Georgia voters wrapped up a round of primary runoff elections this week, locking in nominees for lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and several other statewide offices ahead of the November general election. Both parties settled contested races across multiple key positions.
Why It Matters
The outcomes will shape Georgia’s statewide leadership in offices that oversee elections, labor, education, and utility regulation. The November matchups will test whether Republicans can hold ground across a state that has become increasingly competitive at the statewide level.
Lieutenant Governor
On the Democratic side, state Senator and attorney Josh McLaurin of Sandy Springs defeated former state senator Nabilah Parkes of Duluth, capturing roughly 54 percent of the vote to Parkes’s 45 percent. Parkes had resigned her Senate seat in March ahead of the race.
McLaurin framed his general election campaign in geographic terms, saying, “Republicans have tried to keep a monopoly over issues outside of metro Atlanta, so we’ve got to break that monopoly.”
Republicans nominated state Senator Greg Dolezal of Cumming with about 54 percent of the vote, edging out John F. Kennedy, a former Macon state senator. Dolezal signaled his general election message would remain consistent: “Our messaging has really been focused on the preservation of the American dream, and that will not change.”
Secretary of State
Former judge and former Biden administration official Penny Brown Reynolds won the Democratic secretary of state nomination decisively, earning roughly 63 percent of the vote against Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett, who received about 36 percent.
On the Republican side, State Representative Tim Fleming of Covington — a former deputy secretary of state — secured the nomination with around 64 percent, defeating Vernon Jones, a former Democratic state representative who switched parties after 2020 and aligned himself with President Trump. Jones received approximately 35 percent.
Insurance and Labor Commissioners
Democrats chose their nominees for two offices that have been held by Republicans. Former state representative and Atlanta City Council member Keisha Sean Waites won the Democratic insurance commissioner nomination with about 58 percent of the vote, defeating insurance agent DeAndre Mathis of South Fulton. Waites will face Republican incumbent John King, who ran unopposed for his party’s nomination, in November.
Air Force veteran and nonprofit founder Nikki Porcher claimed the Democratic labor commissioner nomination with roughly 61 percent of the vote, outpacing community organizer Michelle “Michi” Sánchez, who received about 38 percent. Porcher will face Republican incumbent Bárbara Rivera Holmes, who was appointed to the post, in the general election.
State School Superintendent
Republican incumbent Richard Woods held off a challenge from Fred “Bubba” Longgrear in a closer-than-expected contest, winning the nomination with roughly 51 percent to Longgrear’s 48 percent. Woods advances to November without a Democratic opponent named in the runoff results.
By the Numbers
54% — McLaurin’s share of the Democratic lieutenant governor vote
64% — Fleming’s share of the Republican secretary of state vote
63% — Brown Reynolds’s share of the Democratic secretary of state vote
61% — Porcher’s share of the Democratic labor commissioner vote
51% — Woods’s margin in the Republican school superintendent race, the tightest of the night
Zoom Out
Georgia has become a focal point of national political attention since flipping in the 2020 presidential election and sending two Democrats to the U.S. Senate. Statewide offices, particularly the secretary of state position, have drawn outsized scrutiny following disputes over election administration in recent cycles. Georgia Republicans have also been navigating redistricting litigation, with a special session recently shedding that issue from its agenda amid pending court cases — adding to the broader context of electoral and legal uncertainty heading into the fall.
What’s Next
All nominated candidates now advance to the November general election. The lieutenant governor race — McLaurin versus Dolezal — and the secretary of state contest — Brown Reynolds versus Fleming — are expected to be among the most closely watched matchups. Candidate filings and campaign finance disclosures will offer the next indicators of where each race stands heading into the summer.