Georgia Attorney General Race Heads Toward Public Safety Showdown

Georgia voters will choose a new attorney general in November after Republican state Sen. Brian Strickland and Democratic state Rep. Tanya Miller won their party nominations for the open statewide seat. 

The race opened when Republican Attorney General Chris Carr decided to run for governor instead of seeking another term. The attorney general is Georgia’s chief legal officer, representing the state in court, advising the governor and state agencies, defending state laws and handling some criminal prosecutions, including public corruption and gang activity. 

Strickland, a McDonough attorney, has served in the state Senate since 2018 and chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. Before joining the Senate, he served in the Georgia House and worked as a floor leader for former Gov. Nathan Deal and Gov. Brian Kemp. His background gives Republicans a nominee with experience on legal, criminal justice and state government issues. 

Miller, an Atlanta Democrat and chair of the House Democratic Caucus, is a longtime trial attorney and former prosecutor. Her legal background includes work as an assistant U.S. attorney in New York and as a Fulton County prosecutor handling homicide and crimes against women and children. She has framed her campaign around consumer protection, public corruption and defending working families. 

The contest gives voters a clear contrast over how aggressively the state’s top lawyer should use the office. Strickland is pitching a law-and-order approach, while Miller argues Georgia needs an attorney general willing to challenge special interests and protect residents from abuse. The winner will serve a four-year term after the Nov. 3 general election.