There was something different about Heavenly Kimes’ entrance into the political arena.
Alongside the crowd gathered across from the Georgia State Capitol where she held her campaign announcement, camera and boom operators were filming her launch for a TV show.
Kimes, a cosmetic dentist, stars on Bravo’s “Married to Medicine,” an Atlanta-based reality TV show featuring women who are doctors or whose spouses are doctors. Kimes was on the show from its first season in 2013 and has been a regular cast member since Season 2.
Credit: Courtesy of He
Credit: Courtesy of He
Now, she’s adding political candidate to her resume, challenging incumbent state Rep. Doreen Carter in the Democratic primary to represent a statehouse district based in Rockdale, DeKalb and Gwinnett counties.
“I’ve been a part of this community for over 25 years,” Kimes said. “I have a vested interest in this community, and I want to see this community thrive.”
Kimes is a political novice, while Carter has served in the Georgia Legislature for nearly a decade. Carter also won the Democratic nomination for secretary of state in 2014, losing to now-Gov. Brian Kemp.
“She’s a very nice lady. However, she’s not the lady for the job,” Kimes said. “I haven’t seen anything she’s done. I have never heard of her.”
During her time in office, Carter has sponsored three local bills signed by the governor, impacting judges in Rockdale, corporate limits in Lithonia and creating an excise tax in Stonecrest.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Carter has also filed a few bills related to voting and elections, but those measures never passed the Republican-dominated General Assembly.
Kimes said her focus in office would be preserving funding for Medicaid programs in the community.
“We have a lot of elderly people in our community,” she said. “It’s a big concern with Medicare and Medicaid and who’s going to take care of those people. Me and my husband have been advocating for the rural hospitals that are on the verge of (closing) in our area.”
Kimes also said she wants to concentrate on increasing test scores in public schools and reducing hostile interactions between police and members of the community.
Reality TV stars are no strangers to politics. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy was a cast member on MTV’s “The Real World.” “American Idol” runner-up Clay Aiken won the Democratic nomination for a congressional seat in North Carolina in 2014. And President Donald Trump rose to greater fame by hosting NBC’s “The Apprentice.”
Credit: Bravo screensho
Credit: Bravo screensho
With 11 seasons on “Married to Medicine,” Kimes might benefit from name recognition, especially as a member of an entirely Black cast in a heavily Black district.
The timing of the campaign announcement coincided with Bravo producing the show’s 12th season. Kimes said there is still a month left before the season’s shooting schedule ends.
Bravo aired Season 11 earlier this year, concluding in April. If the network follows the same schedule for Season 12, the season will end just a few weeks before the state primaries scheduled for May 19, 2026. Undoubtably, Kimes’ campaign will be a major storyline for Season 12.
Kimes said she has support from many of her castmates and fellow cast member Quad Webb is Kimes’ campaign manager.
She also has a financial edge, already raising about $18,000 in contributions before the election next spring, according to financial disclosure documents filed to the state. Carter has raised just $1,600 for her reelection, although she was forbidden by state law from raising money while the General Assembly was in session earlier this year.
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