Gary Black (agriculture commissioner)

Black was the Republican nominee for agriculture commissioner in 2006,[2] but was defeated by Democrat Tommy Irvin, a 37-year incumbent.[4] In 2004 and 2008, he had positions on the Bush-Cheney and McCain-Palin campaigns.[2]

In 2010, Irvin decided not to seek election to an eleventh term as agriculture commissioner, and Black was elected to the open seat.[7] Black was twice reelected agriculture commissioner by large margins.[3] Upon taking office, Black ordered the removal of a part of a 1956 mural by George Beattie from the lobby of the Georgia Department of Agriculture building; the removed murals included idealized images of plantation slaves in Georgia harvesting sugarcane, picking cotton, and using a cotton gin. Black said at the time that shared others' views that the images were distasteful, and that he wanted to depict a better picture of agriculture in the state.[8]

After Hurricane Michael hit South Georgia, Black was a leading voice pushing for federal relief.[3] Black opposed Obama-era EPA environmental protection regulations, such as proposed rules on pesticides[9] and the Clean Water Rule (also called the Waters of the United States rule), which Black called "wretched" (the rule was ultimately revoked by the Trump administration).[10][11][12]

Black is a supporter of Donald Trump.[3] In 2016, Black endorsed then-candidate Trump, who appointed Black to his agriculture policy advisory council.[13] At the time, Black criticized federal power, especially agricultural regulations.[13]

After Trump was defeated in his 2020 bid for re-election, Black supported Republican efforts to restrict voting rights in Georgia.[3]

In June 2021, Black announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for the United States Senate in 2022 to challenge incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock.[3][14] In announcing his Senate run, Black said he intended to rely on his name recognition from prior statewide elections, strong base of rural support, and staunch Trump support.[3] He praised Trump for "all the good things he's done the past four years"[3] and dodged questions about whether he accepted that Joe Biden was legitimately elected president.[3][15] Many of Black's largest campaign contributors were from Georgia agribusiness.[14] About one-third of Georgia's sheriffs, mostly from less populous rural counties, endorsed Black for Senate.[16] During his campaign, Black took conservative stances[3] and opposed the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.[17] Donald Trump endorsed another candidate, Herschel Walker, in the Republican primary.[18]