Buddy Carter Bio
Earl LeRoy “Buddy” Carter (born September 6, 1957) is an American politician and pharmacist who has served as the U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 1st congressional district since 2015. The coastal district is based in Savannah and covers much of the state’s southern shoreline. A Republican, Carter previously served as mayor of Pooler and as a member of both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly.
In May 2025, Carter announced that he would not seek reelection to the House in 2026 and would instead pursue the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Jon Ossoff. He was first elected to Congress in 2014 after longtime incumbent Jack Kingston ran for the U.S. Senate, and he has won reelection multiple times in the heavily Republican district.
Early Life and Background
Earl LeRoy “Buddy” Carter was born on September 6, 1957, in Port Wentworth, Georgia, a small city just northwest of Savannah in Chatham County. He grew up in the surrounding coastal Georgia region, attending Robert W. Groves High School in nearby Garden City, from which he graduated in 1975.
After high school, Carter continued his education at Young Harris College, a small liberal arts institution in the north Georgia mountains, earning an Associate of Arts degree in 1977. He went on to attend the University of Georgia in Athens, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1980, setting the stage for a career as a pharmacist before entering public service.
Path to US Politics
Before entering electoral politics, Carter became involved in local government in Pooler, Georgia, a fast-growing suburb of Savannah. He served on the city’s planning and zoning commission from 1989 to 1993 and on the city council from 1994 to 1995, gaining firsthand experience with municipal planning during a period of rapid suburban growth along the Georgia coast.
In 1996, Carter was elected mayor of Pooler, a position he held for eight years until 2004. He then moved to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2005, serving until 2009, when he was elected to the Georgia State Senate. He represented his state senate district until 2014, when he gave up the seat to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. During his time in the state legislature, he sat on committees dealing with appropriations, health and human services, higher education, and public safety.
Buddy Carter Career
Early Career (1996–2014)
Carter’s political career began in Pooler, where his eight years as mayor established him as a steady presence in the Savannah metropolitan area. As mayor, he oversaw a period of significant residential and commercial growth as the suburb expanded outward from the historic port city.
After leaving the mayor’s office, Carter served in both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly, representing his district in the state House from 2005 to 2009 and in the state Senate from 2009 to 2014. His state-level work on health, education, and public safety issues helped him build a record that positioned him for a congressional run.
Breakthrough (2014–2016)
In 2014, after 22-year incumbent Jack Kingston announced a run for the U.S. Senate, Carter entered the Republican primary for Georgia’s 1st congressional district. He finished first in a six-way primary with 36 percent of the vote, short of the majority needed to win outright, and then defeated Bob Johnson in the runoff with 53 percent of the vote. In the general election, he defeated Democratic nominee Brian Reese with 60.9 percent of the vote, carrying all but two counties in the district.
Two years later, in 2016, Carter was unopposed in both the primary and the general election and received more than 99 percent of the vote against a write-in candidate, signaling the strength of his hold on the district. The dominant performance helped establish him as a rising voice within the Georgia Republican delegation.
Republican Era (2017–Present)
Since settling into office, Carter has focused on a conservative policy agenda built around health care, agriculture, immigration, and gun rights. He has been a vocal supporter of the National Rifle Association, voting consistently in line with the group’s priorities and earning an “A” grade from the NRA Political Victory Fund. In 2018, during a town hall in Hinesville, Carter told constituents that Congress is not responsible for gun violence in America, a remark that drew national attention.
On health care, Carter has supported the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, and in a 2017 television interview he expressed frustration with Republican Senate holdouts on the issue, prompting widespread media coverage. He has also pursued drug-policy reforms, renewing a push in 2017 to drug-test recipients of unemployment insurance, and he voted against the MORE Act in 2022, which would have decriminalized cannabis at the federal level. In tax policy, he voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and has sponsored the FairTax Act of 2023, which would replace the existing federal tax system with a national sales tax.
On foreign policy, Carter voted to provide Israel with support following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and, in 2025, introduced a bill that would authorize President Trump to acquire Greenland and rename it “Red, White, and Blueland.” On immigration, he has supported stronger enforcement and restrictions on sanctuary cities while also co-sponsoring legislation that would allow certain undocumented immigrants to serve in the U.S. military in exchange for legal residency.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the most widely covered moments of Carter’s career came in 2017, when a colorful on-air comment about Senate holdouts on health care went viral. In 2020, he was part of a group of Republican legislators who unsuccessfully challenged Electoral College votes for Joe Biden after supporting Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the election results, and he has continued to promote claims of a stolen 2020 presidential election. In 2024, Young Harris College conferred on him the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at its commencement ceremony.
Buddy Carter Political Wins
Buddy Carter has won every election he has entered since 2014, a run that includes a competitive 2014 open-seat primary and runoff, an unopposed 2016 cycle, and subsequent reelection victories in 2018, 2020, and 2022 in Georgia’s reliably Republican 1st congressional district. His 2014 general election win, in which he carried all but two counties, set the tone for a tenure defined by overwhelming local support.
U.S. House Highlights
Carter’s first congressional win came in 2014 with 60.9 percent of the general-election vote, following a six-way primary in which he led with 36 percent and a runoff he won with 53 percent. His most recent House victory came in 2022, and the 2016 cycle stands as his strongest showing, when he received more than 99 percent of the vote against a write-in candidate.
Buddy Carter Family
Family Background and Lineage
Carter grew up in Port Wentworth, Georgia, and has spent most of his life in the Savannah metropolitan area. Although he shares a surname with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who was also a Georgia politician, Buddy Carter has publicly noted that the two are not related.
Personal Life
Buddy Carter is married to Amy Carter, and the couple has three adult sons. Carter is a Methodist, and his longtime residence in the Savannah area has remained a central part of his identity throughout his political career.