John Kennedy, Georgia’s top Senate Republican, joins race for lieutenant governor
State Sen. John Kennedy, R-Macon, speaks in the Senate Chambers during a special session at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Friday, Nov. 19, 2021. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)
ATLANTA (AP) — John Kennedy, the top-ranking Republican in Georgia’s state Senate, on Monday joined a growing field of GOP candidates seeking to become the state’s next lieutenant governor in 2026.
Kennedy, a Macon lawyer, is banking on the support of Georgia’s business community after helping pass a law this year limiting lawsuits and civil verdicts.
Burt Jones, the current Republican lieutenant governor, is expected to run for governor next year instead of seeking reelection. He’s could announce his candidacy later this summer.
Kennedy was first elected to the state Senate in 2014. Majority Republicans elected him president pro tem, the No. 2 position in the Senate, in 2023. Before that, Kennedy had been chair of the majority caucus and led the redrawing of legislative and congressional districts after the 2020 Census, securing Republican majorities.
Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch of Dahlonega announced last month that he is running for lieutenant governor, saying he would model his candidacy on President Donald Trump. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Blake Tillery of Vidalia is raising money for a possible bid. Other Republicans could seek the office as well, including state Sen. Greg Dolezal, of Cumming.
Kennedy didn’t mention Trump in his announcement, saying his top priorities as lieutenant governor would be a strong economy, education and public safety.
“Georgians can be confident that my leadership will be focused on delivering conservative results, not empty rhetoric,” Kennedy said in a statement. “And I know that by working together, we will keep Georgia growing, keep Georgia learning and keep Georgia safe.”
This year, Kennedy sponsored a law that is meant to curb the number of student absences in schools.
Like the onetime president, Kennedy’s initials are JFK. But this 59-year-old Kennedy, born less than two years after the president was assassinated, is unrelated and bears the middle name of Flanders.
Georgia’s lieutenant governor presides over Senate sessions, but senators decide how much power the official has. When senators agree, lieutenant governors can be influential. As president pro tem, Kennedy already works with Jones to set the agenda for the Senate.
On the Democratic side, the only declared candidate is state Sen. Josh McLaurin of Sandy Springs.
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