MEET CHRIS HARDEN:
from hardscrabble roots to the hardest worker in the room
I didn’t learn about the economy in a boardroom. I learned it at the kitchen table of a mobile home in Walker County, watching my parents count out change to keep the lights on.
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Growing up poor in rural Georgia teaches you a few hard lessons early. You learn that hard work isn't always enough if the deck is stacked against you. You learn that one bad month can mean losing everything. And you learn that nobody is coming to save you—you have to scrape and claw for every inch of progress.
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That grit is what drove me to work my way through school and become a lawyer. It’s what drives me every day as a husband and a father to triplets. (Yes, three under five at once—if you want to talk about crisis negotiation and budget management, I’m your guy).
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Today, I’m running for Congress because I see families in District 11 facing the same impossible choices I grew up with. I see a middle class that is working harder than ever but falling further behind.
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I am not a career politician. I am a moderate Democrat who believes in results, not rhetoric. I’ve lived the hard reality of poverty, and I’ve built a career fighting for justice. Now, I’m ready to take that fight to Washington.
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I am a lifelong Georgian. We lived through very hard times. Today's problems are fixable, and I know how to work hard to fix them.
Chris Harden’s story is one of hard work, family, and service — the kind of story that could only be written in Northwest Georgia.
Chris grew up in Rossville, GA as the oldest of three children. His parents, who recently celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary, taught him early on the values of hard work, perseverance, and looking out for your neighbors. Those lessons have guided him ever since.
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Chris and his brother, Scott, became the first in their family to graduate from college. Chris earned his degree in political science and pre-law with a minor in history from Georgia State University. Driven by a passion for justice and helping others, Chris went on to earn his law degree. In 2012, Chris passed the bar and was sworn in to practice law.
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Today, Chris lives in Cherokee County with his wife and triplets who keep them on their toes and remind them every day what they’re working for. Chris and his wife, who is also an attorney, own an estate planning and probate law firm based in in the heart of Woodstock.​
For more than a decade, Chris has served Georgia families as an attorney in Walker, Catoosa, Dade, Chattooga, Dekalb, Gordon, Bartow, and Cherokee counties. In this role, he represents parents and children in Juvenile Court — often at some of the hardest moments in their lives — when the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) has intervened. Chris’s work has given him a firsthand understanding of the struggles Georgia families face and the importance of compassion and fairness in our legal system and government at every level.
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From his roots in Rossville to his life today in Cherokee County, Chris’s story is one of perseverance, service, and deep commitment in the promise of hard work. He believes in standing up for families, building stronger communities, and ensuring that every Georgian — no matter where they start — has access to their needs and a fair shot at success.
