ATLANTA, Ga. (WTVM) - Georgia House Democrats on Thursday nominated state Rep. Carolyn Hugley of Columbus to be the next speaker of the Georgia House. The party captured a majority in the chamber for the first time in more than two decades.

The announcement was made Thursday afternoon on the south steps of the State Capitol. If elected, Hugley would be the first Black woman elected speaker in the state’s history.

The full House will vote on Hugley’s nomination when the new legislature is sworn in in January.

Hugley on the nomination

Hugley said she is excited for the opportunity to bring change to Georgia and work across party lines to improve lives for all Georgians.

“I am so excited about where we are in this moment,” Hugley said.

She said her colleagues in the Georgia House Democratic Caucus elected her as the speaker nominee and that she will be presented to the full House in January.

“It is a historic moment,” Hugley said.

Hugley thanked the people of Columbus, particularly those who live in House District 141. “I just could not be more honored to represent you,” she said.

Affordability and Medicaid expansion

Hugley said this year’s elections were about affordability. She said candidates heard from people across the state who were concerned about the cost of “just about everything.”

Hugley said the caucus has the opportunity to support and work with Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms. She said Bottoms has outlined Medicaid expansion as the number one priority, and that it has been a priority of the caucus for several years.

Hugley said too many people are without health insurance and lack access to health care.

“We need a healthy Georgia in order for us to grow economically and do all the things that we are hoping to do,” she said.

Asked how to move Medicaid expansion forward after years of debate in Georgia, Hugley said “the missing link has been a governor who would entertain it.”

“And now we have a governor who’s going to lead the way,” she said.

Working with the Senate

Republicans still control the Georgia Senate. Hugley said Senate Republicans have to get their agenda to the House, and the House has to get its agenda to the Senate.

She said that will require finding common ground on the things that are most important for the people of Georgia and working together.

Timeline for changes

Hugley said Georgians should not expect the last 22 years to be undone in one year. She said she will start working with the new governor on the items people told Democrats are most important to them.

She said health care is the first priority. Hugley said she met with St. Francis on Thursday morning, and that the group discussed the growing amount of uncompensated care in the state.

Hugley said the legislative process is slow by design. She described the process this way: a bill is introduced, goes through committee, passes one chamber, and then starts over in the other chamber. If the House and Senate versions differ, she said, the chambers negotiate the differences because the bill has to pass both chambers exactly the same. The bill then goes to the governor’s desk for review.

“I don’t want to give anybody any false notions that things are going to change overnight,” Hugley said.

Copyright 2026 WTVM. All rights reserved.