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Brad Raffensperger, the two-term Republican secretary of state, joins a primary that also includes the state’s lieutenant governor and attorney general.
Sept. 17, 2025, 12:49 p.m. ET
Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state who defied pressure from President Trump to “find” enough votes to overturn his loss there in 2020, announced on Wednesday that he was running for governor.
Mr. Raffensperger, a Republican in his second term as secretary of state, is the latest high-profile candidate to enter the 2026 race to replace Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican prevented by term limits from seeking re-election. He will join a primary field that already includes Burt Jones, the state’s lieutenant governor, and Chris Carr, its attorney general.
Mr. Raffensperger, a mild-mannered civil engineer, gained national prominence when he stood up to Mr. Trump after the 2020 election and defended its integrity despite relentless attacks from the president and his supporters. Nearly five years later, he is seeking the Republican nomination with Mr. Trump back in power, with a firm grip on the party in Georgia and nationally.
“I’m a conservative Republican, and I’m prepared to make the tough decisions,” Mr. Raffensperger said in an announcement video. “I follow the law and the Constitution, and I’ll always do the right thing for Georgia no matter what.”
Mr. Raffensperger also called for cutting taxes, adding restrictions on access to gender transition care for minors, and expanding treatment for drug addiction, a proposal that emerged from the torment his family experienced after his son’s death from a fentanyl overdose in 2018.
He also boasted of his support for state laws tightening access to voting, which were assailed by Democrats and voting rights groups.
