Georgia Women Elected to Statewide Office
(Historically)
Statewide Constitutional Offices include: Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State School Superintendent, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Insurance, Commissioner of Labor, and five members of the Public Service Commission.
Elected to Public Service Commission in November 2025:
Alicia Johnson – Democrat – Elected November 4, 2025 in a Special Election which FLIPed the seat by defeating Republican Incumbent Tim Echols. Her landslide victory and a similar margin for fellow Democrat Peter Hubbard gave Democrats their first statewide constitutional office WINs since 2006 and the first Democratic seats on the PSC since 2000. Alicia Johnson is both the first Black woman to serve on the PSC and the first Black woman elected to statewide office.
Currently Serving on Public Service Commission:
Tricia Pridemore – Republican – 2018 to present and up for re-election in 2026. She was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal in 2018 and then was elected for a new six-year term later the same year.
Prior PSC Service:
Angela Elizabeth Speir – Republican – 2003 to 2008. She was elected in 2002 by defeating Lauren “Bubba” McDonald by a margin of just over 7,000 votes with a low-budget “under-the-radar” campaign. She became the youngest woman ever elected to statewide office in Georgia and also the first woman to serve on the PSC and later, as its Chair. She chose not to seek re-election and is now Angela Speir Phelps, the Chief Operating Officer of Must Ministries, which offers services to unhoused and medically underserved residents.
Earlier Service as Secretary of State
Cathy Cox – Democrat – She was elected in 1998 to serve as Secretary of State, becoming the first woman elected to the position and the first Democratic woman elected statewide in Georgia. She served until 2006 when she ran for governor and lost in the Democratic primary. She had earlier served as a Georgia House member, representing the same area her father had earlier served, before being named Assistant Secretary of State in 1996. She is currently President of Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville and served as Dean of the Mercer University Law School from 2017 to 2021, and previously for a decade as President of Young Harris College.
Karen Handel – Republican – 2007 to 2009 – She was elected Secretary of State in 2006, becoming the first elected Republican Secretary of State in Georgia history. She served until December 2009 when she resigned to campaign for governor – ultimately losing to future Governor Nathan Deal in the Republican runoff. She later served in Congress and ran for other offices.
Earlier Service as Superintendent of Schools:
Linda Schrenko – Republican –1995 to 2002. She was elected in 1994, defeating Democratic Incumbent Werner Rogers. She became the first woman elected to statewide office in Georgia and was re-elected in 1998 but lost a 2002 bid for governor. She was later convicted for embezzlement and served time in Federal prison.
Kathy Cox – Republican – 2003 to 2010. After serving in the Georgia House from 1999 to 2003, she was elected Superintendent of Schools. She was re-elected, then resigned in July 2010 for an executive position with an educational non-profit.
Limited Time Statewide Appointments:
Barbara Rivera Holmes was appointed Commissioner of Labor by Gov. Brian Kemp in April 2025 and is expected to run for the office in 2026.
Robyn Crittenden was appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal to serve as Secretary of State from November 8, 2018 to January 14, 2019 for the express purpose of certifying the election of then SOS Brian Kemp as Georgia governor.
