Gary Black

Gary Black

Republican Party

Prior offices

Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture

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Elections and appointments

Last election

May 24, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

University of Georgia, 1980

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Gary Black (Republican Party) was the Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture. He assumed office on January 10, 2011. He left office on January 9, 2023.

Black (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Georgia. He lost in the Republican primary on May 24, 2022.

Biography

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Before becoming commissioner, Black co-managed the Georgia Food Industry Partnership for 13 years. He also served as president of the Georgia Agribusiness Council and as a field representative in the Georgia Farm Bureau.

Black graduated from the University of Georgia in 1980 with a Bachelor's degree in agricultural education.

Education

• B.A. in agricultural education, University of Georgia (1980)

Political career

Commissioner of Agriculture (2011-2023)

Black, a Republican, assumed office as the Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture in January 2011.

Elections

2022

See also: United States Senate election in Georgia, 2022

General runoff election

General runoff election for U.S. Senate Georgia

Incumbent Raphael Warnock defeated Herschel Walker in the general runoff election for U.S. Senate Georgia on December 6, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Raphael Warnock (D)	51.4	1,820,633
		Herschel Walker (R)	48.6	1,721,244

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,541,877
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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General election

General election for U.S. Senate Georgia

Incumbent Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker advanced to a runoff. They defeated Chase Oliver in the general election for U.S. Senate Georgia on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Raphael Warnock (D)	49.4	1,946,117
✔		Herschel Walker (R)	48.5	1,908,442
		Chase Oliver (L)	2.1	81,365

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,935,924
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• George Litchfield (Conservative Party)
• Annette Davis Jackson (R)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Georgia

Incumbent Raphael Warnock defeated Tamara Johnson-Shealey in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Georgia on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Raphael Warnock	96.0	702,610
		Tamara Johnson-Shealey	4.0	28,984

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 731,594
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Georgia

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Georgia on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Herschel Walker	68.2	803,560
		Gary Black	13.4	157,370
		Latham Saddler	8.9	104,471
		Josh Clark	4.0	46,693
		Kelvin King	3.2	37,930
		Jonathan McColumn	2.4	28,601

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,178,625
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• James Nestor (R)
• Jared Craig (R)

2018

See also: Georgia Agriculture Commissioner election, 2018

General election

General election for Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture

Incumbent Gary Black defeated Fred Swann in the general election for Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gary Black (R)	53.1	2,040,097
		Fred Swann (D)	46.9	1,803,383

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,843,480
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture

Fred Swann advanced from the Democratic primary for Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Fred Swann	100.0	444,869

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 444,869
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture

Incumbent Gary Black advanced from the Republican primary for Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gary Black	100.0	481,263

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 481,263
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2014

See also: Georgia down ballot state executive elections, 2014

Black ran for re-election as Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture in 2014. He was uncontested in the Republican primary and faced Democrat Chris Irvin in the general election on November 4, 2014.

Results

Agriculture Commissioner of Georgia, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Gary Black Incumbent	58.3%	1,462,039
	Democrat	Christopher Irvin	41.7%	1,047,339
Total Votes				2,509,378
Election results via Georgia Secretary of State

2010

Black won election in the November 2010 election, defeating Democratic candidate J.B. Powell and Libertarian Kevin Cherry.

Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Gary Black	56%	1,426,746
	Democratic	J.B. Powell	40.4%	1,027,373
	Libertarian	Kevin Cherry	3.6%	91,447
Total Votes				2,545,566
Election results via Georgia Secretary of State

2006

Black first ran for commissioner of agriculture in 2006, losing to incumbent Commissioner Irvin.

Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture, 2006
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Tommy Irvin	56%	1,168,371
	Republican	Gary Black	40.6%	846,395
	Libertarian	Jack Cashin	3.4%	70,015
Total Votes				2,084,781
Election results via Georgia Secretary of State

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Gary Black did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Black’s campaign website stated the following:

