Georgia’s qualifying period for statewide elections begins this week and ends on Friday, March 6. Filing the paperwork to continue a campaign for office can be a dream come true for some candidates. Many of those candidates are running for the position for the first time and could be the first Black man or woman to hold that office.
For Penny Brown Reynolds, Adrian Consonery, Jr., and Kelvin King, running to be elected as Georgia’s first Black Secretary of State has become a reality. Reynolds, a former Fulton County Superior Court judge, author, and television personality (see: Judge Penny), and pastor, is running as a Democrat. King, a veteran of the United States Air Force and business owner, is running as a Republican.
In 2026, three Black Americans are up for the job on either side of the ballot. Will there be a Black Georgia Secretary of State? The voters will decide.
There has been a Georgia secretary of state in office since John Milton, the namesake of the City of Milton, first took office in 1777. From the beginning through the 20th Secretary of State, John Bryan Wilson, who took office in 1931, to the first female Secretary of State, Lera Catherine Cox, in 1999, to the Current Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, who was elected in 2019, Georgia voters have failed to elect a Black American to the office.
On Monday morning, Reynolds stood on the steps of the Georgia State Capitol and spoke about her journey to this point in her political and professional career. Before the press conference began, she was introduced by her husband, Reverend Edwards Reynolds.
“Without question, I’m the right person for this job because I’m the most qualified,” Reynolds told The Atlanta Voice. “I can win this. We need someone who’s not afraid.”
King and Consonery, Jr. believe they, too, are the right people for the job.
King told The Atlanta Voice that he has a plan in place if he is successful.
“I will immediately execute the necessary steps to restore trust and transparency in our elections; I will improve the operations of the Business Licensing Division so that we are a service provider to our business community; I will also create a Securities Division that actually DOES the job they’re required to do. These goals can only be accomplished by someone with the courage and ability to lead, and I’m the only candidate in this race with that courage and ability.
Consonery, Jr. added in an email, “When elected, I look forward to serving all Georgians equally.”
Reynolds, who called the Secretary of State one of the most important offices in state government, has experience under the Gold Dome. She previously served as executive counsel to Georgia’s last Democratic governor, Roy Barnes. She was the first Black American person to serve in that role. She would be the first Black American person to serve as Georgia Secretary of State.
During her press conference, Reynolds mentioned her experience being one of the reasons she was the most qualified candidate on either side of the ballot. When asked whether the state of Georgia was ready for a Black woman to serve as its Secretary of State, Reynolds said it was, at least it was for her.
“Georgia is ready for this Black woman. I was born for this,” she said.
King agrees. “I know that it’s the right time and that Georgia’s ready to elect a Secretary of State who’s Black, with the right credentials and the courage to faithfully execute the lawful duties of the role,” he said.
“I believe Georgia is ready for change,” Consonery, Jr. says. “The status quo of how things have been must be changed. Past administrations have gutted the service aspect of the office to diminish the power and influence the Secretary of State can wield. With that said, I believe Georgia is very ready for change, in whatever form it takes.”
History could be made in November, no matter if Reynolds, Consonery, Jr., or King is in the winner’s circle.
“It would be historic in that I’d be the first Black Republican to win a statewide election in Georgia,” King told The Atlanta Voice via email on Monday afternoon. “However, I think what matters more is not that I was Black and did it, but that I did it without being dependent on powerful political families, lobbyists, or special interest groups. That I did it through working the hardest, having the best message, and operating with the utmost integrity.”
Primary election day is Tuesday, May 19, and a runoff election, if necessary, is on Tuesday, June 19. Election Day is on Tuesday, November 3.