Four compete in runoff race for Georgia secretary of state
The 2020 election cast a national spotlight on voting in Georgia and on the state’s top elections officer.
When Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger refused President Donald Trump’s demand to “find” enough votes to reverse his loss, what had been a lower-profile state office became a lightning rod.
Six years later, Georgia remains a battleground in the fight over voting. That was underscored in January when the FBI seized Fulton County’s 2020 ballots as part of what the Trump administration described as a criminal probe. The Fulton investigation recently escalated after it was revealed the Trump administration demanded the county turn over personal information from 2020 election workers.
Raffensperger failed to secure a spot in a runoff for the GOP nomination in his run for governor. Whoever replaces him will oversee one of the most politically combustible issues in the state.
The secretary of state oversees elections in Georgia and certifies the state’s results. The office also oversees corporations and professional licensing.
Here’s a look at the four candidates headed toward June 16 runoffs.
Democrats
Dana Barrett
Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett is an outspoken opponent of Trump and MAGA Republicans who have cast doubt on Georgia’s elections.
She was one of two commissioners who voted against appointing a pair of Republican nominees to the Fulton County Board of Elections, defying a lower court order for the commission to seat them and labeling them far-right “extremists.” In March, the Georgia Court of Appeals sided with her and the county, overturning a lower court contempt ruling.
If elected, Barrett says she aims to secure elections, streamline licensing and protect seniors from scams and cyberattacks.
Penny Brown Reynolds
Brown Reynolds is a former Fulton County State Court judge and onetime host of the reality TV show “Family Court with Judge Penny.”
She served in the Biden administration as a senior official in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
If elected, she says she aims to safeguard vulnerable communities from fraud, modernize professional licensing, protect voting rights and restore trust in elections.
Republicans
Tim Fleming
Fleming, a small-business owner from Covington, is the chair of a House committee tasked with proposing changes to election laws.
The state legislator formerly served as Gov. Brian Kemp’s chief of staff before running for the state House in 2022. He also served in senior positions in the secretary of state’s office when Kemp held that role.
Fleming pledges to deport illegal immigrants who attempt to vote in Georgia, expedite professional licensing and “make it impossible for the Left to cheat in our elections.”
Vernon Jones
Jones, who switched from the Democratic Party in the wake of the 2020 election, formerly served as the DeKalb County CEO and a state representative. Jones has called himself the “Black Donald Trump” and has supported the president’s claims of a “rigged” 2020 election.
In 2022, Jones ran for governor but later dropped out and ran for an open seat in the U.S. House. Trump endorsed Jones, but he lost in the Republican primary to U.S. Rep. Mike Collins.
If elected, Jones says he wants to implement the “strongest possible measures to ensure” only U.S. citizens participate in Georgia elections, limit absentee voting and modernize the state’s professional licensing system. He also supports Georgia switching to hand-marked paper ballots.
About the Author
Caleb Groves is a general assignment reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's politics team and a Kennesaw State University graduate.
