ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — The Georgia governor and U.S. Senate races draw most of the attention, but Georgia voters will also fill six statewide offices on the Nov. 3 midterm ballot. Those offices appear on every Georgia ballot, while district races such as U.S. House vary by address and are covered separately.

The races covered are lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, agriculture, superintendent, and commissioner of labor.

Lieutenant Governor

The lieutenant governor is the state’s second-highest executive officer, presiding over the Georgia State Senate and deciding which bills advance to debate and a vote. The office also assumes the governorship if the governor is unable to serve.

Greg Dolezal (R)

Dolezal has represented District 27 in the state Senate since 2018, where he chairs the Transportation Committee.

Before elected office, he worked in ministry and business, helping lead companies in manufacturing, health care, technology, and services, according to his campaign website. Atlanta News First says he calls himself a “conservative workhorse.”

According to his campaign website, Dolezal says Georgia is “at a turning point,” with public safety, livelihoods, families, and children’s futures under threat.

Where he stands, according to his campaign website, legislative record, and news interviews:

• Taxes and affordability: End school taxes after age 65, lower income taxes, and eliminate state taxes on tips and overtime
• Data centers and deals: Oppose closed-door incentive packages for large corporations and require data centers to fund the power infrastructure they need
• Elections: Require hand-marked paper ballots, limit primaries to party members, and publish voter lists before Election Day
• Schools and housing: Expand the Georgia Promise Scholarship, and curb corporate and foreign ownership of single-family homes
• Safety and values: Fully fund law enforcement, support immigration enforcement, defend gun rights, and back pro-life policies

Josh McLaurin (D)

McLaurin won a Georgia House seat in 2018 and served there four years before moving to the state Senate in 2022, where he now represents District 14.

Raised in Cobb County, he earned two degrees from the University of Georgia and a law degree from Yale, then practiced business and aviation law, according to his campaign website and legislative biography.

McLaurin says Democrats need a vocal advocate for Democratic priorities. According to the Associated Press, he backs Medicaid expansion, restored abortion access, and tighter gun laws while working to counter President Trump’s agenda at the state level.

Where he stands, according to his campaign website, legislative record, and coverage:

• Affordability: Steer state dollars toward working families, expand attainable housing, and scale back corporate giveaways
• Workers: Strengthen protections for freelancers, shield whistleblowers from retaliation, and support organized labor
• Rights and voting: Enact state civil-rights protections, defend Black voting strength, and restore voting rights for more Georgians with past convictions
• Courts and safety: Modernize court and parole procedures, and create remedies when immigration officers violate rights

Secretary of State

The secretary of state is Georgia’s chief elections officer and record-keeper, administering elections, certifying results, registering businesses, and overseeing professional licensing.

Tim Fleming (R)

Fleming represents District 114 in the state House, taking office in 2023.

A lifelong Newton County resident and Covington small-business owner, he previously served as county commissioner, as deputy secretary of state under Brian Kemp, and later as Kemp’s campaign manager and chief of staff, according to his campaign website and Ballotpedia.

Fleming argues his time as deputy secretary gives him the hands-on experience to run the office. According to his campaign website, he wants elections that are secure, accessible, fair, and trusted, and he told the Associated Press he is “not running on conspiracy theories.”

Where he stands, according to his campaign website, legislative record, and AP interview:

• Elections: Support voter ID requirements, expand transparency, address QR code concerns in the short term, and transition to hand-marked paper ballots
• Licensing: Issue professional licenses within five days, enable automatic renewals, and upgrade outdated systems
• Business: Reduce barriers for small businesses, and prohibit campaign contributions from foreign nationals

Penny Brown Reynolds (D)

Reynolds served nearly a decade as a Fulton County State Court judge after becoming the first African American executive counsel to a Georgia governor and serving as senior counsel to a lieutenant governor.

In 2022, she was appointed a deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to the USDA and her campaign website.

According to her campaign website, Reynolds is running to protect voting rights and restore confidence so every eligible Georgian can cast a ballot in a fair and secure election. Atlanta News First says she could become the first Democrat elected to the office since 1999.

Where she stands, according to her campaign website:

• Voting: Expand early-voting locations and voting centers, protect absentee voting and drop boxes, and support election workers
• Small business: Speed up business formation, aid rural entrepreneurs, and provide clear guides plus mobile outreach
• Licensing and fraud: Shorten waits for nurses, teachers, and contractors, investigate scams and elder exploitation, and promote fraud awareness
• Transparency: Strengthen cybersecurity, publish a public performance dashboard, and host town halls

Attorney General

The attorney general serves as Georgia’s chief legal officer, representing the state in court, advising agencies, enforcing consumer protection and fraud statutes, and issuing legal opinions.

