Gary Horlacher to run for Secretary of State

, is a longtime Democratic operative who usually moves behind the scenes. He considered running for Secretary of State four years ago, but passed.

He’ll hold a formal announcement on Wednesday, but in a press release he’s already taking aim at the legacy of the current SoS, Karen Handel:

It will be my top priority to immediately eliminate the partisan shenanigans that have crept into this office over the last few years.

Horlacher’s campaign platform seems to rest partly on a renewed call for a voting-machine “paper trail” to reassure voters that Georgia elections are on the up-and-up. By contrast, he says, Handel spent her time in office “resurrecting firewalls to make it more difficult for some to register to vote, using flawed techniques to try and purge selected voters lists, and even trying to inappropriately prevent a qualified candidate (from the other party) from seeking public office.”

Sad, but true, as we reported last October. (We also used the word “shenanigans.” Interesting.)

Horlacher has the connections and the political savvy to run a statewide campaign, but will that be enough to overcome low name recognition?