A Hall County State Senator issued a formal endorsement Tuesday in the upcoming Republican primary runoff for Georgia Lieutenant Governor.

District 49 State Senator Drew Echols (left) and District 27 State Senator Greg Dolezal (right)

District 49 State Senator Drew Echols (left) and District 27 State Senator Greg Dolezal (right)

State Senators John F. Kennedy of Macon and Greg Dolezal of Cumming are facing off in the GOP primary runoff on June 16. The winner will face the winner of a Democratic primary runoff between Josh McLaurin and Nabilah Parkes in the November general election.

On Tuesday, June 2, District 49 State Senator Drew Echols (R-Gainesville) issued a statement formally endorsing Kennedy for the Republican runoff. Echols also spoke on WDUN's "The Martha Zoller Show" about his endorsement.

"It's an honor to have worked with Senator Kennedy prior to him leaving and going and running for Lieutenant Governor," Echols said. "It's one thing to have a backbone and all this and that, but it's another thing to have a heart...I think you can be a compassionate conservative, and I know that's what John is."

Echols' endorsement of Kennedy came as he levied significant criticisms against Dolezal. Echols said he took particular issue with Dolezal's opposition to a Senate bill from the 2025 legislative session aimed at requiring any new school playgrounds built in the state to be built as inclusive playgrounds. Inclusive playgrounds are designed to be more easily usable for children with special needs.

"Some people would think that a playground bill for kids with special needs...that's kind of a non-issue," Echols said Tuesday. "But to go down to the well and rail against that...We can all hide behind being a fiscal hawk, or fiscally conservative, or any kind of excuse that you want; that's fine. But a [no vote] was enough that day, and it just stuck with me."

Dolezal responded Tuesday, arguing Echols mischaracterized his opposition to the bill.

"It's disappointing. I was concerned with that playground bill, as I said in the well, because it requires 20% of the area to be shaded, or covered...My concerns were that was going to make the playgrounds much smaller," Dolezal said. "I think that it was a well-intentioned bill that, much like a lot of what happens in the General Assembly, needed refinement...I stand by my concern."

House Bill 371 ultimately passed the 2025 legislative session with a 50-4 vote in the State Senate. It was signed by Governor Brian Kemp into law on April 9, 2025.

Echols also criticized Dolezal for a social media post he said was made by one of Dolezal's campaign staff members during an April Republican debate. The post in question was mocking the speech impediment of one of Dolezal and Kennedy's opponents, District 100 State Representative David Clark.

"Somebody on his staff made fun of a Green Beret," Echols said. "That's a pattern."

Dolezal said he took immediate action when he saw the post and has since apologized to Clark.

"There was a fan account that put something out after David put out misinformation about me. The morning that I saw it, I asked the team to remove it," Dolezal said. "I called David to apologize, left David a voicemail and have since confirmed with David that he received that. These things happen in campaigns, and to focus on that a month after the fact is revisionist history."

The primary runoff will be June 16.