Newly elected Georgia Senate Minority Leader says caucus will continue to push for bipartisan solutions

November 12th, 2024

Georgia State Sen. Harold Jones of Augusta speaks at a news conference outdoors. — Georgia State Sen. Harold Jones of Augusta speaks at a news conference after being elected the Senate's new Democratic leader on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, in Savannah, Ga. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)

The Georgia Senate Democrats recently elected new leadership for the 2025-2026 legislative sessions, naming Augusta Senator Harold Jones II as leader of the Georgia Senate Democratic Caucus.

Jones replaces Gloria Butler of Stone Mountain, who is retiring at the end of her term. He joined “All Things Considered” to talk about the party’s priorities going forward at the state level.

Jones, a six-term senator, promises to push for Democratic priorities in the upcoming legislative session, including Medicaid expansion and affordable housing.

Jones also expressed optimism about the state’s political landscape, pointing out Democrats held all their Senate seats in the recent election. He said the roughly 116,000 votes by which Vice President Kamala Harris lost to former president Donald Trump shows Georgia is still a purple state.

The rest of the Democratic leadership positions have also been filled, with Senator Elena Parent continuing as caucus chair and Senator Kim Jackson becoming minority whip.

Christopher Alston contributed to this report.