SAVANNAH, Ga. () — The founder and former lead pastor of Impact United Methodist Church, visited Savannah Friday and spoke with as he gears up for Georgia’s 2026 gubernatorial race.

Olu Brown, a Texas native, joined the crowded race for governor in 2024. Even though the retired pastor hasn’t run for public office before, he said he can see the big picture needed to lead Georgia.

“A governor needs to be able to scale,” Brown said. “They have to see into the future. They always have to be able to manage a big picture. So, growing a budget, a multi-million dollars.
Being able to be a part of a community’s economic development in a certain community that didn’t have much investment as it needed staff and contract workers being able to manage big projects is exactly what governors need to do. And that’s what I’ve done for my whole career.”

Brown pointed to his ability to grow the Impact United Methodist Church from 25 members to 5,000 members in-person and online weekly as an example of why he is a good candidate.

The democratic candidate told that making healthcare available to everyone is one of his top campaign priorities.

“It looks like telehealth,” Brown said. “It looks like more maternal and pretty maternal health care. It looks like making sure a person in rural Georgia. Doesn’t have to drive three or 4 hours for primary care. We tap into our $16 billion surplus. Two, we expand Medicaid. Three, we work with our current health care systems in our state and around the nation to offer more resources to smaller towns and rural Georgia.”

If he becomes Georgia’s next governor, Brown said he will work with President Donald Trump if it’s benefits to Georgians.

“We will work with Washington to make sure Georgia is working but we also won’t compromise what Georgia needs for Georgians,” Brown said.

Brown graduated from Jarvis Christian College before packing up to move to Atlanta for a Master of Divinity degree from Gammon Theological Seminary. He also reportedly holds a lifetime teacher’s certificate for first through eighth grade students.