Brandon Beach | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Georgia Senate from the 21st district | |
| Assumed office 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Chip Rogers |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Brandon Lamont Beach May 2,1961 Louisiana,U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Shuntel [1] |
| Children | Two |
| Residence | Alpharetta,Georgia |
| Alma mater | Louisiana State University,Centenary College of Louisiana |
Brandon Lamont Beach (born May 2,1961) is an American politician serving as a member of the Georgia State Senate. [2] Beach was first elected in the 2012 general election and serves Georgia's 21st district,which includes portions of Cherokee and Fulton counties.
Beach was involved with attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election.
Born in Louisiana [3] on May 2,1961, [4] [1] Brandon Beach has an undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University (LSU) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Centenary College. He is a former member of the Alpharetta City Council and the Alpharetta Planning and Zoning Commission. As of January 2013,Brandon Beach is the president and CEO of the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce. [5]
Beach was elected in 2012 and sworn into the Georgia Senate in 2013. [2] He sits on the Senate Economic Development,Government Oversight,Science and Technology,and currently serves as Chairman of the Transportation committee. [2] Beach ran unopposed in 2020. [6]
In 2019,Beach ran for the Republican nomination to challenge current Representative Lucy McBath in Georgia's 6th Congressional District. [1] On November 14,2019,Beach withdrew from the race and announced he would seek reelection. [7]
In January 2024,Beach co-sponsored S.B. 390,which would withhold government funding for any libraries in Georgia affiliated with the American Library Association. The bill was drafted following the election of ALA President Emily Drabinski and allegations of the organization promoting a personal ideology and influencing librarian certification. [8] [9] [10]
During the 2025 legislative session,Beach was a co-sponsor for SR 131. The measure would have legalized sports betting and casino gambling in Georgia but did not advance out of the Senate. [11]
After Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election in Georgia,Beach backed attempts to overturn the presidential vote in Georgia over baseless fraud allegations. [12] [13] Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan subsequently stripped Beach of his chairmanship of the Transportation Committee. [13] In July,2022,Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis announced that she had sent a target letter to Beach and two other Republican officials,warning them that they face indictment in connection with their role in the fake electors scheme,which was part of the attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election. [14]
Beach was confirmed to have COVID-19. He first showed symptoms on March 10,2020,and was tested on March 14. In spite of showing symptoms,he attended a special session of the state Senate on March 16. The positive test results arrived on March 18. His actions led the entire Georgia State Senate,as well as staffers and others,to enter self-isolation and quarantine until the end of March 2020. [15] Beach's failure to follow coronavirus protocols has angered many within the Georgia State Senate. Governor Brian Kemp stated that Beach's actions were a clear example of what not to do if you felt sick. Testing has confirmed at least four other members of the Senate with positive test results [16] [17] Beach has responded that he is "not a bad person",and that he thought it was bronchitis. [18]
