Blake Tillery

Blake Tillery
Member of the Georgia State Senate
from the 19th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 9, 2017
Preceded byTommie Williams
Personal details
BornMichael Blake Tillery
(1983-10-09) October 9, 1983
Vidalia, Georgia, U.S.
PartyRepublican
SpouseAshlee Nicole Tillery (née Sharer)
Children2 (biological); 2 (foster)
EducationUniversity of Georgia (BA, JD)
OccupationAttorney, politician
Websitetilleryforgeorgia.com

Michael Blake Tillery (born October 9, 1983) is an American attorney and politician serving as a member of the Georgia State Senate from the 19th district since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he is the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, overseeing Georgia's $43.66 billion state budget. He is a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia in the 2026 election.[1]

Tillery was previously Chairman of the Toombs County Commission from 2013 to 2016.[2] He is the managing partner of The Tillery Firm in Vidalia, Georgia.[3]

Early life and education

Tillery was born and raised in Vidalia, Georgia, in Toombs County. His father, Mike Tillery, grew up in Rome, Georgia, and his mother, Vicki Tillery, is from Cedartown.[4]

He graduated from Vidalia High School in 2002 and enrolled at the University of Georgia, earning a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs in 2006. He participated in the L.E.A.D. Athens leadership development program during his undergraduate years.[5] He returned to UGA for law school, where he earned his Juris Doctor in 2010. He was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia on November 4, 2010.[3]

Personal life

Tillery married Ashlee Nicole Sharer in 2016. She is a former Miss Wayne County from Wayne County, Georgia, and practices as an OB-GYN at Memorial Health Meadows Hospital serving Toombs and Jeff Davis counties. The couple has two biological sons and fosters two additional boys.[5]

The family attends Cornerstone Church in Vidalia.[6] Tillery is a fan of the Atlanta Braves and the Georgia Bulldogs.[7]

After passing the bar in 2010, Tillery joined Smith & Tillery, P.C. in Vidalia, a firm founded in 1997 by Tommy J. Smith. When Smith was elevated to a Middle Circuit Superior Court judgeship in 2020, the firm was renamed The Tillery Firm, with Tillery as managing partner. The firm practices in workers' compensation, real estate closings, probate, personal injury, civil litigation, and social security disability.[3][8]

Tillery was recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2018 through 2023.[9] He was Chair of the General Practice and Trial Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia in 2019 to 2020.[3]

Political career

Toombs County Commission (2013–2016)

In 2012, at age 29, Tillery was elected Chairman of the Toombs County Commission, serving from 2013 to 2016.[2]

Georgia State Senate (2017–present)

When veteran state senator Tommie Williams did not seek re-election in 2016, Tillery won the Republican primary for Senate District 19, a rural district spanning portions of southeast Georgia. He ran unopposed in the general election and took office on January 9, 2017. He has been re-elected without major opposition in every subsequent cycle through 2024.[2]

Governor-elect Brian Kemp appointed Tillery as a Senate floor leader in 2019.[4] Following the death of longtime Appropriations Chairman Jack Hill in April 2020, Tillery was named to succeed him as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, making him one of the youngest legislators to hold that position.[1] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution listed him among "five newcomers to watch" in the Georgia legislature.[10]

Key legislation

Income tax reduction

In 2025, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones appointed Tillery to chair the Senate Special Committee on Eliminating Georgia's Income Tax.[11] This work produced Senate Bills 476 and 477 in the 2026 session. SB 476 would eliminate the income tax for individuals earning under $50,000 and couples under $100,000, reducing the rate to 4.99% for higher earners, offset by repealing 29 corporate and COVID-era tax credits. SB 477 establishes a glide path to a 3.99% rate by 2028 with a goal of full elimination by 2032. Both bills passed the Georgia Senate in February 2026 by votes of 32–18.[12][13]

Anti-sanctuary cities

Tillery's SB 21 strips sovereign immunity from local governments and employees that fail to enforce state and federal immigration laws. The bill passed the Georgia Senate 33–18 in February 2025.[14]

Mental health facility funding

As Appropriations Chairman, Tillery led efforts to secure $409 million for a 300-bed forensic mental health hospital, included in the amended FY 2026 budget (HB 973). The measure passed 49–1 with bipartisan support. Governor Brian Kemp signed the budget on March 3, 2026.[15][16]

Other legislation

Tilley's SB 39 bars state health plans, Medicaid, and the prison system from covering gender-affirming procedures (passed 33–19 in February 2025);[17]

In January 2024, Tillery 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.[18][19][20]

SB 57 is an anti-"debanking" bill.[21]

2026 lieutenant governor campaign

Tillery formally entered the race for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia on August 11, 2025, launching with a seven-city fly-around tour from Savannah to Atlanta. The seat is open because incumbent Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is running for Governor.[1][11]

His campaign platform centers on eliminating the state income tax, combating illegal immigration, supporting law enforcement, advancing conservative social positions, and investing in infrastructure.[22]

By February 2026, Tillery had raised over $3 million, roughly double his nearest competitor, with approximately $2.6 million cash on hand.[23] He has been endorsed by U.S. Rep. Rick Allen and more than 70 Georgia sheriffs.[22]

