The race:
Lieutenant governor
Party:
Democrat
The lane:
Nabliah Parkes’ campaign leans into her progressive policy priorities, with a focus on affordability and representation, and her identity as a history-making former state senator from Gwinnett County. Parkes is the first Muslim woman elected to the Georgia Senate and the first senator to give birth while in office.
The basics:
Parkes is a former state senator from Duluth who was first elected in 2022. She previously ran for Georgia’s 7th Congressional District in 2020. After initially launching a 2026 campaign for insurance commissioner last year, she switched to the lieutenant governor’s race in March.
Why she’s running:
Parkes says she switched races at what some could say was the last minute because she didn’t think there was a strong candidate in the lieutenant governor’s race. She also announced her switch shortly after getting into a social media back-and-forth with Republican candidate for lieutenant governor Greg Dolezal over a controversial anti-Muslim campaign ad.
What’s working:
Parkes is the daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants and her personal story has resonated with younger Democrats, women and immigrant communities.
The challenge:
Parkes last-minute switch to the lieutenant governor’s race gave her less time to build a campaign infrastructure for that office after previously campaigning for insurance commissioner. She will have to convince Democratic runoff voters that she is not just a history candidate, but the stronger nominee for a statewide fight.
What to watch:
Parkes will need to get Democratic voters to prioritize her broader coalition-and-representation argument.
Campaign website: https://nabilahparkes.com/
