By Rayna Reid Rayford ·Updated February 25, 2026 Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…

Dentist and Married to Medicine cast member Heavenly Kimes, known as Dr. Heavenly on the series, has joined the reality TV-to-politics pipeline. The 55-year-old is aiming to turn her platform into a political run against ten-term incumbent David Scott to represent Georgia’s 13th district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

As the campaign ramps up for the Democratic primary on May 19, 2026, Kimes sat down with Freddy-O

The combination of a service-driven mindset along with her background in healthcare and as a small business owner is why Kimes believes she is uniquely positioned to serve District 13. As a multihyphenate, she brings experience across sectors and industries. “I have my real estate license, Series 65 [license]. I owned a mortgage company. I understand business from all ways around,” Kimes elaborates. “And I can boast that I have lived in this district 25 years. But on top of that, I also can boast that I’ve had an office in every county in this district.”

When asked what the first issue is she wants to tackle if elected, Kimes did not hesitate. “When I win, the first thing I’m going to do is look at that Big, Beautiful Bill, because I understand how people are going to be kicked off their Medicaid because they are required to have 80 hours a month or be full-time students or have community service,” she states, adding “I know plenty of people, including my colleagues that have children that are over 18, that have autism or mental health challenges, that cannot do either of these things.”

She asserts that flexibility and humanity are a key part of the solution. “I think that any kind of insurance should be individualized rather than putting a blanket over it. I’m an advocate for a single payer system,” she says. “But what I want to do first is get an amendment so that people can stay on their insurance and extend it, because right now, every six months, you have to register, and nobody knows it. So, extend it at least to one year until we can come up with some solutions so people can keep their insurance.”

“That’s my main thing, keeping their insurance,” Kimes proclaims, “because without insurance, people will be unalived, for lack of a better word.”

She ends the conversation by driving home the point that despite what people think of her based on what they’ve seen on TV or online, she means business when it comes to having an impact in politics.

“This is real. I am very serious about making a change,” she says. “Get up, get out, and vote, like never before.” 

She is working to build a movement and urges people to follow along in person and on social media, to learn about her campaign and events, and to take part in the primaries, which are more important than people realize.

“Only 11 percent of my community votes in the primary. That’s where elections are really decided,” Kimes says. “My district is 80 percent Democratic. If I win the primary, I will win in November.”  

TOPICS:  Georgia Married to Medicine news and politics

The post Exclusive: From ‘Married to Medicine’ To Congress? Heavenly Kimes Says Her Fame Helps, Not Hurts Her Chances appeared first on Essence.

Author: Victoria Uwumarogie

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