James_Jan-Feb_2026_web - Flipbook - Page 86
Keisha Lance Bottoms seems to be
atop the Democratic leaderboard
in early polling. In her wake and
working to become better known
are former Labor Commissioner
and ex-DeKalb County CEO Mike
Thurmond, former state senator Jason Esteves and Republican-turned-Democrat former Lt.
Gov. Geoff Duncan. Rep. Ruwa
Romman, the first Palestinian
woman to serve in the Legislature,
is a long shot but will receive media coverage.
Much like the gubernatorial
contest is depleting the ranks of
Republican statewide officeholders, the opportunity to become
lieutenant governor has attracted
leading members of the state.
Senate President Pro Tem John
F. Kennedy, who announced his
retirement in order to campaign
and fundraise full time, along with
Majority Leader Steve Gooch,
hope to preside over the chamber.
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Joining them are Appropriations
Chairman Blake Tillery and Transportation Committee Chairman
Greg Dolezal. Rep. David Clark is
trying to cross over to the Senate
chamber as its leader.
Across the aisle, state Sen. Josh
McLaurin, a one-time roommate of
Vice President J.D. Vance, is opposed by fellow Democrat and CPA
Richard Wright.
Secretary of State draws candidates
The GOP side of the Secretary
of State contest has a varied set
of aspirants. The most visible one
also has the greatest familiarity
with the office having been the
chief operating officer during
Raffensperger’s tenure. Gabe Sterling often served as spokesperson
during the height of the Trump
effort to overturn the 2020 Georgia
result. (It was Sterling who urged
the president to drop his claims
of electoral fraud, warning that if
he persisted someone was going
to get hurt.) A second candidate
familiar with the operation of the
Secretary of State’s office is state
Rep. Tim Fleming. In addition to
having grown up in a political family (his father was a Newton County commissioner), Fleming served
as chief of staff for Brian Kemp
first when his boss was secretary
of state and later as governor.
A third candidate brings a
different perspective. Businessman Kelvin King, who challenged
Herschel Walker for the Senate
nomination, is married to Janelle
King. She’s one of three State
Election Board members praised
by President Donald Trump at a
2024 Atlanta rally. (Ms. King and
two other Republicans have repeatedly clashed with Raffensperger.)
The fourth GOP candidate, Vernon
Jones, served in the legislature and
is a former DeKalb County CEO. In
his reincarnation as a Republican,
