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CJ Pearson hopes to make history by becoming the youngest Black legislator in the country
Joseph Wulfsohn
Twenty-one-year-old Republican candidate C.J. Pearson has his eyes on making history as one of the youngest elected officials and the youngest Black legislator in the entire country as he competes in the upcoming Georgia special election.
"Every single election year, all these politicians say this election is so critical because it's about the next generation. Well, I am the next generation, and that's why I'm in this race," Pearson told Fox News Digital in an interview.
The Gen Z political hopeful is running in Georgia's open House District 125 seat on Feb. 13.
Raised by his grandparents, Pearson told Fox News Digital he was taught "the importance of faith and family and also fiscal conservatism." His interest in politics began at 7 years old when his second grade class held a mock election in 2008. After studying both parties' platforms and realizing his values were aligned with Republicans, Pearson cast his vote for John McCain. He has been politically active ever since.
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21-year-old Republican candidate CJ Pearson is hoping to make history as the youngest Black legislator in the country. (Courtesy of CJ Pearson)
Pearson's name and face may be familiar to conservative political junkies. He first appeared on the Fox News Channel back in 2015 for his viral video scolding then-President Obama. Pearson was just 13 years old at the time.
In an election year when many Americans believe both President Biden and former President Trump are too old to be running for president, Pearson is confronted with concerns about whether he's too young for the job he's seeking.
"This race should not be about age. It should be about experience. And to that, I often ask my opponents, what are you doing at 12? Because what I was doing at 12 was knocking on doors, making phone calls and bringing more people to the conservative movement," Pearson said.
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Growing up in the public eye as a conservative firebrand, Pearson acknowledges that with age comes maturity over the years, including when to "pick my battles."
"I get into a lot less Twitter fights than I used to, for sure," Pearson chuckled. "But I also think, too, it's one thing to be a fighter, but you've also got to have relationships. And one thing that I've really valued over time is getting to know people, develop those relationships and figure out how we can all come together and fight for this country. I think that there are a lot of people who call themselves fighters, but I think that it's a lot better to be an effective one, and the only way you can do that is by having trust, built up with people who can make what you want to happen happen."
CJ Pearson first became a conservative firebrand at age 13 with his viral videos slamming then-President Obama. (Screenshot/CJ Pearson's YouTube Channel)
Pearson pushed back on the notion that the majority of Gen-Zers are blindly progressive, saying the left "severely overplayed their hand with this woke garbage" and pointing to President Biden's dismal approval among young voters.
"I think young people all across the country are waking up," Pearson said. "I want to be proof to them that there is another option. There is another choice to be made. You do not have to follow blindly the lies of the left. You can choose another way, the conservative way. You can choose to love this country, not apologize for this country. You can choose to stand on business and not actually apologize for wanting to make something of yourself. And that's always been my message. We don't have to be victims when we always have the option to be a victor in this country."
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Among his top priorities if elected to the Georgia House of Representatives is eliminating the state income tax and to block progressive tenants like critical race theory and gender ideology in education. He is also hopeful he can work with Democrats on issues like criminal justice reform and school choice.
"I want to raise my children here in this state. I want to watch them grow up in this state. And if we continue to allow the radical left to tear this state apart, inject their California values into our Georgia, then we will not have the opportunity to watch them grow up in a state as great as the ones we did, and I'm not going to let that happen," he said.
GOP hopeful CJ Pearson is a vocal supporter of former President Trump. (Courtesy of CJ Pearson)
Georgia, once a ruby red state, has gone more blue in recent election cycles between Biden's victory in 2020 and the election of two Democratic senators. Pearson argued that being conservative shouldn't be a "faux pas" and that Republicans must go beyond their normal stomping grounds, like visiting Black churches and barbershops, telling Fox News Digital "we have a lot of work to do."
"We love this country just as much as anyone, and I think that they have every right to stand and fight for what they believe in, whether it's in their college lecture halls or whether it's in their homes, their communities, their towns or states, wherever they may be. Find your voice. Fight for what you believe in and people will listen," Pearson said. "We are the silent majority. But we shouldn't have to be silent. And I think now more than ever, it is time for us to stop being the silent majority and get a little rowdy. And I think if we can do that, I think people will start listening."
CJ Pearson hopes to make history by becoming the youngest Black legislator in the country