High-ranking Senate leader John F. Kennedy enters lieutenant governor's race
President Pro Tem John F. Kennedy of Macon has become the latest prominent Republican to declare his candidacy for lieutenant governor.
The race for Georgia's next lieutenant governor is heating up, with current President Pro Tem John F. Kennedy of Macon becoming the latest prominent Republican to declare his candidacy.
Kennedy, a civil litigator who was first elected to the state Senate in 2014, has served as the second-ranking leader in the chamber since 2023. This year, he was also the lead sponsor of Gov. Brian Kemp's legislation aimed at overhauling Georgia's civil litigation system, which was signed into law in April after months of contentious debate.
The lieutenant governor is elected on a separate ticket from the governor and presides over the state Senate. Because members of the Senate determine how much power a lieutenant governor has, a Republican candidate could wield immense influence in the Republican-controlled chamber.
While other candidates for the seat emphasized their loyalty to President Donald Trump and MAGA policies, Kennedy took a different approach, focusing on his conservative values and work in the state legislature.
'My first priority has always been to put hardworking Georgians first, and that's what I will continue to do as Georgia's next Lieutenant Governor,' Kennedy said in a statement posted on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter. 'I've never shied away from tough fights in the state legislature, and this campaign will be no different.'
In the Republican primary, he will face Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch, a Dahlonega senator who launched his campaign last month. Other Republicans are expected to join the race. Appropriations Chair Blake Tillery has filed paperwork to run for the seat but has not yet officially launched his campaign. Democratic State Sen. Josh McLaurin of Sandy Springs is currently the only prominent Democrat to have announced his candidacy.
The candidates are hoping to succeed incumbent Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, who is widely expected to launch a bid for governor this summer. If he does, he'll join a slate of candidates that currently includes Republican Attorney General Chris Carr and Democratic Sen. Jason Esteves of Atlanta.
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