Republican state Sen. Steve Gooch announced Wednesday that he was entering the race to be Georgia’s next lieutenant governor.
Gooch, a Dahlonega native who serves as the Senate majority leader, is joining what is expected to be a crowded field of Republican candidates vying for the state’s second-highest office.
First elected to the Senate in 2010, Gooch previously served as the sole Lumpkin County commissioner.
The main roles of the lieutenant governor are to preside over the Senate and step in if something happens to the governor.
Gooch, 58, joins his Democratic Senate colleague Josh McLaurin, who was the first candidate to officially kick off his campaign last week. The incumbent, Republican Burt Jones, is expected to make a bid for governor, leaving the lieutenant governor’s seat open.
Gooch, who owns a private environmental services company, is one of at least four Republican senators whose names have been floated as having interest in facing the eventual Democratic nominee.
Among the potential Republican 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. He has not yet officially launched a campaign for the office.
Other possible contenders include Senate President Pro Tem John Kennedy and state Sen. Greg Dolezal.
During his time in office, Gooch, a prior member of the Georgia Board of Transportation, has worked on legislation to improve the state’s infrastructure and expand internet coverage in rural parts of the state.
This year, in addition to sponsoring a resolution to commend Republican President Donald Trump’s win, Gooch pushed the creation of an “America First” specialty license plate, a nod to the president’s campaign slogan.
He also sponsored commendations of Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler and Veteran’s Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, both Georgians.
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