Learn about Penny Brown Reynolds, Georgia’s next chief of elections

ATLANTA, Ga. — Penny Brown Reynolds is among the Democrats who made a sweep of statewide offices, winning election Tuesday to become secretary of state, Georgia’s top elections official.

She defeated state lawmaker Tim Fleming, who had previously cited “irregularities” in Georgia’s 2020 election.

Reynolds’ election was part of a historic blue wave across Georgia for statewide offices that includes Keisha Lance Bottoms’ historic gubernatorial victory, plus other Democratic wins in down-the-ballot races.

Blue wave, divided Gold Dome: What’s next after Ga. Democrats’ historic night

If anyone doubted whether Georgia remains the epicenter of American politics, Tuesday night officially settled the debate.

Reynolds becomes Georgia’s first female secretary of state, as well as the first woman of color to ever hold the office.

Reynolds is a former Fulton County superior and state judge who briefly handled family court disputes on TV and later served in President Joe Biden’s administration as a U.S. Department of Agriculture deputy assistant secretary for civil rights.

She will replace outgoing Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who launched an unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign earlier this year.

Fleming, a UGA graduate who has represented a Covington House district since 2023, served as a Newton County commissioner from 2009-2013, deputy secretary of state under Brian Kemp, and then chief of staff for Kemp.

The secretary of state oversees state elections and corporate filings, professional licenses and other business activities.

Raffensperger gained national attention in 2021 when he rebuffed President Donald Trump’s attempts to secure enough votes in Georgia to grant the then-45th chief executive a Peach State victory.