Elena Parent has announced she plans to run for state senate.
Parent filed Jan. 6 as a candidate for Senate District 42, which covers portions of DeKalb County including Brookhaven and Decatur. The district is represented by Sen. Jason Carter, D-Decatur, who is running for governor.
Parent, a former state representative, left the General Assembly in 2012. During the redistricting process, her district, which included the areas of Chamblee and Brookhaven, was combined with the district of Scott Holcomb, D-Atlanta.
The two like-minded lawmakers agreed that they did not want to run against each other in a divisive primary, and Parent stepped down to become the executive director of the consumer advocacy organization Georgia Watch.
“I am running to give voice to the strong progressive values of our community on the issues that matter — strengthening our schools, promoting smart investments in transportation and protecting our families,” Parent said on her campaign website.