Democratic state senator launches bid for Georgia lieutenant governor in Savannah

McLaurin is the first candidate for the state’s No. 2 spot to officially begin a run for the office. The incumbent, Republican Burt Jones, is expected to make a bid for governor, leaving the lieutenant governor’s seat open.

McLaurin focused his comments Monday on Trump and the president’s agenda since taking office in January. McLaurin and Georgia House Rep. Anne Allen Westbrook, D-Savannah, bemoaned the “MAGA-fication” of state government with Republicans in leadership positions.

Republicans hold all state constitutional offices and the majority in both the House and the Senate.

McLaurin, who grew up in east Cobb and now represents north Fulton, said being an attorney caused him to care about the “rule of law,” which he says is currently under attack by the Trump administration.

“The president of the Senate has a unique role in state government of setting the tone for the Senate’s business,” he said. “And I think a critical part of the movement is to stand up for the rule of law and to push back against the chaos we’re seeing in Washington.”

The main roles of the lieutenant governor are to preside over the Senate and step in if something happens to the governor. If elected, McLaurin said he would be focused on his role as president of the Senate and not focus on what’s next.

“I think there are some people who just want to run for lieutenant governor because it has the word ‘governor’ in the title,” he said. “I want to be clear that is not my attitude at all about this job.”

The Senate currently has a Republican majority, holding 33 of the 56 seats. Were he to win, McLaurin would be tasked with presiding over a chamber with a GOP majority unless Democrats were able to flip at least five seats. The Senate majorities have historically stripped the few powers of lieutenant governors from a different party.

The names of at least four Republican senators have been floated as having interest in facing the eventual Democratic nominee. Among the potential candidates is Senate Appropriations Chairman Blake Tillery, a Vidalia Republican who filed paperwork to begin raising money for a potential campaign shortly after the legislative session ended. Other possible contenders include Senate President Pro Tem John Kennedy, Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch, state Sen. Greg Dolezal and Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper.

McLaurin, 37, filed his paperwork last Thursday. Republican Takosha Swan also filed her intent to run for lieutenant governor with the state ethics commission earlier this year.

Joanne Hickman, whose son went to college with McLaurin, said she plans to support him because of his integrity. The Effingham County resident said she is looking forward to the possibility of casting her ballot for McLaurin next year.

“He listens to people and genuinely cares about their concerns,” said Hickman, a retired special education teacher. “We need someone like Josh to lead Georgia through these troubling times.”

McLaurin was elected to the state House in 2018 before his election to the Senate in 2022.

His campaign launch was co-hosted by state Sen. Derek Mallow, a Savannah Democrat who has served in both the House and Senate with McLaurin. Mallow did not attend the afternoon news conference but hosted other campaign launch events later in the day

“I think Sen. McLaurin has demonstrated he can work across the aisle and deliver for farmers in rural Georgia, protect the Okefenokee in Coastal Georgia, support economic development in rural Georgia, stand with northwest Georgia as they face immense tragedy, and help metro Atlanta folks by reforming booting,” Mallow said.

In his time in office, McLaurin has captured the attention of national news outlets on a few occasions.

Last year, he made the national media rounds to discuss his time as the roommate of now-Vice President JD Vance. The two lived together while attending Yale Law School.

During this year’s legislative session, he launched a recurring bit he calls “Trump Morning News” from the Senate floor where he dons the persona of a newscaster ticking through recent news made by the president and his administration.

“I’m running for lieutenant governor to give a voice to everyone who is yelling ‘WTF’ at their TV when the latest crazy news happens,” McLaurin said in an interview. “Georgia should be putting up every obstacle possible to Trump’s authoritarian agenda at the state level.”

McLaurin has bachelor’s degrees in international affairs and religion and a masters in public administration from the University of Georgia.