Kennedy, Dolezal headed for runoff in Georgia's Republican lieutenant governor primary, CBS News projects
Senate President Pro Tem John Kennedy is heading to a runoff with fellow state Senator Greg Dolezal for Georgia lieutenant governor, CBS News projects.
With a crowded field of seven candidates, no one received more than 50% of the vote during Tuesday's primary election, leading to a head-to-head race between the two candidates with the greatest share of the vote in June.
Kennedy, the top-ranking Republican in Georgia's state Senate, was first elected to the state Senate in 2014. He was chosen by his colleagues to be president pro tem, the No. 2 position in the Senate, in 2023. Before that, Kennedy had been chair of the majority caucus and led the redrawing of legislative and congressional districts after the 2020 Census, securing Republican majorities.
In recent years, the Macon attorney has helped pass laws limiting lawsuits and civil verdicts.
Like the onetime president, Kennedy's initials are JFK. But this Kennedy, born less than two years after the president was assassinated, is unrelated and bears the middle name of Flanders.
State Sen. Dolezol joined the race relatively late, becoming the fourth Republican state senator running for the position.
During his time in the Senate, he has led a special investigative committee examining allegations of misconduct by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her office during their investigation of President Trump.
He was one of four state senators who pushed unsuccessfully for a special session to consider overturning the election results by officially replacing Democratic electors with Republican electors for Mr. Trump.
Dolezal was also a lead sponsor of the Riley Gaines Act, Georgia's new law banning transgender students from competing in girls' sports.
State Sen. Blake Tillery, a Vidalia real estate attorney, was first elected in 2016 and became the Senate Appropriations Committee chair in 2020. He earned 19 percent of the vote Tuesday, which wasn't enough to help him advance to the runoff with Kennedy.
The other candidates in the race included state Rep. David Clark, Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch, veteran and researcher Brenda Nelson-Porter, and Georgia Department of Veterans Service executive board member Dr. Takosha Swan.
Georgia's lieutenant governor presides over Senate sessions, but senators decide how much power the official has. When senators agree, lieutenant governors can be influential, and it is likely that the GOP will remain in control of the General Assembly.
Whoever wins the June 16 runoff will face off against one of the three Democratic candidates running in the general election in November. The victor of that election will succeed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who ran for governor with the endorsement of President Trump.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
