Ga. Secretary of State race features a former TV showrunner and a political veteran
Reynolds and Fleming face off for GA Secretary of State.
By Nathaniel Jordan
The Telegraph
Georgia will elect a new secretary of state this year after the incumbent, Brad Raffensperger (R), made an unsuccessful run for governor in the primary. Penny Brown Reynolds (D) of Atlanta and state Rep. Tim Fleming (R) of Covington are the two nominees on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The Georgia secretary of state is the official keeper of the Great Seal of Georgia and oversees licensure and registration for nonprofits and businesses. Certain workers also require state licensing, such as nurses, contractors and plumbers.
The office also oversees elections, which is a hot topic for this year’s race in the wake of the SAVE America Act, a bill that would add more stringent identification requirements for U.S. voters. Supporters argue the bill will increase election security and limit voter fraud, while opponents say it will limit the ability of American citizens who lack transportation or certain forms of ID.
With a high-profile incumbent in Raffensperger out of the race, two newcomers — coming from different backgrounds — will face off for the seat.
Democratic nominee Penny B. Reynolds
Reynolds worked in the state legal system for around a decade, most notably as a judge. She left in 2008 to run the Daytime Emmy-winning show, “Family Court with Judge Penny.” She spent the better part of the 2010s involved in business ventures before returning to her alma mater, Georgia State University, as a professor. Reynolds joined the Biden administration in 2022, working as the USDA deputy assistant secretary.
“The people are owed integrity,” Reynolds said in an August interview with Georgia Conservation Voters. “As a judge, I’m impartial because that’s what it’s supposed to be about — making fair, free elections.”
The former judge has spent 2026 campaigning throughout the state with other prominent women of color. Organizations like the Krimson PAC and Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys endorse Reynolds.
Reynolds has said that she will fight for the rights of women and minority groups in the South. Activists and researchers say minorities are disproportionately impacted by restrictions on voter identification.
“This is my civil rights moment, and this is my moment,” Reynolds said in the August interview with Georgia Conservation Voters. “And it’s for Georgia, for all of us,”
Reynolds said she plans to lead the secretary of state office like a CEO. She has led a nonprofit, and she said a business mindset could help modernize licensing and registration procedures.
Her top issues and initiatives:
- Expand voter access
- Restoring public trust in elections
- Remove barriers for local businesses, especially in rural areas
- Install new voting equipment statewide
- Protect seniors from fraud
- Increase data protection.
Republican nominee Tim Fleming
Fleming represents Georgia House District 114, comprising all of Morgan County and parts of Newton County and Walton County. He has been in Georgia politics for 24 years, so he is running on the slogan “Experience Matters.”
He has worked for Gov. Brian Kemp in several political campaigns, including an eight-year tenure in the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office as Kemp’s assistant. Before joining the Georgia House of Representatives in 2022, Fleming served as Kemp’s first chief of staff.
Fleming received an endorsement from President Donald Trump via a post on Truth Social, in which Trump called Fleming a “MAGA Patriot.”
“I will be ready to lead — not learn,” Fleming said at a Marietta rally in July. “I also appreciate President Trump’s leadership in championing the SAVE America Act.”
Fleming, along with other Republicans, has called for investigation into Georgia’s 2020 election. He said there were “irregularities” in the polling. At the state house, Fleming chaired the Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Election Procedures.
“The legitimacy of our government — local, state and federal — rests squarely on the public’s trust in the electoral process,” Fleming said in July during the committee’s first meeting.
Beyond elections, Fleming consistently supported “cutting the red tape.” In other words, he wants to remove unnecessary or complicated restrictions, which would allow more small businesses and local professionals to receive state licensing.
“It’s my belief that governments should be there to help our taxpayers, not put up roadblocks,” Fleming said on a podcast in May.
His top issues and initiatives:
- Supporter of the SAVE America Act
- Election security and accessibility
- Streamlining registration and licensing
- Improve the department’s customer service
- Allow Georgians to enter the workforce faster.
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