Several Georgia races shed candidates as qualifying week looms and races take shape 

This past week – the last before candidates officially qualify to run – brought plenty of news about who won’t be appearing on the ballot this year.  Georgia state Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Duluth Democrat, announced this week she is dropping out of the campaign for governor, saying that she will instead run for an […]

This past week – the last before candidates officially qualify to run – brought plenty of news about who won’t be appearing on the ballot this year. 

Georgia State Rep. Ruwa Romman suspends gubernatorial campaign, pivots to state Senate run

Georgia state Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Duluth Democrat, announced this week she is dropping out of the campaign for governor, saying that she will instead run for an open seat in the Georgia State Senate District 7. 

Romman said the race’s financial landscape changed recently, pointing to recent “dark money” entering the race and grassroots funding moving to other states like North Carolina and Texas, and that the move to the open state Senate seat would help protect and build on the movement she’s helped build. The move, she said, allows her to build a more sustainable political infrastructure.

“My main priority is to make sure the movement that we have built does not completely disappear. I want to make sure that we are building a sustainable movement outside of one person and one individual,” Romman said in an interview Thursday.

Romman declined to endorse a candidate ahead of the primary and said she is unsure if she’ll make an endorsement if the race goes into a run-off. But in a recent social media post, she had strongly opposed the idea that former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who served as a Republican but is now running for governor as a Democrat, is the most likely candidate to flip the seat, saying that he often resorts to talking about party switching because “he has no policies.” 

In a post announcing her new campaign, she called for “spiteful optimism” as her campaign shifts to the new race.

“There are a lot of people that want us to quit, that want us to be cynical, that want us to believe that none of this matters. We cannot let those people convince us to be self-defeating,” Romman said. “I’m actually a deep believer that our priority and our mission right now is to build the kind of infrastructure so that way, if and when this happens again, we’re actually able to not only be prepared for it, but also beat it.”

Seth Clark suspends Georgia lieutenant governor bid, cites family needs

Seth Clark, a former Macon-Bibb commissioner who recently launched a bid for Georgia lieutenant governor as a Democratic voice for “middle Georgia,” announced Friday he is suspending his campaign, citing personal circumstances. Clark, a Democrat who entered the race in January, said in a statement that his “most immediate calling” is to his family.

“Recently personal circumstances have shifted in ways that make the year ahead increasingly uncertain. After careful reflection, I’ve concluded that my most immediate calling is to my family. Because of that, I will be suspending my campaign for Lieutenant Governor,” Clark said in a social media post.

Clark’s departure comes just weeks after he stepped down from his local commission seat to challenge what he called “career state Capitol folks.” His exit leaves state Sen. Josh McLaurin, a Sandy Springs Democrat, as the most prominent name in the Democratic primary.

Candidate drops out of 14th district race while state rep tries to prevent confusion

The field of candidates seeking to replace former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene got a little less crowded this week.

Republican Trey Kelly bowed out of the race, citing President Donald Trump’s endorsement of former district attorney for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Clay Fuller.

“As someone who has spent countless hours working for President Trump the past ten years, I respect his wishes in Georgia’s Congressional District 14 special election and suspend my campaign effective immediately,” Kelly wrote in a letter to supporters Monday.

Republicans James Brown, Jared Craig, Larry Hilley and Christian Hurd have also withdrawn. The race began with nearly two dozen qualified candidates and is now down to 17, including 12 Republicans, three Democrats, an independent and a libertarian.

Early voting is underway in the conservative northwest Georgia district ahead of the March 10 election.

Kelly’s withdrawal may be good news for a Georgian with a similar name who calls a different part of the state home.

State Rep. Trey Kelley, a Republican from Cedartown and a totally different guy from Trey Kelly, said he had heard from numerous people who thought he was the one running.

Kelley posted to Instagram a screenshot of a news broadcast that used a photo of him alongside the real 14th District candidates.

“My focus remains on serving the citizens in the 16th State House District and will qualify to seek re-election,” Kelley wrote. “Serving our community is the greatest honor of my life and I look forward to earning your support during the 2026 election.”

Even without Kelly in the 14th District race, the field remains crowded and a runoff is likely.

But the confusion may not be over yet. Late last week, Kelly – not Kelley – filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run for Congress in Georgia’s 11th District, represented by Republican Congressman Barry Loudermilk, who is not seeking re-election.

Lynn Smith will retire after three decades in the House 

A longtime GOP lawmaker who chairs a key committee for environmental issues says she will retire after this year. 

State Rep. Lynn Smith, a Newnan Republican who first took office in 1997, announced this week that she will not seek another term. She chairs the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee. 

In a press release announcing her retirement, Smith said she was proud of work on policies that she said protected the state’s environment but that did so without impeding economic growth. 

“Together, we’ve tackled some complicated issues, and I’m incredibly proud of how we’ve worked to improve Georgia’s prosperity and quality of life while also protecting the state’s beauty, history, and environmental legacy,” she said in a statement. 

A big week ahead in Georgia politics 

Political hopefuls from across the Peach State will descend upon the Capitol beginning Monday to officially qualify to run for elected office.

Though a number of candidates seeking legislative or statewide offices have already launched their campaigns, they must qualify for their seat with the secretary of state’s office before they can appear on the ballot. The qualifying period opens at 9 a.m. Monday and runs through noon on March 6.

All 236 seats in the state Legislature are up for re-election this year, as well as Georgia’s 14 U.S. House seats and one of its two U.S. Senate seats. Statewide races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and Public Service Commission, among other offices, will also appear on the ballot. A full list of the federal and state offices that will appear on the ballot this year can be found on the secretary of state’s website.

Candidates must also pay a qualifying fee, which starts at $400 for a state legislative seat. The fees for statewide and federal offices, such as governor, Georgia Supreme Court Justice and Congress, are upwards of $5,000.

Georgia’s primary election will be held on May 19, with a runoff scheduled for June 16 if needed. Early voting for the primary will begin on April 27.

Candidate announcements: 

Michelle “Michi” Sanchez, a community organizer and advocate, announced her campaign for Georgia labor commissioner. Sanchez, who is running as a Democrat, pledged to transform the office if elected. “Georgia’s Labor Commissioner should be more than a paperwork shuffler. They should be a champion for the people whose labor builds this state every day,” Sanchez said in a statement. 

Former state Sen. Jen Jordan and personal injury attorney Miracle Rankin announced their campaigns for the Georgia Supreme Court this week. Rankin is challenging Justice Charlie Bethel, and Jordan is taking on Presiding Justice Sarah Hawkins Warren. Warren also announced Thursday that she would undergo outpatient surgery in mid-March for early-stage breast cancer that was caught by her annual mammogram, and she said her doctors expect her to make a full recovery. Warren said she plans to continue her work on the court and defend her seat in the May 19 nonpartisan election. 

State and federal-level candidates can send their announcements and other news to info@georgiarecorder.com.