Georgia Labor Commissioner: Barbara Rivera Holmes, Nikki Porcher

Nikki Porcher (D)

Porcher is a U.S. Air Force veteran who became a public school teacher after service. She looks at her service as preparation for the role of labor commissioner, she said during an Atlanta Press Club debate.

“I do know how the government works. I do know how the government operates, and I am ready to become Georgia’s next labor commissioner,” said Porcher at the debate.

“We cannot keep electing the same type of people to run our leadership and expect different results. We cannot keep electing people who have never had to be part of the systems that they’re telling us are supposed to work, and then it doesn’t work,” Porcher said.

Bárbara Rivera Holmes (R)

Holmes has also touted her experience leading the agency for more than a year. A former local chamber of commerce leader, Holmes says she has brought a “business-minded approach” to her work at the state agency and has sought improvements for the department’s systems.

“I’m transforming and reforming the Georgia Department of Labor. I’m building tomorrow’s workforce today, and I’m making Georgia the top state for talent,” she said at a recent debate.

Holmes argues that Georgia’s workforce and economy is strong and that voters should stick with current leadership.

“Today, a record five and a half million Georgians are working, but that isn’t our finish line. The question for the next four years is who can build on this foundation and deliver real results for Georgia’s workers,” she said.

Nikki Porcher (D)

Porcher has pushed affordable childcare to the forefront of her campaign. She drew from her own experience working a part-time job while serving active duty to explain why the issue mattered to her.

“Childcare is not traditionally part of the departmental labor conversation, and that is the problem. Workforce childcare is a workforce issue,” Porcher said at a debate.

She plans to improve access to training opportunities that accommodate working parents, increase coordination between labor, workforce and childcare systems and facilitate partnerships that allow for flexible scheduling and family-friendly workplace policies, per her campaign website.

Beyond childcare, she hopes to work closely with small businesses to increase profit to support Georgia’s economy by supporting hiring pipelines, increasing outreach to rural and overlooked business communities and strengthening relationships between career centers and local businesses, per her campaign website.

Bárbara Rivera Holmes (R)

If elected, Holmes says she will continue to “transform and reform” the Georgia Department of Labor, shepherding along what she calls the “largest modernization of unemployment insurance in state history.” She says that work will benefit both workers and businesses.

“When families win, Georgia wins. My focus is on ensuring that we have economic freedom for our workers, connecting hardworking Georgians to mortgage-paying jobs,” she said.

“I’m not starting something new. I’m finishing what I started, and we’re going to continue to deliver for Georgians,” she added.

The Labor Department announced in March that it will replace the agency’s decades-old platform with a cloud-based system to speed up claims processing and improve the user experience.

“As your labor commissioner, I work every single day with small business owners, with community leaders, and with entrepreneurs, to connect hardworking Georgians to mortgage-paying jobs, and under conservative leadership, today more Georgians than ever are working. We have low unemployment. We have record job creation and investment, and we are the envy of the nation,” Holmes said at a recent Rick Jackson campaign event.

Nikki Porcher (D)

Porcher says that she’ll be a pro-worker labor commissioner, strengthening workers’ protections while delivering economic growth.

“For the last 23 years, we have been putting businesses at the forefront, putting profits over people, making sure that we are business-forward at any cost when it comes to the working Georgians, and that goes by who you are electing, who’s being appointed, and what their agenda is,” said Porcher.

She wants to highlight current apprenticeship programs available to equip workers with skills needed to be competitive, then appeal to businesses to utilize skills in Georgia’s workforce.

“It seemed like we had the formula backwards. We’re telling Georgians that these are the businesses that are coming to the state, so they need to work with that instead of actually appealing to businesses that come to the state that can actually employ Georgians,” said Porcher.

Bárbara Rivera Holmes (R)

Holmes says Georgia has become a “top state for talent” because the state prioritizes workers.

“We know that when Georgia’s workers thrive, our states thrive,” she said.

At a recent debate, Holmes said her opponent had “courted big labor bosses” and pressed her on whether she supports Georgia’s right-to-work laws.

“Georgia is an economic powerhouse because we protect our workers, and workers should have the freedom to choose whether they have to pay compulsory dues just to keep their jobs,” she said. “I stand for economic freedom, real economic growth, and fighting back socialism and fighting back against government overreach. I will always stand with Georgia’s workers, protect our freedoms, and stand with small businesses.”

She argued that unions have an important role in the state but said Georgia’s right-to-work laws “protect worker freedoms.

Nikki Porcher (D)

No response.

Bárbara Rivera Holmes (R)

Gov. Brian Kemp

Police Benevolent Association of Georgia

Lion Leadership Fund

Rick Jackson, candidate for governor

State Rep. Tim Fleming

Insurance Commissioner John King

Senate Majority Leader Jason Anavitarte

Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick

Sen. Shawn Still

Sen. Chuck Payne

Sen. Randy Robertson

Sen. Matt Brass

Sen. Drew Echols