Josh McLaurin Wins Georgia Lieutenant Governor’s Race

On November 3, Democrat Josh McLaurin won Georgia’s lieutenant governor’s race, defeating Republican state Sen. Greg Dolezal. Dolezal conceded, and the Associated Press called the contest for McLaurin on November 3, 2026. The victory makes McLaurin the first Democrat elected to the post since 2002.

The lieutenant governor presides over the state Senate and helps direct its daily legislative calendar and committee proceedings. McLaurin is set to lead a chamber likely to remain under Republican control. The office also puts its holder next in line to succeed the governor if that position becomes vacant.

McLaurin, a Sandy Springs-based attorney, was a state representative from 2019 to 2023 and has been in the Senate since 2023. His campaign supported expanding Medicaid, increasing public education funding and giving local governments more control over zoning for industrial facilities. Dolezal, a Cumming lawmaker and Senate Republican caucus leader, proposed eliminating municipal property taxes and restricting corporate subsidies.

The candidates’ county results showed a sharp geographic split. McLaurin won Bibb County by 33 points, while Dolezal carried Brantley County by 76.4 points and Banks County by 70.1. Dolezal’s campaign also drew criticism after he shared an AI-created advertisement casting Muslims as hostile outsiders; Democrats and Republican state Sen. John Kennedy condemned it.

McLaurin’s Win Brings Georgia Democrats to Senate Leadership

Georgia voters chose Democrat Josh McLaurin to preside over the state Senate, handing him a consequential post even as Republicans are likely to retain control of the chamber. His November 3 victory over Republican Greg Dolezal makes him the first Democrat elected lieutenant governor since 2002.

The office influences committee proceedings and the daily legislative calendar. McLaurin campaigned for full Medicaid expansion, more public education funding and stronger local zoning authority over industrial facilities—priorities that will now be part of the debate he helps lead.

Dolezal, who conceded, ran on eliminating municipal property taxes and restricting corporate subsidies. His campaign also drew condemnation from Democrats and Republican state Sen. John Kennedy after he shared a computer-created campaign spot casting Muslims as hostile outsiders. The contrast leaves Georgia’s Senate leadership in the hands of a Democrat whose campaign emphasized public services and local control, while the chamber itself is likely to remain Republican-led.

McLaurin Wins Office Overseeing a Likely Republican Senate

Josh McLaurin’s victory gives Democrats the lieutenant governor’s office, but not control of a Georgia Senate likely to remain Republican-led. McLaurin defeated Republican Greg Dolezal on November 3, becoming the first Democrat elected to the post since 2002; Dolezal conceded.

The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate and influences committee proceedings and the daily legislative calendar. That gives McLaurin a major role in the chamber even as lawmakers remain divided over the direction of state policy.

McLaurin campaigned for full Medicaid expansion, increased public education funding and greater local zoning control over industrial facilities. Dolezal’s platform instead called for eliminating municipal property taxes and restricting corporate subsidies, putting fiscal restraint at the center of his bid. Georgia’s county returns reflected the divide: McLaurin won Bibb County by 33 points, while Dolezal carried Brantley by 76.4 points and Banks by 70.1. The election gives Democrats a foothold in Senate leadership, while voters’ county-level choices show the state remains sharply split.