ATLANTA, Ga. — Republicans in the Georgia Senate have filled two leadership posts left empty by the Nov. 3 election, and they will start the next term holding the chamber by the thinnest margin possible.
Sen. Tim Bearden of Carrollton was named majority caucus chairman for the 2027-28 term, and Sen. Drew Echols of Gainesville will serve as vice chairman, according to a Senate announcement. They replace Sen. Shawn Still of Suwanee and Sen. Clint Dixon of Buford, who were both unseated by Democratic challengers.
Every other caucus post carries over. Dallas Sen. Jason Anavitarte keeps the majority leader title, the whip job stays with Cataula Sen. Randy Robertson, and Marietta Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick continues as caucus secretary. The caucus again nominated Sen. Larry Walker III of Perry for president pro tempore, a vote the full Senate is expected to take in January.
The math is what has changed. Democrats picked up four Senate seats, including those held by Still, Dixon and Sen. Ed Setzler of Acworth, plus the open McDonough-area seat vacated by Sen. Brian Strickland, who ran for attorney general and lost. That leaves Republicans with 29 of 56 seats, exactly the number needed to pass a bill. With no cushion, a single absent Republican means the majority needs at least one Democratic vote.
A Democrat will also hold the gavel. Sen. Josh McLaurin of Sandy Springs won the lieutenant governor’s race, which makes him the presiding officer of the Senate.
The new lineup is a sharp break for a state where Republicans have controlled the Senate and the governor’s office since 2003 and the House since 2005. Starting in January, Democrats will hold the governor’s office under Keisha Lance Bottoms and a majority in the House, leaving the Senate as the GOP’s main check on the new administration. The budget is expected to be a central bargaining point, with the state ending the 2026 fiscal year holding about $8.7 billion in general fund reserves.
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Filed under: Atlanta GA Politics News
