ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Democrat Rep. Tanya Miller announced Monday she's running for Georgia attorney general, joining two Republicans and a Democrat.

Current Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican, announced in December that he’s running for governor, leaving an open seat for the state’s chief legal officer.

Miller, a lawyer, became the chair of the House Democratic Caucus in 2024 after being elected to the legislature in 2023. At the Capitol on Monday, she promised to "usher in a new era of consumer protection” and crack down on sex traffickers. She accused Carr — without naming him — of being “asleep at the wheel” and more attentive to national political issues than protecting Georgians.

“While Georgia families were being squeezed by rising costs, scammed out of their savings, worried for their children’s safety and gauged after Hurricane Helene, the attorney general sat on the sidelines,” Miller said. “Georgians need more than a figurehead full of excuses. They need an attorney general who will fight for them every single day.”

Miller led a passionate opposition against Republican Gov. Brian Kemp's priority legislation signed this year to limit lawsuits and large jury verdicts, arguing it was a handout to insurance companies at the expense of injured Georgians.

Having worked as a prosecutor, defense lawyer and civil rights attorney, Miller has also championed criminal justice issues during her time in the House.

“We will place safety and justice above politics,” Miller said. “We will uphold the rule of law. We will remain unbought and unbiased by powerful special interests.”

As the state's top prosecutor, Miller said she would crack down on fraud and predatory lending. She would also go after online predators and negligent landlords and focus on holding corporations accountable.

Miller formerly worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in New York and prosecuted homicides and crimes against women and children in Fulton County. She now has a private practice.

Former Democratic House Minority Leader Bob Trammell joined the race last month. The former legislator from rural west Georgia also vowed to take on special interests, corporate corruption and push for a fair economy for Georgians.

Trammell was defeated in 2020 after Republicans poured $1 million into taking his seat.

Republican state Sen. Brian Strickland entered the race in April, followed by Republican state Sen. Bill Cowsert of Athens.

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Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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