1. Gary Chambers was born and raised in northern Baton Rouge, Louisiana in a middle-class, predominantly Black neighborhood.
16 Facts About Gary Chambers
1. 2.
Gary Chambers later returned again to Baton Rouge to manage a car dealership.
3.
In 2012, Gary Chambers launched The Rouge Collection, a publication focusing on the Black community in northern Baton Rouge.
4.
Gary Chambers led protests against the killing of Alton Sterling, and served as a spokesperson for the Sterling family and master of ceremonies at Sterling's funeral.
5.
In 2020, Gary Chambers led street protests following the murder of George Floyd.
6.
In November 2020, Gary Chambers preserved and circulated a deleted social media post by GoAuto founder and CEO Greg Tramontin in which Tramontin referred to Kamala Harris as a "hoe".
7.
Gary Chambers ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat for US Representative to represent Louisiana's 2nd congressional district in 2021.
8.
Gary Chambers was encouraged to run by Shaun King and other national progressive leaders.
9.
Gary Chambers supported the Green New Deal, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Build Back Better Plan, a $15 federal minimum wage, and a moratorium on drilling in US waters in the Gulf of Mexico.
10.
Gary Chambers's campaign raised $400,000, almost as much as his opponents, and he had a larger social media presence, with hundreds of thousands of online followers.
11.
At the March 20,2021, primary election, Gary Chambers beat expectations, largely by capturing a larger-than-expected share of white votes.
12.
However, Peterson was unable to draw enough support from white liberals in New Orleans who voted for Gary Chambers and lost the runoff to Troy Carter.
13.
On January 12,2022, at age 36, Gary Chambers announced his candidacy as a Democrat to run for the United States Senate.
14.
On January 18,2022, Gary Chambers released his first advertisement of the campaign, showing him smoking marijuana in an open field while criticizing marijuana prohibition.
15.
Gary Chambers was the first US Senate candidate in history to openly smoke marijuana in a political advertisement.
16.
Gary Chambers has supported expunging criminal records of individuals convicted under marijuana laws.