Another State Lawmaker Joins Race to be Georgia’s Next Lieutenant Governor

Ty Tagami

Thursday, August 14th, 2025

A fifth state lawmaker has joined the campaign to become Georgia’s next lieutenant governor, with Rep. David Clark, R-Buford, announcing his candidacy Tuesday.

 “I’ve been tested in combat and in the Capitol,” the Green Beret, who served in Afghanistan, says in an online ad, which begins with a voiceover about “a world on fire” that needs warriors, not politicians.

Clark’s announcement came one day after state Sen. Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, announced his own candidacy, becoming the third Republican state senator who has declared an intent to succeed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is running for governor.

Clark and Tillery hit similar talking points in their announcements, from cutting taxes and illegal immigration to transgender issues. Two previously announced senators, both former members of the chamber’s Republican leadership — Sens. John F. Kennedy of Macon and Steve Gooch of Dahlonega — are also running on platforms aimed to appeal to President Donald Trump’s MAGA base.

Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, is also campaigning to be Georgia’s next lieutenant governor, the officer who presides over the Senate and fills in for the governor when absent. McLaurin, the lone Democratic lawmaker in the race, was a near-daily critic of Trump and his economic policies and defiance of court orders when the General Assembly met this year.