James Kingston

James "Jim" Kingston is the Republican nominee for Georgia's open 1st Congressional District and a first-time candidate. He is the son of former U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, who held the seat from 1993 to 2015, and has worked in the insurance industry since 2015. He won the May 19, 2026 Republican primary with an endorsement from President Trump and, according to his campaign website, is running on a conservative platform.[1][2][3]

Kingston grew up in Southeast Georgia near Savannah, in a family that included his siblings and his father, who represented the district in Congress, according to his campaign website.[3] The Current GA reports that he worked on his father's 2014 U.S. Senate campaign.[1] The outlet also reports that he attended the University of Georgia from 2009 to 2015 and did not earn a degree, which his campaign manager confirmed.[1]

Kingston has worked in the insurance industry since 2015, according to The Current GA, first at a Partners risk firm and from 2019 at Ironwood Insurance Service. His campaign website describes his work with families, small businesses and community leaders across the state.[1][3] He has not previously held elected or appointed office, and this is his first campaign.[1] According to his campaign website, he is endorsed by President Trump.[3] He won the six-candidate Republican primary on May 19, 2026, with 52.7 percent of the vote, defeating five other candidates and advancing to the general election without a runoff; he was 35 at the time of the primary.[2][5] Ballotpedia lists him as the Republican nominee.[4]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.