2018 Secretary of State Election Taking Shape

The upcoming election will shake up Georgia from West Paces to the local city council. I’m not talking about 2016; I’m talking 2018. Whispers of potential candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor have run amuck for months as have conversations about who will replace the positions held by those ambitious politicians. One that comes up time and time again is Secretary of State.

It’s important to remember that everyone with a pulse and a sliver of ambition is eyeballing the Secretary of State’s office. I’ve heard whispers from various staffers and consultants gauging support for potential candidates. Even a county GOP chairman mentioned he might run for the spot.

According to the AJC, Senator Michael Williams, the first elected Trump supporter in Georgia, is a potential candidate. The first term senator from Cumming probably wasn’t a name you were exoecting to enter the Secretary of State field. His first two years at the Capitol were fairly uneventful. He avoided most of the drama, his legislation was conservative, and he kept his list of enemies short. He replaced a powerful senator with powerful friends and equally powerful enemies. Senator Williams was smart to avoid using firebrand tactics.

Then he endorsed Trump. The political class gagged and his constituents cheered. In Forsyth County, endorsing Trump is a natural choice. Now that he’s eyeing a statewide campaign, he will undoubtedly tap into Trump’s Georgia network. His consultant, Seth Weathers, was Trump’s first paid staffer in Georgia. While Weathers no longer works for Trump, he maintains close ties with the campaign.

If Senator Williams institutes the same strategy he used to beat a powerful incumbent, he will be a forced to be reckoned with.

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