Sen. John F. Kennedy talks about lieutenant governor’s race

ATLANTA – Growth, education and safety are top of mind for Georgia Sen. John F. Kennedy as he expands his campaign to be Georgia’s next lieutenant governor. 

Kennedy, the current top-ranking Republican in Georgia’s state Senate, is a civil litigator from Macon who’s served for 11 years in the Georgia Senate. For the last three years, he’s served as the President Pro Tem of the Senate, one step below the lieutenant governor.

“Being president pro tem, you really have to look at issues as they affect the state and look at them from a bigger picture rather than your own senate district,” Kennedy said. “Of the different people in the race, I’m the person that has a consistent track record of conservative legislation and someone who has a vision for Georgia.”

Kennedy said his platform is focused on “keeping Georgia growing.” 

“We’ve been fortunate to have Gov. (Brian) Kemp guiding the economy and our state for the last 6 1/2 years,” he said. “If we don’t elect the right leaders who understand business, understand how the state economy works … if we have a good economy and folks can have good jobs and take care of their family, a lot of social ills … get taken care of.”

Kennedy’s strong support of Georgia’s economic growth saw him leading the state’s 2025 tort reform battle, which sought to reform the state’s civil litigation system. He said Georgia had an unfair civil justice imbalance that forced insurance companies to leave the state.

“You can pick just about any sector in the economy,” Kennedy said. “For example, the medical sector: You have a lot of desirable medical professionals, doctors and other professionals that want to come to the state of Georgia but are electing to go elsewhere because the malpractice premiums are so high.”

Senate Bill 68 makes it harder to sue businesses for things that happen on their property, a concept known as premises liability. 

“It is really a significant measure to bring fairness back to the whole process and maintain a good environment for our job creators in Georgia,” Kennedy said.  

Kennedy said his small-town background in south Georgia means he understands the unique challenges in bringing industry to rural Georgia. He said he believes in “good, conservative budgeting” at the state level so taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and funneled into areas that need it most.

“As lieutenant governor, I would certainly make sure that those that want to bring opportunities are businesses that are already in Georgia that want to expand, know that there’s a big beautiful state outside of the Atlanta area and that the people there are great, hard-working folks who want those opportunities,” he said. 

Kennedy said growing up in a farming community reinforces for him the reality that agriculture is the No. 1 business in the state. 

“Our farmers are great people and very resilient, but we’ve got to make sure we’re there to help,” he said. 

Coming out of Hurricane Helene, Kennedy was one of the state leaders who spent time surveying damage in south Georgia. He took what he saw back to the 2025 legislative session and pushed for state support for communities impacted. 

“Thinking about smart policies, making sure that farmers are heard and making sure that folks understand the ag community,” he said. “You can’t have national security without food security.” 

School performance and fighting chronic school absenteeism are also key issues for Kennedy. 

“We’ve got to keep Georgia learning; it’s what keeps the forward momentum,” he said, “making sure our kids are educated and prepared and ready to join the work force.”

Kennedy authored legislation to combat school absenteeism, which he called a “hidden chronic problem.” He also formed a Senate study committee that travels around to Georgia’s school systems to learn what root causes of absenteeism are. He said data show there are 360,000 school children in Georgia who are missing 18 days or more of school, a problem that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If they’re missing that much school, they’re not going to be literate at the level required, or not going to graduate school,” he said. “They’re not going to have access to the Georgia Dream or the American Dream that we want for those kids.” 

Keeping Georgia safe is also a priority, Kennedy said, noting he plans to push for support and funding for law enforcement, saying the profession has seen a “rough patch” for the last few years. 

Kennedy said he is concerned about Georgia’s mental health crisis, since the closure of state mental health facilities. He said he sees law enforcement on the front lines, despite lacking the proper training to handle mental health situations. He said he wants to work toward solutions at the state level. 

As far as health care access concerns, Kennedy said he wants to work with state organizations like Mercer University to make recruiting health care professionals in the state a priority. 

The lieutenant gubernatorial election will take place, Nov. 3, 2026.  Other Republican candidates who have qualified for the seat are Sen. Greg Dolezal, Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch, Sen. Blake Tillery, House lawmaker David Clark and Georgia Department of Veterans Services board member Takosha Swan. Sen. Josh McLaurin is the most high-profile Democrat in the race.