase the Child Tax Credit and establish Trump Accounts for newborn children. “

Jack also voted for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, which prohibits school athletic programs from allowing individuals whose biological sex at birth was male to participate in programs that are for women or girls.

He voted for the elimination of $9 billion for USAID programs, “which included millions of taxpayers’ dollars for transgender surgeries in Guatemala,” Jack said.

This decision faced some pushback. Detractors argued the abrupt end of foreign aid disrupted humanitarian systems globally.

“Integrity matters, and I strive to set an example for how members of Congress should govern,” he said.

Jack also supports passing the SAVE America Act, a strict voter ID bill, and growing the economy by “continuing to cut needless and burdensome government regulations.”

While in office, Jack said he is proud of his team’s management of constituent casework, particularly helping people navigate federal agencies.

“I’ve built an operation that is extremely responsive to those issues,” he said. “I have returned over $7,000,000 to constituents – a record for a freshman office – by working with government agencies to resolve taxpayer claims.”

Jack said he is also proud of working across the aisle to pass bipartisan legislation that saved hundreds of manufacturing jobs in the district by repealing regulation that impacted a water heater manufacturing facility.

“I am proud to run a fair, clean and honest campaign,” he said, “for I believe that you shouldn’t have to tear someone else down in order to bring yourself up.”

More information on Jack’s campaign is at brianjack.com and on Instagram @brianjackforcongress.