Brian Strickland (R)

Strickland serves in the state Senate, where he chairs the Judiciary Committee overseeing courts and criminal law.

Born and raised in Henry County, he earned an economics degree from Valdosta State and a law degree before returning home to practice law, according to his campaign website. He joined the state House in 2012 and the Senate in 2018.

Strickland says real people sit behind every case, and his small-town roots, legal practice, and legislative work have prepared him for the role. Atlanta News First says he was the first candidate to enter the contest.

Where he stands, according to his campaign website and debate statements:

• Safety: Coordinate local, state, and federal efforts against violent crime, gangs, trafficking, and illegal drugs
• Families: Assist special-needs households, expand mental-health care, and confront scams, identity theft, and price gouging
• Land and water: Guard clean water amid farm growth, preserve farmland, and limit hazardous releases such as ethylene oxide
• Fairness: Enforce the law evenly, support nonpartisan probate elections, and accelerate competency hearings

Tanya Miller (D)

Miller represents District 62 in the state House, where she became House Democratic Caucus chair in 2024.

Raised in Cleveland by a union mother, she earned undergraduate and law degrees from Case Western Reserve, according to her campaign website, then worked at a national firm, clerked for a federal judge, and prosecuted federal cases in New York.

In Georgia, she led Fulton County homicide prosecutions involving crimes against women and children.

Miller says Georgia needs “a new era of consumer protection.” According to the Associated Press, she argues families confront rising costs, scams, and safety concerns while the current office has been “asleep at the wheel.”

Where she stands, according to her campaign website:

• Safety: Dismantle violent networks, human trafficking, illegal guns, and fentanyl distribution while supporting officers and prioritizing offenses against children and domestic-violence victims
• Costs: Investigate grocery price gouging, challenge utility rate increases, and exercise antitrust authority
• Small business: Confront monopolies, establish a Small Business Protection Unit, and prosecute robocalls, scams, and elder fraud
• Rights: Uphold voting rights, privacy protections, and the rule of law

Commissioner of Agriculture

The agriculture commissioner directs the Georgia Department of Agriculture, aiding farmers, monitoring food safety and animal health, testing fuel pumps and retail scales, and promoting Georgia Grown products.

Tyler Harper (R)

Harper, the incumbent since January 2023, is a seventh-generation farmer from Ocilla, where the family has worked the land for more than 125 years.

He raises peanuts, cotton, timber, and cattle, studied at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and the University of Georgia, and represented District 7 in the state Senate from 2013 to 2023, according to his campaign website and Department biography.

Harper seeks another term behind a farmers-first agenda that eases household costs while safeguarding farms and the food supply, according to his campaign website.

Where he stands, according to his campaign website, Department releases, and news coverage:

• Groceries: Challenge consolidation across food and agriculture, and reinvest in Georgia producers to ease prices
• Georgia Grown: Grow the branding program across timber, produce, row crops, livestock, poultry, and urban agriculture
• Trade and beef: Insist on fair trade terms, fight unfair trade practices, and oppose duty-free foreign beef imports
• Safety: Sustain rigorous standards for meat, produce, and the broader food supply

Katherine Juhan-Arnold (D)

Juhan-Arnold, seeking office for the first time, founded Baby Katie’s Pharm & Kitchen in Snellville in 2014, a nonprofit advancing produce access, grower education, and farm-to-school connections.

She also brings more than a decade working on infrastructure systems supporting large mission-critical operations, focused on consistency and accountability, according to her campaign website and Ballotpedia survey.

According to her campaign website, Juhan-Arnold says growers deserve a department that partners with them, and households deserve dependable food backed by clear guidance and follow-through.

Where she stands, according to her campaign website and Ballotpedia survey:

• Service: Deliver consistent, transparent inspections, licensing, food-safety checks, and fuel testing statewide
• Small farms: Widen access to precision tools, markets, processing, and storage for small and mid-size operations
• Food ties: Scale farm-to-school efforts, regional hubs, and local purchasing so Georgia-grown food reaches Georgia tables
• Land, water, and rules: Evaluate large developments for farm impacts, improve water-use transparency, conserve farmland, and enforce weights, hemp, and labeling standards

State School Superintendent

The superintendent oversees Georgia’s public schools, administering the Department of Education, carrying out State Board policies, and assisting local districts.

Richard Woods (R)

Woods, the incumbent since 2015, has worked in public education for over 30 years, including 14 years teaching social studies before moving into curriculum leadership, pre-K direction, and serving as a principal.

Raised in a military household, he established a military-family liaison and Military Flagship recognition for military-friendly schools and lives in Tifton, according to the Department and his campaign website.

According to his campaign website, Woods campaigns on kids, classrooms, and common sense, linking stronger achievement with broader student pathways.

