Abortion rights, voting laws take center stage in AG race
AG race pits GOP incumbent against Dem State Senator
In years past, the race for Georgia Attorney General was just another down-ballot race that attracted little attention. But this year, the race to be the state’s top lawyer has taken on a whole new meaning.
Following the Supreme Court’s landmark decision overturning Roe v. Wade, new abortion restrictions have taken effect in Georgia and are now working their way through state courts. Voting restrictions passed in the months following the 2020 election are also being heavily litigated.
Supporters and opponents of these new laws are pouring millions of dollars into the race for Attorney General, because the winner will get to play a huge role in determining how and if these laws are implemented.
What does the Attorney General do?
According to the state constitution, the Georgia Attorney General serves as the state’s top lawyer and is the chief legal advisor to the executive branch and other state agencies. He or she is tasked with enforcing state laws and they must represent the state in all civil cases, some of which may be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Chris Carr
The Republican nominee is incumbent Chris Carr, who is running for his second full term in office. A longtime aide to the late former U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, Carr was appointed Attorney General by then-Gov. Nathan Deal in 2016 and was elected to a full term in 2018.
Since taking office, Carr has joined other Republican state attorneys general in lawsuits that would repeal the Affordable Care Act. He has also fought to block President Joe Biden’s order that halted construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
Following the Supreme Court’s June ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, Carr quickly filed a motion asking courts to allow Georgia’s 2019 abortion ban to take effect. “The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs is constitutionally correct and rightfully returns the issue of abortion to the states and to the people—where it belongs,” Carr said in response to the ruling.
The Dunwoody attorney has also supported Georgia’s 2021 election rewrite, both in court and on the campaign trail, saying that the changes were necessary to secure Georgia’s elections. Major League Baseball famously decided to pull the 2021 Allstar Game from Atlanta in response to the law. The Justice Department also filed a federal lawsuit against Georgia and other Republican-led states that changed election laws, a lawsuit that Carr has criticized as a “political campaign flier.”
Carr has also worked to crack down on violent crimes. His office has formed a gang prosecution unit and he forged a partnership with First Lady Marty Kemp to fight human trafficking. These efforts have resulted in several prosecutions and convictions, including a 2021 case involving a minor.
Jen Jordan
Carr’s Democratic opponent is Jen Jordan, who has served in the State Senate since 2017. If elected, the Atlanta attorney would be the first female Attorney General in Georgia history.
As a State Senator in the minority party, Jordan has been a vocal critic of many Republican-backed laws. She took to the well of the Senate in 2019 to deliver a personal rebuke of the six-week abortion ban, detailing her own struggles with pregnancy and miscarriages.
Jordan has made abortion rights a central issue of her campaign. She has vowed not to prosecute any cases under the abortion ban and has said that she will not defend the law in court. “I’m running for attorney general because we need leaders who care more about protecting the people of Georgia than holding onto power,” she said.
Jordan also faced off with former President Donald Trump’s legal team after the 2020 election. She and other Democratic state lawmakers faced death threats from Trump supporters after questioning Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani. “I’ve been fighting to protect voting rights since I became an attorney 20 years ago and that won’t change once I am your Attorney General,” Jordan’s campaign website says.
Are there third party candidates?
Carr and Jordan are not the only candidates on the ballot. They will be joined by Libertarian nominee Martin Cowen, a former Clayton County probate judge who has run for high office as a Libertarian several times over the years.
He was part of a lawsuit that sought to loosen ballot access restrictions for third party candidates in Georgia.
His campaign website lists several of his priorities, which include ending qualified immunity, fighting the war on drugs and allowing all adults to make their own health care decisions “free from government interference.”
Learn more about the candidates
You can learn more information about each candidate by visiting their campaign websites.
Chris Carr (R): chriscarrga.com
Jen Jordan (D): jen4georgia.com
Martin Cowen (L): cowenforgeorgia.com
Always discover something new after reading your articles. Keep up the excellent reporting. 👏🏾
Vote💙