AUGUSTA, Ga. ()- The race for lieutenant governor of Georgia is heating up, with 9 candidates running for the second highest position in state government. 

Ahead of next year’s election, one of those candidates stopped in Augusta Tuesday. 

Current lieutenant governor Burt Jones announced in the summer he would not seek reelection as he runs for governor.

One of the candidates running for his seat stopped in the Garden City Tuesday—-Republican State Senator John F. Kennedy. 

Kennedy has been in the Georgia Senate since 2015, representing the 18th district with counties around Macon, Georgia. 

We sat down to hear about his campaign why he thinks he’s the best person for the job. 

“I’m running for lieutenant governor because, number one, I think it’s important that we keep Georgia growing,” said Kennedy.

He says if elected, one of his biggest priorities is keeping teachers and students in the classroom, as state lawmakers recently passed a bill to address the growing problem of chronic absenteeism. 

“360,000 school kids in the state of Georgia are missing more than 18 days of school a year. Those kids that are missing that much school are not going to be successful. They’re not going to be at the literacy level they need to be successful, and they’re not going to graduate. If they don’t graduate, they’re not going to have the Georgia Dream—or American Dream—we want for those kids,” Kennedy said.

He also wants to see a reduction in crime around the state.

It’s been two weeks since an Augusta Mall shooting and another in retaliation—incidents Sheriff Eugene Brantley confirmed were gang-related.

Kennedy says he wants to increase resources for local law enforcement to tackle this issue. 

“The root of gang activity is making money, and they do it through criminal enterprises. Very sadly, they recruit our youth out of schools, and they recruit youth that are not in schools—and that goes back to the absentee issue I’m passionate about and working on,” he said.

The state senator adds with additional resources and funding, it paves the way for safer communities across the Peach State.

“As the next lieutenant governor, I want to make sure we continue to have the proper sourcing of funds going to all of our law enforcement. Not only on the prosecution level, but also on the prevention level. Whether its the Sheriffs, their level, and at the state level as well,” said Kennedy.

Another priority for him is addressing the nationwide mental health crisis.

He says many Georgians are not covered by health insurance, which could be attributed to mental health centers run and owned by the state closing in years past.

“Some of it goes back to years ago when we closed our mental health facilities we had that were state run and state owned,” he said. “Those people are now found to be homeless, and who’s dealing with them? It’s our Sheriffs, and they’ll be the first to tell you that they’re not properly equipped and resourced to deal with them. So, that’s something we’ve got to address as well.”

Kennedy is one of 8 Republicans running for lieutenant governor.

State Senator Josh McLaurin is the lone Democrat challenging for that seat.

That election for lieutenant governor will be next November.