Where he stands, according to his Department site, campaign website, and news coverage:

• Reading and math: Finance literacy coaches, screen early readers for difficulties, and prepare teachers for evidence-based reading instruction
• Teachers and staff: Safeguard planning periods, reduce classroom screen time, lift salaries, extend experience-based raises beyond 21 years, and improve support staff compensation
• Safety and care: Invest in campus security, assign a resource officer to every school, expand mental-health services, and raise attendance and graduation rates
• Paths and funds: Broaden career, technical, and agricultural offerings, add diploma routes, and revise funding for transportation, poverty, and special needs

Lydia Powell (D)

Powell has worked roughly 24 to 26 years as a classroom teacher and campus leader in Florida, DeKalb, Henry, Clayton, and Fayette schools.

Her roles include high school assistant principal, college adjunct, diversity trainer, and parent-group leader, and she holds a doctorate in educational leadership, according to Ballotpedia and her campaign website.

According to her campaign website, Powell runs to give every child a solid start, rebuild confidence in educators, and widen opportunities for rural learners.

Where she stands, according to her Ballotpedia survey and campaign website:

• Early start: Guarantee universal preschool so children begin on equal footing
• Tests and teachers: Ease dependence on high-stakes exams in favor of balanced assessment, professional development, mental-health support, and equitable funding
• Reading and funds: Require research-backed literacy, oppose vouchers such as SB 233, and relieve district budget pressures
• Rural and whole child: Expand broadband and advanced coursework, and coordinate counselors, services, and officers around safety and well-being

Labor Commissioner

The labor commissioner heads the Georgia Department of Labor, managing unemployment insurance, workforce training, hiring services, and workplace safety initiatives.

Bárbara Rivera Holmes (R)

Holmes, appointed in March 2025, is Georgia’s first Latina constitutional officer.

Born in Puerto Rico, with grandparents who came from Cuba in 1962, she spent a decade as president and CEO of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, according to WALB and her campaign website.

According to her campaign website and department releases, Holmes seeks a full term to make the agency faster, more accountable, and more useful to workers and employers while positioning Georgia as a premier talent state.

Where she stands, according to her campaign website, Department releases, and WTOC coverage:

• Jobless aid: Replace the 1980s-era claims platform with cloud processing, quicker decisions, plain language, and tougher fraud safeguards
• Jobs: Strengthen matching, technical-college and WorkSource Georgia partnerships, and hiring assistance for small employers
• Red tape: Convene a review panel to simplify employer rules, wage reporting, and agency communications
• Pay and workplaces: Encourage competitive wages, secure workplaces, and upward mobility alongside business partners

Nikki Porcher (D)

Porcher, an Air Force veteran, former public-school teacher, and single mother, founded Buy From A Black Woman, which she says supports more than 700 entrepreneurs and has helped generate over $6.12 million in revenue, alongside speaking, podcasting, and workforce advocacy, according to Ballotpedia and her campaign website.

According to her campaign website, Porcher says too many Georgians struggle to secure quality jobs, skills training, or timely assistance, and she believes work should work for everyone.

Where she stands, according to her campaign website and Ballotpedia survey:

• Child care: Integrate affordable care into workforce strategy, raise awareness of parental supports, and promote family-friendly employers
• Small business: Connect Career Centers with neighborhood businesses, develop local hiring pipelines, and engage rural and underserved founders
• Fairness: Broaden rights education, quicken agency response, and oppose exploitation and unsafe conditions
• Access and skills: Modernize outreach and benefits navigation, extend service to overlooked communities, and expand apprenticeships plus paid training for in-demand fields

Information for this story comes from Greg Dolezal’s campaign website, his legislative profile, Atlanta News First’s interview and WTOC’s stop coverage, Josh McLaurin’s campaign website, his legislative bio, Atlanta News First’s voter guide and the Associated Press announcement, Tim Fleming’s campaign website, his Ballotpedia profile, and AP’s secretary-of-state primary report, Penny Brown Reynolds’ campaign website, USDA’s appointment release, and Atlanta News First’s runoff report, Brian Strickland’s campaign website, Atlanta News First’s AG launch report, and WRDW’s debate coverage, Tanya Miller’s campaign website, AP’s Miller launch report, and her Ballotpedia profile, Tyler Harper’s campaign website, his Department profile, and Atlanta News First’s cattle-market report, Katherine Juhan-Arnold’s campaign website and Ballotpedia survey, Richard Woods’ campaign website, his Department biography and 2027 priorities, Lydia Powell’s campaign website and Ballotpedia survey, Bárbara Rivera Holmes’ campaign website, her March strategic plan and WTOC’s Savannah visit report, and Nikki Porcher’s campaign website and Ballotpedia survey. Early voting information and sample ballots can be found at Georgia’s My Voter Page.

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