Forsyth officials back Kennedy in GOP lieutenant governor runoff

Forsyth County Republicans are breaking from Greg Dolezal and lining up behind John F. Kennedy in the GOP runoff for lieutenant governor, a sharp sign that the local establishment is dividing over one of its own.

The runoff on June 16 follows the May 19 primary, where no one cleared 50 percent in a seven-candidate field. Kennedy finished as the top vote-getter and now faces Dolezal for a post that matters far more in Georgia than in most states: the lieutenant governor presides over the Georgia State Senate and controls which bills get a floor vote.

Dolezal, who represents Forsyth County-based Senate District 27 and was first elected in 2018, made Forsyth the opening stage of his campaign. He launched his bid with a kickoff in Forsyth County on Jan. 14, betting that his home political base would be enough to carry him into the runoff and beyond.

Instead, the race has exposed friction inside that base. Multiple Forsyth County officials and state representatives have endorsed Kennedy, weakening the sense that Dolezal can count on automatic loyalty at home. Kennedy’s allies see the split as proof that Dolezal’s style has cost him support, while his critics have pointed to his aggressive advertising and a controversial AI-generated campaign video as signs of a campaign that has generated conflict as much as momentum.

The local backlash is tied to a larger Forsyth issue that has become a political fault line across north Georgia: a proposed $21 billion data center complex near the county, a plan that has stirred debate over energy use, water demands and land use along the I-75 corridor. Dolezal has leaned into opposition to corporate data center tax breaks, casting himself as a strict fiscal conservative, while Kennedy has tried to position himself as the better fit for the post that will help shape what reaches the Senate floor if he wins.

Kennedy resigned his state Senate seat in December 2025 to focus on the lieutenant governor race, underscoring how seriously both campaigns are treating the contest. In Forsyth County, where the race began and where the data center fight remains politically charged, the endorsements now signal a deeper question: whether Dolezal can keep the support of the Republican machinery in the county that helped build his statewide profile, or whether Kennedy’s win will mark a shift in local influence heading into the next lieutenant governor’s term.