“	Agriculture Agriculture makes life better for every Georgian. It’s our number one industry, contributing more than $70 billion to our economy every single year. As Agriculture Commissioner, I’ve protected our farmers from crushing regulations and dedicated myself to securing prosperity for the next generation of Georgia farmers, farm families, agribusiness employers and, as a result, all Georgians. And that’s what I’m going to keep doing in the U.S. Senate. Cancel Culture I stand firmly against censorship in our free nation. The cancel culture talking heads and Big Tech have teamed up with Regressive Democrats to silence conservatives and shun the core tenets of our Republic. It’s got to end. Communist China The Chinese Communist Party must be held to account for the pandemic China unleashed, the atrocities it commits against its own people, and its rampant theft of American technology and intellectual property. Simply put, we must check China’s influence on every corner of the globe, and I’m prepared to lead that charge in the U.S. Senate. Crime A violent crime wave has swept Atlanta and cities across America, and it’s a direct result of the regressive “defund the police” movement. Murders rose 30 percent in 2020, and they’re already up another 16 percent in 2021. Simply put, defunding the police is the dumbest idea I’ve heard since D.C. statehood. We need to RE-FUND police, enforce the rule of law, and recruit the next generation of law enforcement officers and deputies. Raphael Warnock, who has a long history of insulting law enforcement, won’t do that. I will. Critical Race Theory Critical race theory is more of the same “hate America, divide America” propaganda the Extreme Left has pushed for years. However, today it’s become the mainstream of the Regressive Democrat Party. It’s pure propaganda, and we must halt its intrusion into our classrooms and the military. Education Education is personal for me. I married a teacher and have developed trusted, long-standing relationships with school superintendents, administrators, K-12 teachers, school nutrition experts, technical schools, and higher education programs. I’ve seen first-hand how children thrive when the classroom is the first priority and local control remains intact, and I’ve advocated for multiple paths to post-secondary success by supporting our technical college system. Election Security Raphael Warnock and Regressive Democrats in the Senate are leading the charge to nationalize our elections, ban voter ID, mandate dangerous practices like ballot harvesting, and ultimately fund their campaigns with our tax dollars. Not on my watch. Winning back this U.S. Senate seat means putting an end to the Regressive Party’s attempts at taking over our elections. I’ll work to make our elections more secure, standing against any blue wave that tries to erode voter ID laws. Georgia Veterans This Senate seat was held by Senator Johnny Isakson, whose work for Georgia veterans and their families is unmatched. I’ll work across the aisle to build on Senator Isakson’s strong legacy, keeping the promise we owe to those who’ve given so much for our country. Georgia’s Military Tradition As the son of an Army veteran, I’ve seen Georgia’s proud military tradition firsthand for my entire life. Our state is home to 13 military installations, each of which plays a vital role in their communities and to the overall mission of our entire military. I’ll be a trusted partner to each of these installations, working every day to protect and strengthen their role in keeping our country safe. Illegal Immigration President Biden and Raphael Warnock’s open borders policy has unleashed a national security and public health crisis. Border crossings are at a record high, overwhelming Customs and Border Patrol and leading to thousands of illegal immigrants being freed into our country with no court date. Full stop. In the U.S. Senate, I’ll fight to ensure the border is secure, the law is enforced, and the wall is built. And I support zero amnesty. Period. Infrastructure We should be building roads and bridges, strengthening ports, and securing our power grid. But we should do so without trillions spent on pet projects that set our country’s fiscal future on fire. Jobs and the Economy Joe Biden and Raphael Warnock’s policies have created a labor shortage, spiraling inflation, and added trillions more to our national debt. Businesses should compete with reasonable oversight, but without competition from a federal government that pays people to stay home. We must change course before it’s too late. As Agriculture Commissioner, we created new markets, expanded jobs, and gave businesses the support they needed to start and grow. I’ll put that experience to work in the U.S. Senate, to create opportunity, not dependency. National Security Since President Biden and Raphael Warnock took office, America has been humiliated on the world stage. Afghanistan has turned into Saigon 2.0. Russia has been given the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and the NEW Start Treaty. Nothing has been done to check China’s rising influence. The Middle East is on fire once again, and all the while, Raphael Warnock has been MIA and is clearly out of his depth on foreign policy. Our country deserves better, and I’ll stand for a fearless approach to national defense and strengthening our international position around the world. Pro-life I believe that life begins at conception. Period. Regressive Power Grabs Raphael Warnock and the rest of the Regressive Democrats have made it clear: They want to “fundamentally change” the foundations of our government. I’ll stand in that gap to stop them. I believe that nine Supreme Court justices is plenty. I believe the filibuster should be protected. And I believe unelected bureaucrats in Washington have no business running Georgia’s elections. Second Amendment I prefer Jesus’ command: “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” But my home and family are defended in case others do not follow this command. The Second Amendment is the ultimate firewall and it must be protected. I’ll stand strong against any regressive plans to take our Constitutional rights. Taxes Joe Biden and Raphael Warnock are working overtime to end the Trump tax cuts and raise taxes on working Georgians and small businesses. I’m diametrically opposed to this agenda. We need to make the Trump tax cuts permanent. We need to cut taxes further so that workers and families can keep more of what they earn, and so that our country can be more competitive. And death taxes need to die.	”
—Gary Black’s campaign website (2022)

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Gary Black campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	U.S. Senate Georgia	Lost primary	$2,030,593	$2,028,136
2014	Georgia Agriculture Commissioner	Won	$878,622	N/A**
2010	Georgia Agriculture Commissioner	Won	$924,294	N/A**
2006	Georgia Agriculture Commissioner	Lost	$1,433,131	N/A**
Grand total			$5,266,640	$2,028,136
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

2022 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

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Newsletters

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• Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture
• Commissioner of Agriculture
• Georgia down ballot state executive elections, 2014

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Candidate

U.S. Senate Georgia

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture 2011-2023	Succeeded by -

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Georgia's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Jon Ossoff (D)

Raphael Warnock (D)

Representatives

District 1

Earl Carter (R)

District 2

Sanford Bishop (D)

District 3

Brian Jack (R)

District 4

Hank Johnson (D)

District 5

Nikema Williams (D)

District 6

Lucy McBath (D)

District 7

Rich McCormick (R)

District 8

Austin Scott (R)

District 9

Andrew Clyde (R)

District 10

Mike Collins (R)

District 11

Barry Loudermilk (R)

District 12

Rick Allen (R)

District 13

David Scott (D)

District 14

Marjorie Greene (R)

Republican Party (9)

Democratic Party (7)