SAVANNAH — Vowing to champion Democratic ideals under the state Capitol’s gold dome, state Sen. Harold Jones II on Friday became the top-ranking Democrat in the chamber.
The Georgia Senate Democratic Caucus elected the six-term Augusta legislator as minority leader during a caucus retreat. Jones succeeds Sen. Gloria Butler of Stone Mountain in the post. Butler served four years as minority leader but is retiring from the General Assembly when her term expires later this year.
Speaking outside the J.W. Marriott Hotel on Savannah’s riverfront, Jones offered an optimistic outlook for the Democratic agenda in the coming legislative session, which begins in January. He noted the Democrats held all their seats in the state Senate in Tuesday’s general election despite Republicans winning the highest-profile races, such as the presidential contest.
He also said Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to Donald Trump at the top of the ticket shows Georgia is still a “very purple state.”
Arvin Temkar/AJC
Arvin Temkar/AJC
“For a Black woman to be able to come to Georgia and only lose by only 117,000 votes tells you quite a bit,” he said. “This is not a situation where Georgia now has gone backward. I think we’re continuing the path forward for our Democratic principles.”
Joining Jones in state Senate Democratic leadership roles are Sen. Elena Parent, of Atlanta, as caucus chair; Sen. Kim Jackson, of Stone Mountain, as minority whip; Sen. Sonya Halpern, of Atlanta, as caucus vice chair; Sen. Jason Esteves, of Atlanta, as vice chair of fundraising; and Sen. Nan Orrock, of Atlanta, as treasurer.
Parent, Halpern and Orrock held those same posts for the past two years. Jones served as minority whip.
The 82-year-old Butler is the first Black woman to lead the Democratic Caucus and has served in the state Senate since 1998. She called the caucus election a “smooth” process.
“The togetherness and love that we showed made me proud to be a part of this caucus,” she said.
Butler and Jones highlighted several Senate Democratic priorities for the next session. Butler mentioned gun control measures, saying the state needs to “take care of its citizens, especially its children.”
Jones called for action on a number of issues, including prioritizing Medicaid expansion. The topic received a committee hearing in the 2024 legislative session, and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a Republican who serves as Senate president, said in an interview Thursday that he was open to debating it in the coming year.
Jason Getz/AJC
Jason Getz/AJC
The new minority leader said Democrats are eager for continued discussion on Medicaid expansion. An estimated 290,000 Georgians fall into a health care gap — earning too much to receive care through Medicaid but not enough to buy a private insurance plan.
“We’re on the right path, quite frankly, to getting that done,” he said. “We’re Democrats. We’re the minority party. We understand it takes time. Sometimes we’re willing to wait it out to make sure we do what’s right for people in Georgia.”
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