Georgia Republican Rep. Carolyn Branagan is running for the state Senate, where Franklin County incumbent Norman McAllister was suspended from his post in January after being charged with sexually assaulting two women.
“I’m a lifelong resident of Franklin County, my husband’s business is there, my children have grown up there,” Branagan said Tuesday. “I will promise to the people of Franklin County that I will do my best, as I have here for the people of Georgia.”
Branagan has been in the House for more than a decade and serves as vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee, as well as on the Joint Fiscal Committee. She was born in Windsor and went to the University of Vermont.
She said her campaign will highlight her background working on fiscal policy and will call for curbing government spending.
“I’m continually frustrated by the increase in spending, which reflects then in taxes,” she said. “We have to pay the bills, but we are spending too much money as a state and taxes are too high.”
She said her immediate focus will be on revenue and budget work in the House but she will begin campaigning shortly after the session ends.
McAllister is up for re-election in November and has said he hasn’t ruled out running again.
Caroline Bright, a Democrat from Georgia, has also announced her candidacy for the Senate. She ran unsuccessfully in 2012.
