Curt Blackburn Thompson II (born December 15, 1968) is an American politician and former

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

in the

Georgia State Senate The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Legal provisions The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, with the lower house being the Georgia ...

. In February, 2023, Thompson was elected to the State Transportation Board from Georgia's Congressional District 7 for a 5-year term. He was elected to the state senate in 2004 and represented the 5th District. Despite being in the minority party, he served as Chair of the Special Judiciary Committee. Before his 14 years in the state senate, he served in the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. T ...

from 2003–2005.

Biography

Thompson graduated from Shiloh High School in

Gwinnett County Gwinnett County ( ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It forms part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. In 2020, the population was 957,062, making it the second-most populous county in Georgia (after Fulton C ...

, where he was a

National Merit Scholar The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and university scholarships administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a privately funded, not-for-profit organizati ...

. He received his undergraduate degree in international studies and broadcast journalism from

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree from Georgia State University College of Law. Thompson is notable for his support of reproductive health,

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 3 ...

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

reform, and unions. He has been a vocal opponent of the

high-occupancy toll lanes A high-occupancy toll lane (or HOT lane) is a type of traffic lane or roadway that is available to high-occupancy vehicles and other exempt vehicles without charge; other vehicles are required to pay a variable fee that is adjusted in response t ...

project in

since their implementation. On May 22, 2018, Thompson was denied re-nomination for another term after losing the primary election to

Sheikh Rahman Sheikh Rahman (born November 15, 1960) is a Bangladeshi-American politician who has served in the Georgia State Senate from the 5th district since January 14, 2019. He is the first Muslim lawmaker in Georgia. Personal life Sheikh Rahman was b ...

. In early 2019, Thompson announced his plans to seek the Democratic nomination for Chair of the Gwinnett County Commission in 2020.

Election endorsements

Thompson has been endorsed and recognized by the

Democracy for America Democracy for America (DFA) is a progressive political action committee, headquartered in Burlington, Vermont. Founded by former Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean in 2004, DFA leads public awareness campaigns on a variety of pub ...

, Georgia Conservation Voters, the

Georgia Chamber of Commerce The Georgia Chamber of Commerce is a statewide membership organization centered on a mission of pro-business Advocacy group, advocacy and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The Georgia Chamber claims to oppose l ...

, and the

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. Established in 1913, the society is organized into six geographical regions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more than ...

. In 2008 and 2010 he was given an "A" rating by the NRA Political Victory Fund. This dropped to a "C-" in 2014.

References

External links

Official page
at the

Georgia Senate The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Legal provisions The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, with the lower house being the Georgia Ho ...

Historic page
at the

Campaign website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Curt 1968 births Living people American University alumni Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Georgia State University College of Law alumni Democratic Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives People from Decatur, Georgia 21st-century American legislators