GA-LC: Five Democrats competing to challenge appointed Republican labor commissioner

Most Georgians don’t come into contact with the state’s Department of Labor unless something has already gone wrong – like if you’ve lost your job and need to file for unemployment benefits or if you need to report unpaid wages or other workplace violations.

This time six years ago, things were going wrong for a lot of Georgians. Pandemic restrictions led businesses to shutter, and desperate residents struggled to get help from the overwhelmed department, bringing new scrutiny to the agency.

Georgia Labor Commissioner Bárbara Rivera Holmes, who was appointed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in 2025 following the death of Commissioner Bruce Thompson, touts strong labor force growth and low unemployment across the state.

Georgia’s unemployment rate in March was 3.5%, 0.8% better than the national average and 0.1% higher than a year prior.



https://georgiarecorder.com/2026/05/12/five-democrats-competing-to-challenge-appointed-republican-labor-commissioner/