Democratic state Sen. Josh McLaurin of Sandy Springs won Georgia’s Democratic runoff for lieutenant governor Tuesday, defeating former state Sen. Nabilah Parkes and moving one step closer to one of the most powerful jobs at the Capitol.
McLaurin secured the nomination after a head-to-head runoff, CBS News projected. The win sends him into a November race against Republican state Sen. Greg Dolezal, who won his party’s runoff, WABE reported. The contest will decide who replaces Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, the Republican incumbent who left the office open to run for governor.
McLaurin, an attorney, currently represents Senate District 14. His district covers parts of Fulton County suburbs including Sandy Springs, Roswell, Johns Creek and Alpharetta. He first entered the General Assembly by flipping a House seat in 2018, then moved to the state Senate in 2023.
The Democratic nominee has campaigned on government accountability, voting rights and public education, while drawing national attention because of his former Yale Law School roommate, Vice President JD Vance. The Associated Press reported McLaurin launched his campaign by framing the office as a platform to oppose President Donald Trump’s policies and push Democratic priorities such as Medicaid expansion and reproductive rights.
Georgia’s lieutenant governor serves as the state’s second-highest elected official and president of the Senate, presiding over debate and helping introduce legislation. The office can assume executive powers if the governor is incapacitated.
McLaurin still faces a difficult fall campaign. Democrats have not held the office since Mark Taylor, who left after his 2006 governor bid. Dolezal is expected to run as a Trump-aligned conservative, setting up a sharp ideological contest over how the next lieutenant governor should use the Senate’s gavel.
