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Dr. Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., says Jimmy Carter would have a hard time getting elected president in today’s world.
“We have gone so far as a nation that we don’t as a nation understand the value of honesty,” King told PEOPLE exclusively at the “Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song” birthday concert on Sept. 17.
“He was true to his faith and his values,” she added. “And he would not veer from that even if [it] meant that he would not go back to the presidency for a second time.”
King, 61, also reflected on how her father would have been “disappointed” with the current political climate.
“We got to a place where we can’t have civil discourse regardless of our differences,” the lawyer and minister said. “I think he would be troubled that we [saw] some reversal of things, but yet he was the kind of person who was always cautiously optimistic.”
King added that despite the direction of modern politics, she is inspired by Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for the White House.
“There is a lot of hope,” the chief executive of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change told PEOPLE. “Frankly speaking, as a woman, this is the season where we are seeing more and more [women] rising.”
One key swing state that Democrats are vying to keep in 2024 after narrowly winning in 2020 is Georgia, where Carter was the notably the former governor. It’s also where King lives.
“There is a lot of work to do and a lot of grassroots things,” she said. “There are still people out there trying to decide.”
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Carter was celebrated on Sept. 17 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta with several performances and celebrity guest appearances from Renée Zellweger, Dale Murphy and Killer Mike.
Former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama also made virtual appearances to honor their predecessor, who had been active building homes and teaching Sunday school following his presidency.
The celebration will be streamed by Georgia Public Broadcasting on Carter’s actual birthday, and the former president plans to watch.
