Trump taps former Georgia U.S. Sen. Loeffler to lead Small Business Administration

Caption

Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler exits an Atlanta polling place in October while working as a poll monitor during the 2024 election.

Credit: Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

Former Georgia U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler has been announced as President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Small Business Administration.

Trump made the announcement Wednesday night on his social media site Truth Social, citing her business background and her help to “secure the Big Election Win in Georgia!”

“Kelly will bring her experience in business and Washington to reduce red tape, and unleash opportunity for our Small Businesses to grow, innovate, and thrive,” Trump wrote. “She will focus on ensuring that SBA is accountable to Taxpayers by cracking down on waste, fraud, and regulatory overreach.”

In a statement Wednesday, Loeffler said small businesses are the “beating heart of our economy and the gateway to the American Dream.”

“The America First Agenda will unleash a new era of growth and opportunity for job creators and innovators!” Loeffler said.

Loeffler, who is currently serving as co-chair of Trump’s inaugural committee, is one of his biggest donors and a staunch ally. 

She was a business executive and co-owner of the Atlanta Dream WNBA team when she entered politics, and her husband is the CEO of the Atlanta-based Intercontinental Exchange, which owns the New York Stock Exchange.

But Loeffler wasn’t widely known in Georgia before Gov. Brian Kemp appointed her to the Senate in late 2019 to finish the term of Sen. Johnny Isakson. Kemp tapped Loeffler for the vacancy over Trump’s preferred choice to replace Isakson, ex-Congressman Doug Collins. 

When Loeffler was on the ballot in 2020, Collins also ran for the seat in a crowded race that was ultimately won by now-Sen. Raphael Warnock in a nationally watched runoff.

Now, the former political rivals – Loeffler and Collins – could both serve in Trump’s cabinet. Collins is Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Since leaving office, Loeffler has channeled her energy into Greater Georgia, which she started in 2021 as an answer to the left’s voter engagement machine. The group focuses on registering voters, reaching out to minority groups traditionally overlooked by the GOP and educating people about Georgia’s election system. Greater Georgia announced last month that the group helped to register 7,000 new conservative voters and re-engaged over 4,000 inactive conservative voters ahead of this year’s presidential election.

During her year in the Senate, Loeffler was one of the wealthiest senators. Her stock trades during the pandemic drew intense criticism, though she was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing.

Loeffler was asked last month about the prospects of landing a cabinet position on the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Politically Georgia podcast, including whether she would take steps to avoid a conflict of interest. 

Caption

Loeffler spoke to Buckhead Young Republican volunteers and Greater Georgia interns at a phone banking event in Buckhead in early October.

Credit: Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder

“Of course, and I certainly did that in 2020,” Loeffler said. “Will it stop allegations? No, that’s just part and parcel – and now it’s a badge of honor – but I will always do the right thing. I will always over comply and be more conservative in any case, but I certainly don’t want to put the cart ahead of the horse.” 

At the time, Loeffler was rumored to be a leading choice for secretary of agriculture. But Trump ultimately appointed Brooke Rollins of Texas, the president and CEO of the pro-Trump America First Policy Institute, to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

One of Loeffler’s final acts as a senator was to vote to certify the election results for the 2020 election. Loeffler, who had lost her election at that point, had said earlier that she planned to object to certification but reversed course after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. 

“I cannot now in good conscience object to the certification of these electors,” Loeffler said on the Senate floor at the time. She added that the violence that played out was “a direct attack on the very institution my objection was intended to protect.”

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Georgia Recorder.