As the candidates compete to become the next governor of Georgia, in the background there is a smaller, quieter race to be second in command.

There are three people running for lieutenant governor — incumbent Casey Cagle, a Republican, and Democrats Carol Porter and Tricia Carpenter McCracken.

Douglas Young, a political science professor at Gainesville State College, said though it doesn’t tend to garner as much excitement as other races, the office of lieutenant governor is very significant.

“I think it’s ironic that not many Georgians have focused much attention on this race,” Young said.

Georgia’s lieutenant governor has more power than almost any other lieutenant governor in the country, Young said.

For example, Georgia’s lieutenant governor has the power to personally name all the state Senate committee chairmen.

“He has a lot more clout in our state Senate,” Young said. “The lieutenant governor is not only politically powerful ... but also what I wish more Georgians would pay attention to is that several lieutenant governors have gone on to be elected governor.”

The candidates pose an interesting spread for voters.

Cagle has served as lieutenant governor alongside Gov. Sonny Perdue since 2006. The Gainesville native, 44, originally planned to run for governor, but dropped out of that race earlier this year because of health concerns.

Porter, 51, of Dublin, is the wife of Democratic gubernatorial candidate and state Rep. DuBose Porter. She is a small business owner and the general manager of a chain of newspapers in middle Georgia.

Little is known about McCracken — she has no campaign website and has given no media interviews. The Times was unable to contact her.

Cagle said in an e-mail interview with The Times that he is running for re-election to continue cutting government spending and passing tax relief.

“In my four years as lieutenant governor, I have been a conservative leader for Georgia families, small businesses and communities. My focus has centered on passing meaningful reforms that set Georgia on firm footing for the future,” Cagle said.

“Unfortunately, one of the greatest challenges Georgia faces is an out-of-control federal government. If re-elected, I will continue working for common-sense reforms that ignite our state’s potential and will transform Georgia into a national leader for growth and job creation.”

Porter, who is making her first go at elected office, said she decided to run because she is tired of corruption and mismanagement in politics.

“You can only sit on the sidelines and throw stones for so long, and then you finally say this is enough. Somebody’s got to take up for the middle class,” said Porter, who for years has researched policy and worked on issues with her husband, the minority leader in the state House of Representatives.

The candidates agree that the most important challenge facing Georgia is improving the economy.

Porter said all the state’s major issues — education, water, transportation — rely on a strong economy.

“My No. 1 goal is to put more people into the work force,” Porter said. “I am fed up with the elected leadership saying they’re pro-business because they’re not pro-business. Right now Georgia does not have a reliable water source, we don’t have a decent transportation plan, we are at the bottom of the education rankings, but we are No. 1 in the percentage of our population in the corrections system. None of that is pro-business and I’m fed up with it. We’re not going to grow the economy with those statistics.”

Cagle said making Georgia an attractive environment for industry is necessary for economic growth.

“Our state must be at the forefront of creating jobs and new opportunities through a pro-growth, pro-business environment that rewards investment, innovation and ingenuity,” Cagle said. “We must forge new public-private partnerships that attract business to our state, promote our ports and airports as engines of our economy, and keep taxes on Georgia’s citizens and businesses low.”

Porter said education has to be a priority for Georgia to succeed in the future.

“If we don’t educate our public we are going to be in real trouble,” Porter said. “You’ve got to have a well educated work force. We lost a lot of low wage jobs already overseas. The next wave of jobs are going to be anything that can be digitally transferred.”

Cagle also believes that education is important to Georgia’s economic future.

“I’ve been at the forefront of advancing Georgia’s Career Academy Network, which is developing a highly skilled workforce equipped with the training and tools to compete in a 21st century market place,” Cagle said. “I’ve pioneered the Charter Systems Act which gives individual school districts the option of stepping out from state and federal mandates to adopt an educational policy and curriculum that is right for the needs of their students.”