NEWTON COUNTY – Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger made the trip down to Newton County on April 22 to speak with members of the Rotary Club of Covington.

Raffensperger, who has been secretary of state since 2019, is one of the most notable conservative politicians in the state of Georgia. So much so that his name has been touted as a potential candidate for Governor in 2026. 

Raffensperger for Governor in 2026?

With current Governor Brian Kemp term limited, there is a long list of Georgia Republicans who could be lining up to enter the race. But will Raffensperger be among the hopeful nominees? 

“Georgia has been really good to Trish and I,” Raffensperger told The Covington News. “This is where we’ve built our business, raised our family, and that’s really why I got involved in the political process. I love Georgia. I love Georgians. And if I can serve in a higher office, I would take a look at that.”

Current status of Georgia elections

The secretary of state remained noncommittal when asked about any prospective candidacy, but he was forthcoming in conversation with the Rotarians on Georgia’s current election process.

A recent voter survey from the University of Georgia showcased positive feedback for the Office of the Secretary of State’s execution of the 2024 election. Raffensperger frequently echoed this in his presentation.

“I want to let you know we have a great story to tell in Georgia,” Raffensperger said.

That story included a number of changes that have been implemented in the voting process.

Raffensperger rattled off notable improvements, citing the implementation of photo identification for all methods of voting, wait times shortening to less than one hour (with an average of two minutes) and quick reporting of absentee and early voting ballots on election night.

“[Shorter wait times] builds trust,” Raffensperger said. “But also that people know they’re not gonna be up at 2 o'clock, 3 o'clock at night.”

Raffensperger reflects on phone call with President Donald Trump, SB 202 fall out

While Raffensperger’s tenure as secretary of state has been met with success, he has also been in the spotlight on multiple occasions.

Most notably, Raffensperger was on the tail end of a phone call obtained by The Washington Post with 45th and 47th U.S. President Donald Trump on Jan. 2, 2021. Trump, who lost the 2020 election to 46th President Joe Biden, told Raffensperger that he wanted to “find 11,780 votes” just days before the election was set to be certified.

Raffensperger rebuffed Trump’s claims during the call and has since publicly dismissed claims from Trump that the election was “rigged.”

The secretary of state gave an insight into what his call with the president was like four years ago.

“I wanted to make sure that when I talked with the President of the United States of America, that we had all the data, and so that’s what we’ve been working on since that election,” Raffensperger said. “So when they said that there were 10,300 dead people, we went ahead and checked and found out at the time we had found four of them, and there was a total of about 10. They said there were all these felons; we said at the time it was 74, but it’s actually less than 20.

“All these types of things to give them data points. We wanted to be really respectful of the Office of President. Because I think civil discourse is really important.”

Months later, the Georgia Senate passed Georgia Senate Bill (SB) 202, a bill that brought forth a number of changes for how elections are handled in the state. 

The bill drew criticism from then-President Biden, who claimed the bill was “Jim Crow of the 21st Century.” 

There were also significant economic repercussions of the bill. Most notably, Major League Baseball pulled the 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta due to the implementation of the bill, reportedly costing the state upwards of $100 million in economic losses.

Additionally, the State of Georgia was sued by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) during the Biden administration, challenging the statutes brought forth in the bill. The DOJ formally dismissed its lawsuit last month under the direction of new Attorney General Pam Bondi.

While Trump has criticized Raffensperger on a number of occasions since 2021, it seemed possible that he would have a strained relationship with the new administration. 

But Raffensperger claimed the recent move from Bondi shows that he and the Secretary of State’s Office do not feel any pressure from the Trump administration.

“Attorney General Pam Bondi, she dismissed this case that Biden politicized, SB202 – the Election Integrity Act of 2021 – that cost us millions of dollars to push back on that lawsuit,” Raffensperger said. “We lost the All-Star Game, which cost us, we don’t know how many millions of dollars, they say upwards of $100 million, just because of all what would have gone with that All-Star game. They went ahead and dismissed their lawsuit against us.”

What’s next for the secretary of state’s office?

While there may be looming questions regarding what is to come, Raffensperger said that for right now, he is focused on preparing for what he can control. That means preparing for the 2025 public service commission and municipal elections, as well as the many races that will take place in 2026.

“...Just continue on and work with a new crop of poll workers and the counties,” Raffensperger said. “It’s just working with them and getting prepared for a big year in 2026.”