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Georgia’s election this 12 months can be a pivotal one, with a variety of massive names vying for high-profile positions statewide. But behind the blinding highlight of the governor’s race and the U.S. Senate contest, the remainder of Georgia’s constitutional officer positions up for vote.
Georgia will get new commissioners of agriculture, labor and insurance coverage, three positions which have a heavy hand in regulating totally different facets of the state. Each leads the state’s division in its respective subject, and the obligations of every workplace are far-reaching.
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The Dept. of Agriculture regulates and displays most food-related points, from which pesticides are allowed for farming to acceptable practices in bottling and meals processing crops. But additionally extends to gasoline station pump calibration and regulating pet breeders, and a large berth of different points.
The commissioner of Insurance displays insurance coverage firms, offers licensing providers to insurance coverage brokers and regulates industrial mortgage officers. The workplace additionally solutions questions and complaints concerning particular insurance coverage suppliers and charges.
The Labor commissioner is accountable for implementing the state’s workforce rules and working Georgia’s unemployment insurance coverage and rehabilitation applications.
Each place comes with a four-year time period.
The primaries can be held on May 24, with early voting starting May 2.
Here’s a take a look at the candidates.
Commissioner of Agriculture
Currently the State Senator for District 6, the Republican farmer from Ocilla says he’s trying to hold liberal affect out of Georgia. He says if elected, he’ll “ensure our food supplies are kept safe, making sure that our families are fed. He will always put Georgia agriculture first and fight the overreach of Washington, D.C.”
Current Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black is just not working to maintain his seat, mounting a run for the U.S. Senate seat presently held by Democrat Raphael Warnock as an alternative.
Dukes has served because the consultant for District 154 since 1997. He is chief govt officer of Dukes, Edwards and Dukes, Inc., primarily based in Albany, Georgia and an guide within the meals service and restaurant industries.
Hemingway works as an entrepreneur, realtor and cut-flower farmer. She says if elected, she is going to construct a world-class meals system that permits Georgia farmers to turn into extra worthwhile. Hemingway ran for Georgia House District 104 in 2020, however misplaced.
Swann was the Democratic Nominee for Agriculture Commissioner in 2018, however misplaced. Swann is an entrepreneur and a small enterprise proprietor, working Out of the Box Farms in Gainesville.
Commissioner of Insurance
The incumbent, King was appointed because the insurance coverage commissioner in 2019, after Jim Beck was suspended from the place. King served because the Doraville police chief for seventeen years. King stated he hopes to “restore trust in the Department of Insurance, eliminate corruption, and advance policies that put consumers ahead of the special interests.”
A authorized guide from Atlanta, Witt labored as deputy chief of employees and appearing chief of employees within the U.S. Office of Personnel Management beneath the Trump administration. He additionally served on President Trump’s post-election authorized workforce in Georgia.
Baker is an insurance coverage salesman and creator who says he’ll advocate for cheap insurance coverage charges if elected. He hopes to work with legislators to convey reasonably priced healthcare to the folks of Georgia, present equitable insurance coverage charges for Black Georgians, and decrease automotive insurance coverage premiums.
Robinson ran for insurance coverage commissioner in 2018, and misplaced with 47% of the vote. Robinson says if elected she is going to ensure that “there is a pathway for all our families to be included at the level of the Commissioner’s Office in a reliable and sustainable way.”
Wilson has been the District 80 consultant within the Georgia House since 2019. He says if elected, he hopes to decrease month-to-month payments and present higher protection for Georgians. He additionally helps the enlargement of Medicaid.
Commissioner of Labor
Coan served because the consultant for District 101 within the Georgia House from 1997 to 2011. He presently serves as deputy commissioner within the Department of Labor. He is a member of the Childrens Make-a-wish Foundation, Gwinett Young Republicans, Hebron Baptist Church and the Special Olympics.
Thompson is a member of the Georgia State Senate, representing District 14, a place he has held since 2013. Thompson has launched and signed controversial laws in 2022, together with a invoice that will require ladies to see docs in individual earlier than receiving a selected abortion capsule, and Georgia’s iteration of the “Don’t Say Gay” invoice.
Current Labor Commissioner Mark Butler determined to not run for the place once more this 12 months, citing “new alternatives” and saying he needs to concentrate on his household.
Boddie is the present state consultant for Georgia House District 62, and has held the seat since 2017. Boddie has been a member of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, the South Fulton and Douglas County Chamber of Commerce, the Douglas County Small Business Society, the City of Douglasville Housing Committee, and the Douglas County Democratic Party.
The state senator from Savannah has held his place for the final 14 years and says he’s working to increase Medicaid and enhance the public-facing facet of the labor division. Jackson cited constituent points with delayed unemployment checks and communication woes from the labor division.
Will Peebles is the enterprise reporter for Savannah Morning News. He may be reached at [email protected] and @willpeeblessmn on Twitter.
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