Editing Jimmy Carter (section)

=== Georgia state senator (1963–1967) ===
As racial tension inflamed in Plains by the 1954 [[Supreme Court of the United States]] ruling in ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'',{{sfn|Gherman|2004|p=40}} Carter favored integration but often kept those feelings to himself to avoid making enemies. By 1961, Carter began to speak more prominently of integration as a member of the [[Baptist Church]] and chairman of the [[Sumter County, Georgia|Sumter County]] school board.{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=92–108}}{{sfn|Donica|Piccotti|2018}} In 1962, he announced his campaign for an open [[Georgia State Senate]] seat.{{sfn|Carter|1992|pp=83–87}} Rosalynn, who had an instinct for politics and organization, was instrumental in his campaign. While early counting of the ballots showed Carter trailing his opponent, Homer Moore, this was later proven to be the result of fraudulent voting.{{sfn|Carter|1992|pp=83–87}} Another election was held, in which Carter defeated Moore as the sole Democratic candidate.{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=108–132}} He served in both the [[127th Georgia General Assembly]] and the [[128th Georgia General Assembly]].

The [[civil rights movement]] was well underway when Carter took office. Carter remained relatively quiet on the issue at first, even as it polarized much of the county, to avoid alienating his segregationist colleagues. Carter did speak up on a few divisive issues, giving speeches against [[literacy test]]s and against an amendment to the [[Constitution of Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia Constitution]] that he felt implied a compulsion to practice religion.{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=132–140}} Carter entered the state Democratic Executive Committee two years into office, where he helped rewrite the state party's rules. He became the chairman of the West Central Georgia Planning and Development Commission, which oversaw the disbursement of federal and state grants for projects such as historic site restoration.{{sfn|Ryan|2006|p=37}}

When [[Bo Callaway]] was elected to the [[United States House of Representatives]] in 1964, Carter immediately began planning to challenge him. The two had previously clashed over which two-year college would be expanded to a four-year college program by the state, and Carter saw Callaway—who had switched to the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]—as representing aspects of politics he despised.{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=132–145}} Carter was reelected to a second two-year term in the state Senate,{{sfn|Georgia General Assembly|1965}} where he chaired its Education Committee and sat on the Appropriations Committee. He contributed to a bill expanding statewide education funding and getting [[Georgia Southwestern State University]] a four-year program. He leveraged his regional planning work, giving speeches around the district to make himself more visible to potential voters. On the last day of the term, Carter announced his candidacy for the House of Representatives.{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=145–149}} Callaway decided to run for governor instead;{{sfn|Bourne|1997|p=150}} Carter decided to do the same.{{sfn|Bourne|1997|pp=154–155}}