Jack Zibluk Announces State Senate Run, Aiming to Unseat Senator Colton Moore

Jack Zibluk, a Lookout Mountain resident and professor at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, has officially announced his candidacy for Georgia’s 53rd State Senate District. His campaign launched Saturday, June 28, at the Dade County Democratic picnic held at Cloudland Canyon State Park.

Zibluk is aiming to unseat incumbent Senator Colton Moore, a Republican who made headlines earlier this year after being arrested for violating a ban on entering the Georgia House chamber.

“For too long, the residents of this district haven’t had a voice—or, frankly, a brain and a body working on their behalf,” Zibluk said, criticizing Moore for focusing on “partisan division and grandstanding” instead of meaningful representation for the people of Dade, Walker, Catoosa, Chattooga, and Floyd counties.

Zibluk, 65, is a former department head of communication at UTC and describes himself as a “recovering journalist” and a “radically pragmatic” candidate. He previously ran for state representative and said the experience gave him valuable insight into campaigning. “This time, I sort of have a clue about what I’m doing,” he joked.

This run, he says, is more organized. He’s brought on Atlanta-based campaign manager April Lakeman to lead fundraising and voter outreach. Zibluk has also earned support from Democratic committees in Dade and Walker Counties, where he has been active for the past two years.

His campaign will center around what he calls “common ground issues,” including regional economic development, environmental protection, transportation safety, and access to healthcare—especially mental health services.

“These aren’t Republican or Democratic problems,” Zibluk said. “They’re community problems. I’m not in this to make noise—I’m here to do a good job for the people.”

The political district includes Dade, Catoosa, Walker, and Chattooga counties.

His campaign slogan is, “Let’s build bridges, not burn them,” which he said references incumbent Republican Sen. Colton Moore.

You can follow the campaign at JackZforGA on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. A campaign website is in the works, and donations are being accepted at ActBlue.com/JackZforGA.