The drama in the lieutenant governor race will come from the Senate floor

Republican state Sens. Greg Dolezal of Cumming and Blake Tillery of Vidalia both have had their names floated as potential lieutenant governor candidates. And both have indicated they plan to run for the office.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Tillery has also filed paperwork with the state to begin raising money for his expected lieutenant governor candidacy, although he said he is waiting on current Lt. Gov. Burt Jones to announce his plans for 2026 before launching his campaign. Jones is expected to announce a run for governor in the coming months.

“Burt Jones isn’t just the lieutenant governor, he’s my friend,” Tillery said. “I feel I owe him the respect of letting him announce his decision before I publicly start measuring for new drapes. That doesn’t mean I can’t prepare for what I expect him to do, though.”

If all this posturing seems a little early, it could be. Jones was long considered the front-runner to get the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in 2022, but he didn’t announce that campaign until August 2021.

McLaurin is the lone Democrat who’s raised his hand for the lieutenant governor’s office, but it may not stay that way.

Last cycle, there were nine Democratic candidates in the race for lieutenant governor. Democratic Party of Georgia Chairman Charlie Bailey said there are benefits to both having a large or small primary pool. Bailey was the Democrats’ nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022.

Credit: NATRICE MILLER

Credit: NATRICE MILLER

“We had a spirited primary, and that’s good for democracy,” Bailey said of his 2022 campaign. “I’m not going to get into prognosticating how many (Democratic) candidates might get in, but I think what we’re going to see here is a clear contrast between whoever our nominee ends up being and these guys who have been a part of Republican control in this state for 22 years now, which has resulted in working people being screwed over.”

Senate leadership shake-up

The five names most mentioned for what is expected to be the vacant lieutenant governor seat are all state senators. The main roles of the lieutenant governor are to preside over the Senate and step in if something happens to the governor.

Stephen Lawson, a Republican strategist who worked on Jones’ 2022 campaign, said he expects the Republican primary for lieutenant governor will likely remain crowded.

“I think you have a number of really qualified public servants who know that chamber very well,” he said. “They know how it works and have been able to accomplish a lot. I think you’re going to see a very spirited (session) next year.”

Of the four Republicans expected to be in the race, three hold powerful positions in the chamber. That is likely to shake things up when legislators return to Atlanta next year.

Kennedy and Gooch hold top leadership positions, and Tillery is chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Senate rules require Kennedy to step down from his position as the chamber’s second in command. And Senate Republican Caucus rules require Gooch to leave his post as the majority leader.

Elections for a new majority leader are expected to happen before the end of the month. Senate rules say the chamber will select a new pro tem when they reconvene in January.

But the changes would also play out in the two-year legislative cycle beginning in 2027 since politicians who seek higher office must also vacate their current seats. That means leadership would have to replace Tillery as appropriations chair, which writes the state budget. Dolezal would also need to be replaced as chair of the Senate Transportation Committee.

Floor fights

Political insiders have said they are expecting spirited debates in the Senate as the candidates make the most of their last year in the chamber Senate.

In addition to the five senators running for lieutenant governor, at least another four members of the chamber are seeking higher office.

Republicans, who are in the majority in both General Assembly chambers, will likely push legislation or make floor speeches to prove their loyalties to President Donald Trump and tout his “Make America Great Again” policies. Democrats will draw attention to the Republican president’s more controversial policies and do their best to fight conservative culture war issues.

“I know each of the guys on the GOP side pretty well, and they all have very different personalities,” McLaurin said about his colleagues who could become his opponent in the general election, if he wins his party primary. “But the one thing they all have in common is they’re about to spend the next 12 months sucking up to Donald Trump.”