Georgia Republicans choose new Senate leaders to replace those seeking higher office
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's Republican state senators chose new leaders Tuesday after rules required the chamber's former leaders to step down because they're running for higher office in 2026.
Republicans, who hold a 33-23 majority in Georgia's upper chamber, nominated Sen. Larry Walker III of Perry as president pro tem and elected Sen. Jason Anavitarte of Dallas as majority leader.
Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Macon stepped down as president pro tem, the second-highest ranking post in the Senate, because he's running for lieutenant governor.
The full Senate will have to vote on whether to elect Walker when it next meets, which is scheduled to be in January, but Walker will win the office with the support of the majority party. Until then the office will be vacant.
Anavitarte becomes the majority leader as of Tuesday because that post only requires a vote of Republicans. He had been the majority caucus chair. Like Kennedy, Sen. Steve Gooch of Dahlonega had to step down because he's running for lieutenant governor.
Republicans enacted a rule that senators could not hold a leadership position and run for higher office after 2022, when then-President Pro Tem Butch Miller, a Gainesville Republican, ran for lieutenant governor while serving as the chamber's highest ranking member against Burt Jones, then a senator from Jackson who held no leadership position.
Miller forced votes on a number of bills to try to appeal to Republican voters, making a number of senators uncomfortable, even though Miller and Jones did not come into open conflict on the Senate floor. Miller lost the Republican primary to Jones, who was elected lieutenant governor in 2022.
David Shafer, who served as president pro tem from 2013 to 2018, voluntarily stepped down from the post when he made an unsuccessful bid for lieutenant governor that year.
Along with the lieutenant governor, Walker and Anavitarte will be steering a chamber where a large number of senators may be seeking higher office. Democratic state Sen. Jason Esteves of Atlanta is running for governor and Jones is expected to seek the Republican nomination to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp, who can't run again after two terms.
Five senators have expressed interest in running for lieutenant governor, with Republicans Blake Tillery of Vidalia and Greg Dolezal of Cumming eyeing the GOP race along with Gooch and Kennedy. Sen. Josh McLaurin is running as a Democrat.
Two Republicans are running for attorney general — Sens. Bill Cowsert of Athens and Brian Strickland of McDonough . And Democrat Emanuel Jones has announced he's running for Congress.
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