Ed D. Harbison Jr. — Not a Chip Off the Old Block.

There is an old saying: “He’s a chip off the old block.” It is usually reserved for a son who reflects the character, principles and example of his father. But when it comes to Ed D. Harbison Jr., recent political developments have caused me to ask a very different question. Is he really a chip off the old block?

Harbison Jr. sought the Democratic nomination for the Georgia Senate District 15 seat long held by his father, Sen. Ed Harbison. He lost that Democratic primary to Tremaine “Teddy” Reese.

There is nothing unusual about losing an election. Somebody wins. Somebody loses. But there is a difference between losing an election and what you do after the voters have spoken. And that is where my concern begins.

After asking Democrats to support him in the primary, Harbison Jr. has now publicly supported Republicans running against Democrats. In a Facebook post, Harbison Jr. endorsed Republican Stephon Acorn over longtime Democratic state Rep. Debbie Buckner. He has also supported Republican Chuck Hand in his race against Reese — the very Democrat who defeated Harbison Jr. in the Senate District 15 primary.

That is more than an interesting political development. It raises a legitimate question about political consistency. Nobody is suggesting that Ed Harbison Jr. does not have the right to support whomever he chooses. Of course he does. Party affiliation does not take away anyone's freedom to make an individual political choice. But voters have rights, too. They have the right to remember.

When you run as a Democrat, campaign as a Democrat and ask Democratic voters to entrust you with the seat your father held for decades as a Democrat, those same voters are entitled to consider what you do when the party chooses somebody else. That is what makes this particularly disappointing to me.

Teddy Reese knows something about losing an election involving the Harbison family. Reese previously challenged the elder Ed Harbison. Yet after losing, Reese did not respond by abandoning the Democratic Party and campaigning for the Republican opposing Harbison.

There is something to be said for how a person handles defeat. Sometimes character is revealed not when the crowd is cheering your name, but when the voters choose somebody else's. And politics has a long memory.

Today, Ed Harbison Jr. is free to endorse Acorn. He is free to support Hand. He is free to support Republicans, Democrats, independents or anybody else he chooses. But tomorrow may bring another election. Tomorrow may bring another campaign announcement. Tomorrow may bring another request for the support of the same Democratic voters and the same Black community whose votes he sought in 2026.

And those voters will be equally free to remember what happened after this primary. They may remember that when Harbison Jr. was the Democratic candidate, he wanted Democrats standing behind him. They may also remember what happened when he wasn't.

That is why political legacy cannot simply be inherited. A famous last name may open the door. A father's reputation may introduce you to the community. But sooner or later, every son and every daughter must write their own story.

Sen. Ed Harbison spent decades writing his. Ed Harbison Jr. is now writing his own. And whatever voters ultimately conclude about these endorsements is for them to decide. But one thing is certain: they now have another chapter to consider.

Ed D. Harbison Jr. — Not a Chip Off the Old Block.