The qualified Republican primary field also includes former Senate President Pro Tem John F. Kennedy (R-Macon), Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming), and Brenda Nelson-Porter.[24][25]

2016 traffic fatality

On April 11, 2016, Tillery's vehicle struck Bunji Mark Takaya, a 44-year-old man riding his bicycle along Highway 292 in Toombs County. A witness reported that a vehicle ahead of Tillery had passed the cyclist moments before the collision. Takaya died at a local hospital; no alcohol or drugs were found in his system.[26]

The Georgia State Patrol Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team investigated the crash. Phone records indicated text messages were received on Tillery's phone around the time of the collision. Toxicology showed Tillery had taken dextromethorphan (a common cough suppressant) that morning, and he told investigators he had been operating on limited sleep.[26]

The case was referred to the Georgia Attorney General's office and subsequently transferred to District Attorney Heyward Altman for prosecution review, and to avoid a conflict of interest.[26] In a December 21, 2016 letter to Toombs County state court solicitor Justin Franklin, Altman wrote that the facts did not establish a basis for felony prosecution and that the matter should be transferred to state court for possible prosecution of any pertinent misdemeanor.[26] On January 5, 2017, Altman declined to file felony charges, and the case was transferred to state court for misdemeanor traffic offenses.[26] A civil wrongful death lawsuit was filed in 2016 and resulted in a settlement.[26]

The Georgia Department of Public Safety later destroyed the case file approximately five years after the crash, citing standard records retention policy.[26]

Honors

Honors include Georgia Trend "40 Under 40" (2013),[27] University of Georgia "40 Under 40" (2019), and the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians' Legislative Champion of the Year Award (2024).[28] He is a graduate of Leadership Georgia (Class of 2015).[5]

Electoral history

Year Office Result
2012 Chairman, Toombs County Commission Won
2016 Georgia State Senate, District 19 Won (unopposed general)
2018 Georgia State Senate, District 19 Won
2020 Georgia State Senate, District 19 Won
2022 Georgia State Senate, District 19 Won
2024 Georgia State Senate, District 19 Won
2026 Lieutenant Governor of Georgia Pending

References

  1. ^ a b c "Georgia Senate's top budget writer officially launches campaign for lieutenant governor". Georgia Recorder. August 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c "Blake Tillery". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d "Attorneys". The Tillery Firm. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  4. ^ a b "New Senate floor leader Blake Tillery has deep Rome roots". Northwest Georgia News. December 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  5. ^ a b c "Meet Blake". Blake Tillery for Lieutenant Governor. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  6. ^ "Senator Blake Tillery Biography" (PDF). Georgia State Senate. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  7. ^ "Tillery chooses bid for lieutenant governor". Statesboro Herald. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  8. ^ "History". The Tillery Firm. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  9. ^ "Blake Tillery". Super Lawyers. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  10. ^ "Five newcomers to watch in the Georgia Legislature". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  11. ^ a b "Vidalia state senator declares run for lieutenant governor". The Current. August 11, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  12. ^ "Sen. Blake Tillery's Plan to Cut Georgia's Income Tax Passes Senate". Georgia Senate Press Office. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  13. ^ "Senate Republicans sign off on cuts to Georgia's income tax rate while ending some corporate perks". Georgia Recorder. February 12, 2026. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  14. ^ "Georgia Senate passes bill to take lawsuit immunity away from so-called sanctuary cities". Georgia Recorder. February 13, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  15. ^ "Georgia Senate approves $409M for mental health hospital as jails overflow". Atlanta News First. February 21, 2026. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  16. ^ "Gov. Kemp Signs Amended Budget". Office of the Governor of Georgia. March 3, 2026. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  17. ^ "Georgia Senate bill would cut funding for adult gender-affirming care but it may have cloudy future". WABE. February 11, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  18. ^ Tagami, Ty (January 25, 2024). "Georgia GOP senators target American Library Association with new bill". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  19. ^ "SB 390". Georgia General Assembly. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  20. ^ "Top librarian calls 'Marxist lesbian' tweet backlash 'regrettable'". NBC News. 2023-08-07. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  21. ^ "Blake Tillery – Senator from Georgia". SenGov. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  22. ^ a b "Blake Tillery – For Lieutenant Governor Of Georgia". Blake Tillery for Lieutenant Governor. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  23. ^ "Blake Tillery tops $3 million in bid for Lt. Governor". The Advance News. February 18, 2026. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  24. ^ "2 more Republicans join Georgia's competitive race for lieutenant governor". Georgia Public Broadcasting. August 12, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  25. ^ "LIST: Candidates who have qualified in Georgia's May primary". Atlanta News First. March 3, 2026. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g "Fatal Crash Investigation: State v. Michael Blake Tillery". The Georgia Virtue. March 3, 2026. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  27. ^ "Georgia Trend Daily". Georgia Trend. November 11, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  28. ^ "GAFP Honors Sen. Blake Tillery with Healthcare Champion Award". Georgia Senate Press Office. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
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