Georgia's "JFK" announces run for LG
Top Senate Republican joins LG scramble
The race to be Georgia’s next lieutenant governor is heating up, with the state’s highest-ranking Senate Republican now saying he wants the job.
State Sen. John F. Kennedy is hoping that his years of legislative experience, support from the state’s business leaders and yes, his familiar set of initials, will set him apart from other candidates in what is shaping up to be a crowded race for the state’s second-highest office.
Kennedy, a civil litigator from Macon, has served in the chamber since 2014 and has held leadership roles ever since, becoming president pro tempore in 2022. He says he is running because voters are looking for a leader who will work across the aisle to get things done.
“I’ve never shied away from tough fights in the state legislature, and this campaign will be no different,” Kennedy said in a statement announcing his bid. “Georgians can be confident that my leadership will be focused on delivering conservative results, not empty rhetoric — and I know that by working together, we will keep Georgia growing, keep Georgia learning, and keep Georgia safe.”
The lieutenant governor’s main duty is to preside over Senate business, but Senators decide how much power the official has. In other words, a Republican lieutenant governor is likely to wield enormous power in a Republican-controlled chamber.
The incumbent, Republican Burt Jones, has not said what his plans are for 2026 but is widely expected to roll out a bid for governor later this summer. As president pro tempore, Kennedy has been instrumental in helping Jones set the agenda for the chamber. He also helped steer a major rewrite of litigation rules through the halls of the Gold Dome and onto Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk.
But several of Kennedy’s colleagues also have their sights set on the dais: Steve Gooch, the Senate majority leader, launched his bid last month and is modeling his campaign after Donald Trump, even referring to himself as a “diehard MAGA supporter.” Appropriations committee chair Blake Tillery has not announced a bid but has filed fundraising paperwork. On the Democratic side, state Sen. Josh McLaurin is the only announced candidate.