Sen. Greg Dolezal has become the latest member of the Georgia Senate to launch a bid for lieutenant governor. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Sen. Greg Dolezal of Cumming has become the latest member of the Georgia Senate to launch a bid for lieutenant governor, joining several other Republican candidates in a race that includes some of the most powerful figures in the chamber. Dolezal, a businessman, was first elected to the state Senate in 2018 and represents a district based in Forsyth County.
In an ad announcing his campaign Tuesday, Dolezal touted his hard-line conservative credentials, including his role as the lead sponsor of the Riley Gaines Act during the 2025 legislative session. The bill — which was named after a college swimmer who tied for fifth place with a transgender swimmer in a tournament at Georgia Tech — bans transgender athletes from playing on most sports teams that align with their gender identity at both K-12 and college levels, and requires separate restrooms, locker rooms and sleeping facilities for men and women at athletic events.
Dolezal also promised to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs from “every government agency” in the state, “stop transgender indoctrination” in schools and universities, and oust prosecutors who are “soft on crime” in his campaign announcement.
Like many other GOP candidates, Dolezal has highlighted his loyalty to President Donald Trump in his pitch to voters, arguing that he “stood with President Trump when it mattered most.”
At a September rally for Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a Butts County Republican who is running for governor, Dolezal criticized Republicans who he characterized as fair-weather MAGA fans in his speech.
“In 2020, when President Trump needed allies, these politicians were silent,” he said.
He was also among the four Republican state senators in 2020 who called, unsuccessfully, for a special session to consider officially overturning the results of the presidential election in Georgia.
On the Republican side of the lieutenant governor’s race, Dolezal will be competing against candidates including Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch of Dahlonega, President Pro Tem John F. Kennedy of Macon, Sen. Blake Tillery of Vidalia, House lawmaker David Clark of Buford and Georgia Department of Veterans Services board member Takosha Swan of Conyers. Sen. Josh McLaurin of Sandy Springs is the most high-profile Democrat in the race.
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