Lt. Governor & Attorney General
The Lt. Governor controls which legislation reaches the Senate floor. The Attorney General would negotiate any DOJ consent decree on prison conditions. These races are critically important — and critically underexamined.
Lieutenant Governor
The Lt. Governor presides over the Georgia Senate, controls committee assignments and the floor calendar. This determines whether bills like SB 25 (Parole Transparency Act) and sentencing reform ever get a vote.
Blake Tillery
Record
- Led budget process for $600M+ in prison spending
- Authored SB 39 (transgender prisoner care ban)
No prison reform positions despite being the legislature’s lead budget writer for corrections spending.
Steve Gooch
Record
- General public safety messaging; no specific prison or parole positions
David Clark
Record
- Immigration-focused crime framing; no prison or parole positions
John F. Kennedy
Record
- No documented criminal justice positions
Brenda Nelson-Porter
Prison Reform Positions
- Prison food is “insufficient” — advocates Senate study committees on nutrition and medical care
- Make parole more accessible for trade program participants
- Earned time credits for literacy achievement
Other Republican Candidates
- Greg Dolezal — State Senator (Cumming). Advanced to the June 16 runoff against John F. Kennedy. No documented criminal-justice positions; GPS is compiling his record for the runoff.
- Jerry Timbs — Did not advance. No documented positions.
Josh McLaurin
Prison Reform Record & Positions
- Prison oversight: Co-chaired 2021 House Democratic Caucus Committee investigating the prison crisis
- Voting rights: Sponsored HB 101, HR 28, SB 179 to restore voting rights for felony convictions — would affect 200,000 people
- Sentencing: Voted NO on SB 63 (cash bail expansion), voted NO on SB 79 (fentanyl mandatory minimums)
- Parole: Advocates increased parole as an “evidence-based safety valve”
- Engagement: Regularly attends Parole Board meetings
- Construction: Opposed new prison construction
- Mentor: Stephen B. Bright, Southern Center for Human Rights
Nabilah Parkes
Advanced to the Democratic runoff against Josh McLaurin; if she wins she would be the first South Asian and Asian American lieutenant governor nominee in Georgia history. GPS is compiling her documented criminal-justice positions for the runoff.
Accountability Matrix — Lt. Governor
| Issue | Tillery (R) | Gooch (R) | Clark (R) | Kennedy (R) | Nelson-Porter (R) | McLaurin (D) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parole reform | — | — | — | — | YES | YES |
| Prison conditions | — | — | — | — | YES | YES |
| Sentencing reform | — | — | — | — | — | YES |
| Cash bail reform | — | — | — | — | — | YES |
| Voting rights restoration | — | — | — | — | — | YES |
| Independent oversight | — | — | — | — | — | YES |
| Transgender prisoners | BAN | — | — | — | — | — |
Attorney General
Georgia’s chief law enforcement officer. The next AG will negotiate any consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice regarding Georgia’s unconstitutional prison conditions. This race has received far less attention than it deserves.
Bill Cowsert
Campaign
- Public safety emphasis, Laken Riley case, immigration enforcement
- No positions on prison conditions, parole, or DOJ negotiations
Brian Strickland
Campaign
- General law-and-order messaging
- No positions on prison conditions, parole, or DOJ negotiations
Tanya Miller
Criminal Justice Positions
- Background: Former prosecutor (Fulton County Homicide Unit, Crimes Against Women & Children) AND civil rights attorney — unusual combination
- Incarceration: Pledges to “decrease the amount of people entangled in our criminal justice system”
- Healthcare: Committed to healthcare for incarcerated people and parolees
- Equity: Stands “firm against efforts that would criminalize lower income, young, and Black Georgians”
- DOJ: As AG, would negotiate a consent decree on prison conditions — the only candidate to address this
Robert Trammell
Background
- Rural west Georgia Democrat
- Limited prison-specific positions documented
Accountability Matrix — Attorney General
| Issue | Cowsert (R) | Strickland (R) | Miller (D) | Trammell (D) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reduce incarceration | — | — | YES | — |
| Police accountability | — | — | YES | — |
| Healthcare for incarcerated | — | — | YES | — |
| DOJ consent decree | — | — | YES | — |
Other Statewide Offices
These offices were also on the May 19 ballot. Several are headed to June 16 runoffs; among statewide races, only Attorney General, Agriculture Commissioner, and Public Service Commission District 3 were decided outright. See the Georgia Secretary of State’s official results for each office.
Secretary of State
Republicans: Tim Fleming, Vernon Jones, Kelvin King, Gabriel Sterling. Democrats: Dana Barrett, Adrian Consonery Jr., Penny Brown Reynolds. Minimal direct criminal justice relevance.
Insurance Commissioner
Republican: John King (incumbent). Correction: Nabilah Islam Parkes, previously listed here in pre-primary research, actually ran for Lieutenant Governor and advanced to the June 16 Democratic runoff (see above). No direct criminal justice relevance.
Labor Commissioner, Superintendent of Schools, Agriculture Commissioner
Multiple candidates across parties. Limited direct criminal justice relevance, though occupational licensing policy (Labor Commissioner) affects formerly incarcerated employment opportunities.
GPS does not endorse candidates. This page presents documented positions and public records. Return to the full Election Guide →