The race:
Secretary of state
Party:
Democrat
The lane:
Penny Brown Reynolds is relying on her experience as an attorney and judge and her past work with former President Joe Biden. Biden nominated her to serve in the office of the assistant secretary for civil rights within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The basics:
Brown Reynolds has served as a Fulton County state judge, an attorney, a minister and as well as working in the Biden administration. She briefly presided over a nationally syndicated courtroom TV show. Brown Reynolds was the first Black person to serve as executive counsel to former Gov. Roy Barnes.
Why she’s running:
Brown Reynolds’ campaign has framed the secretary of state’s office as both a voting-rights office and a public-facing agency that affects Georgia businesses and professionals.
What’s working:
Brown Reynolds led the Democratic primary field heading into the runoff, receiving the most votes out of the four-way race. She has a wide background in law, government, civil rights, faith leadership and public communication.
The challenge:
With her broad background, Brown Reynolds needs to put forth a clear and memorable argument for why she should be the next secretary of state. Her reality TV stint gives her name recognition, but it also allows some voters to question her seriousness.
What to watch:
Brown Reynolds will need to turn her experience into a convincing statewide message for why she should manage Georgia’s elections, businesses and licensing.
Campaign website: https://www.pennyforgeorgia.com/
