ATLANTA — Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King is proud of his Hispanic heritage.
King was elected in 2019 and made history as the first Hispanic in Georgia to hold statewide office and he isn't shy about his roots.
"I was born in Mexico, in Ciudad Mexico, and then I grew up in Monterrey and then about 17 and a half, I came to the United States," he explained.
King's father is from south Georgia. Once his family decided to call the Peach State home, he needed to learn how to speak English. He grasped the language quickly and says he's created his own dialect: Spanish with a Southern accent.
"This is my first language, yes, but it is that language that actually sometimes I'm the most comfortable," he said about Spanish. "People can detect my accent in English and usually they can't tell where I'm from. They think I'm Scottish, they think I'm Cajun."
He's the strong arm that insurance companies face when customers feel exploited and he helps the state respond to natural disasters and rebuild.
The insurance commissioner said being bilingual has helped him truly engage with the broad community he serves.
"A lot of people think that if they just translate an English phrase into Spanish, that's engagement," he said. "No, you got to get into the community sometimes just not say much. Just listen."
With just over a million Latinos in Georgia, King says this community brings something special to the state.
"We bring the flavor to Georgia, the salsa, la salsa picante," he said. "We bring that passion for service for families, for working for a better day tomorrow."
With a growing Hispanic and Latino population, means growing political power, King said.
"Latinos have an incredible amount of opportunity. We've just got to figure out where the barriers are and try to remove those barriers," he said. "Y estoy esperando la gran opportunidades de ayudar a nuestra comunidad (and I am looking forward to the great opportunities to help our community)."
He adds that removing those barriers relies on more Latinos getting involved in their local governments.
"And that's what my recruiting drive to get Latinos to be engaged in government, to run for office, to be part of the solution," he said, "not just sit on the sidelines of complaining how bad the government is."
When Latinos get involved in their communities, all of Georgia wins, he says. He's living proof.
Watch his full interview in the video below: