Do you ever have one of those moments where you look back and realize that, somehow, everything you’ve done could have actually led you to whatever you’re doing next? Not like in a cheesy It’s a Wonderful Life Way or anything, but a moment where you realize you were actually prepared for your future, thanks to everything you did leading up to this point. For Gen Z Georgia state house candidate Zae Brewer, that answer is yes. In looking back at his years of public service, which started in his teens, he sees all the little bits and pieces that led him to declare his candidacy in the 2026 election for Georgia House District 95.
“I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason, and it all makes sense at the end,” Brewer, a law student at Georgia State University, tells Her Campus. “You can’t see how these pieces of a puzzle [fit] together in the moment, but once that all comes together, it makes sense.”
Starting as an intern in high school, Brewer has worked on Democratic campaigns across the state, including for former Congresswoman Carolyn Bordeaux, who flipped an Atlanta House seat in 2020 (but was redistricted out shortly thereafter), and for the Biden campaign in the same year. After graduating high school and joining organizations like student government at Kennesaw State University, Brewer was approached to take up the position of president of KSU’s Young Democrats organization just in time for the 2022 midterms. (“This is where it all seems like it lined up perfectly — just divine events and divine timing,” he says.) Brewer helped flip a state house seat before eventually deciding to run for Student Government Association president in 2023. After winning by a 20% margin, he worked to garner more funding for mental health at KSU.
Now graduated, Brewer is taking his goals for improving higher education statewide. “The population in college is rising, but the resources to keep people there and to serve their needs in college are just not there yet,” he says. “We [have] infrastructure needs and mental health needs,” he says.
In addition to providing more resources for state colleges, Brewer is also focused on expanding opportunities for those opting for trade schools or apprenticeships, with an aim of improving how young Georgians approach life after high school. Additionally, he is focused on investing in public K-12 schools, expanding Medicare, and working to support veterans.
Overall, Brewer wants his campaign to bring voters closer to their representatives and introduce newer voices to politics. “We’ve been kind of stuck,” Brewer says, referring to Georgia’s Democratic Party. “We are just a few seats away from flipping the Georgia House of Representatives, and I think that there’s a lot of frustration among a lot of young candidates and a lot of young people where we keep getting close, but not across the finish line. It begs the question, ‘Well, what’s the culture like in the Georgia Democratic Party?’”
Brewer wants to change the status quo. “We need better accessibility. We need somebody who’s going to focus on issues that actively matter to the district in this area, and who can really carry this district forward into what is coming in Georgia,” he says. “It’s about who can bring the new perspective and who can carry it forward. And I think what’s been missing for a long time in this district in particular is accessibility and having somebody who’s putting their best foot forward for the district.”
More broadly, Brewer hopes to jumpstart the Georgia Democratic Party, which, after winning big in 2020 with Sens. Jon Ossoff’s and Raphael Warnock’s runoff victories that flipped the U.S. Senate, seems to have lost steam after President Donald Trump won the battleground state last year. “It’s about making people feel seen and heard and understanding their story,” Brewer says.
To Brewer, what transpires at the state capitol starts at Georgians’ front porch. “We need to run on issues that matter to everyday people, and we need to run on good constituent services,” Brewer says. “Because overall, that’s what the job is about.”
These responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Coke or Pepsi?
Coke, I’m a Georgian.
Top Three Campaign Priorities?
Regardless of the issue — accessibility, action, and accountability.
Favorite class you took in undergrad?
I have really enjoyed American foreign policy.
Top Song on Repeat for your Campaign?
“I Feel Love” by Donna Summer. The tempo of it keeps me motivated.
Worst misconception about Gen Z candidates?
We don’t have enough life experience. The worst misconception ever.