ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The first Latino ever elected to a statewide Georgia office now wants to be its first U.S. senator of Hispanic descent.

On Monday, John King, who was elected Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner in 2022, announced he is running for the GOP Senate nomination with the ultimate goal of unseating one-term Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff.

So far, King and U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter are the only two announced candidates for the GOP Senate nomination. Last week, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene declined to enter the race.

King is a retired major general and former police chief. He was appointed by Kemp in 2019 to replace Jim Beck, who was then under investigation over allegations of fraud and money laundering.

After completing Beck’s term, King was elected in his own right in 2022. Beck is now serving a federal prison sentence after being convicted of stealing more than $2.5 million from the Georgia Underwriting Association from 2012 to 2019.

“President Trump needs reinforcements and Georgia needs a new senator,” King said. “Jon Ossoff voted against securing our border, against supporting Israel, and for letting men play women’s sports. He’s California’s third senator, not Georgia’s senior senator. It’s time for a change.

“I’ve led troops in combat, been blown up by an IED in Iraq, and been shot and stabbed in the line of duty as a cop. A tough campaign doesn’t scare me; giving Jon Ossoff six more years in the Senate does.”

King was born in Mexico and came to America when he was 17. He enlisted in the Army National Guard as a private and retired in 2023 as a major general.

King served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Africa. He also deployed to the southern border in 2017 during President Trump’s first term.

King spent four decades in law enforcement, joining the Atlanta Police Department as a beat cop and becoming Doraville’s police chief. He has been shot and stabbed in the line of duty and is a graduate of the Georgia Israeli Law Enforcement Exchange.

King co-chaired President Trump’s 2020 campaign in Georgia and, in 2024, spoke at multiple Trump rallies.

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