In a surprise move, Nabilah Parkes jumps into lieutenant governor’s race

“Republicans are running scared,” she added. “We’ve been under Republican leadership for two decades, and it’s time to fire them.”

It was one of the biggest shake-ups of the five-day qualifying period, when candidates must formally declare which office they’re seeking.

A former party operative, Parkes is among the more progressive members of the Senate and has appealed to frustrated Democrats seeking a more confrontational style from their politicians.

She modeled an unsuccessful bid for Congress in 2020 after liberal New York U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez before winning a Gwinnett-based state Senate seat in 2022. She is the first Muslim woman elected to the chamber.

At the Capitol, Parkes has been a reliable supporter of Democratic priorities, backing efforts to expand Medicaid and cap insurance prices. She also opposed Gov. Brian Kemp’s sweeping legislation last year to rewrite litigation rules and called for an investigation into insurance industry profits.

Parkes has long had statewide ambitions, including a bid last year to chair the state Democratic Party and an announcement earlier this year that she would challenge Insurance Commissioner John King.

But she said she was partly inspired to switch races by a video posted this week by Republican state Sen. Greg Dolezal, another contender for lieutenant governor. The video depicts Muslims terrorizing white Georgia residents. She called it “racist, bigoted and Islamophobic.”

“That video reducing Muslims to caricatures was disgusting,” Parkes said, “and I’ll be a lieutenant governor who will not stand for this bigotry. And I’ll make sure Georgians are protected from it.”