The Georgia primary is less than two months away, and housing affordability is top of mind for many voters. While state legislators often reap most of the credit — or blame — for the policies that determine how housing is built, regulated, and funded, there are several statewide offices that also hold plenty of sway.
Here’s how the governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general can influence housing affordability and accessibility, as far as the types of housing that can be built, how much it costs, and who’s allowed to live in it.
Georgia Governor
The governor has broad latitude over setting the state’s budget each year, so whoever is elected can largely determine whether and how Georgia funds homelessness relief initiatives, eviction-prevention programs, emergency rental assistance, workforce housing, and tax credits for affordable housing, among other tools.
Gov. Brian Kemp has wielded that budgetary power in his second term to award grants through his Rural Workforce Housing Initiative. The state awards these grants to local governments for infrastructure improvements, like roads and sewage lines, to develop new subdivisions in rural areas. The localities must provide matching funds. According to a Kemp spokesperson in an email, there’s been a total of “$125.7 million through fiscal year 2026 committed to helping communities build housing so Georgians can live where they work.”
This year, Kemp announced a one-time $50 million Homelessness Response Grant “to tackle homelessness right here in our capital city” and other cities across Georgia — a reflection of the spending ability the office holds.
The governor also appoints leaders to the Department of Community Affairs and other state agencies that distribute affordable housing funds, set program rules, and prioritize projects.
Each governor has their own policy agenda, which can influence the state legislature in determining housing regulations and reforms – particularly if it’s controlled by the same party. What’s more, the governor decides whether to sign or veto any housing measures passed by the legislature.
Georgia lieutenant governor
The lieutenant governor serves as the president of the state Senate, making this position the key gatekeeper for legislation moving through the Gold Dome’s chambers.
The lieutenant governor determines what bills receive a vote from the full Senate, giving the officeholder the power to stall or fast-track housing proposals. Since even popular bills can die without a vote, the lieutenant governor often determines whether any housing reforms ever reach the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
The lieutenant governor also appoints Senate committee chairs and members. That shapes how any housing-related bills — from zoning reform to tenant protections to development tax incentives for affordable housing — navigate the General Assembly.
In the state House, the speaker holds similar power to move or stifle legislation. However, state representatives decide whom to elect as the leader of the House, not voters.
Georgia attorney general
The state’s attorney general (AG) decides how Georgia’s housing laws are interpreted and enforced. That means they have the power to “define what housing abuse means in Georgia,” says Michael Waller, the executive director of the Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.
For instance, the AG can prosecute landlords for running afoul of state laws and issue binding legal opinions on whether local governments are properly using their zoning and land-use authority – or improperly regulating rents, which is prohibited under state law.
“There’s a lot of potential for the attorney general to use existing consumer protection tools more aggressively to prosecute predatory housing providers,” Waller adds. That could mean investigating and penalizing landlords that unlawfully charge hidden fees, use deceptive terms in a lease, or otherwise take unlawful advantage of tenants or would-be renters.
The AG can also investigate a landlord’s use of “inaccurate tenant screening systems or the abuse of eviction records,” Waller says. Some landlords will file eviction notices “at the first hint of trouble,” he adds, which damages renters’ reputations even if the eviction is never carried out.
The attorney general’s housing influence extends nationally, since they can sue the federal government, large corporate landlords, or other major players over housing policies that harm Georgians – either individually on behalf of the state or as part of a multi-state action.