Lawmaking in Georgia this year could come with a healthy dose of campaigning.

At least 16 Georgia legislators say they’re running for higher office during elections later this year, making this session of the General Assembly their last chance to burnish their credentials before facing voters.

Senators and representatives can use the legislative session that began Monday as an opportunity to pass bills and attract attention ahead of elections for Congress, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and insurance commissioner.

“I’m hoping for a session where we’re actually going to put the people of Georgia first instead of politics,” said state Rep. Jasmine Clark, a Democrat from Lilburn who is running for Congress. “I dread that, with it being an election year, there will be a little bit of trickery and people posturing in order to make for great campaign mailers, even if it’s not great for Georgia.”

Nine out of 56 state senators have said they’ll campaign for higher office, along with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is running for governor and presides over the Senate.

Two former state senators — Republican John F. Kennedy and Democrat Jason Esteves — resigned to run for lieutenant governor and governor. Georgia law prohibits state legislators and statewide officeholders from raising money during the legislative session.

“There’s going to be a tendency to see some of that competitiveness in the Senate chamber,” said state Sen. Steve Gooch, a Republican from Dahlonega who is running for lieutenant governor. “I don’t intend to be playing any of those games that you may expect, or you may have heard from other people. I just think everything’s going to work. There may be some bumps in the road from time to time, but it’s not going to interfere with the priorities of the Senate.”

In the 180-member state House, seven representatives say they intend to seek statewide offices or seats in the U.S. House.

More lawmakers could join the fray — or decide not to run — before the state’s candidate qualifying deadline on March 6. Every seat for state House and state Senate will also be on the ballot this year.

Here’s a look at the Georgia legislators planning to run for higher office:

U.S. House: Rep. Jasmine Clark, a Democrat from Lilburn; Rep. Houston Gaines, a Republican from Athens; Sen. Emanuel Jones, a Democrat from Decatur; Sen. Colton Moore, a Republican from Trenton.

Governor: Rep. Derrick Jackson, a Democrat from Tyrone; Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Democrat from Duluth.

Lieutenant Governor: Rep. David Clark, a Republican from Buford; Sen. Greg Dolezal, a Republican from Cumming; Sen. Steve Gooch, a Republican from Dahlonega; Sen. Josh McLaurin, a Democrat from Sandy Springs; Sen. Blake Tillery, a Republican from Vidalia.

Attorney General: Sen. Bill Cowsert, a Republican from Athens; Rep. Tanya Miller, a Democrat from Atlanta; Sen. Brian Strickland, a Republican from McDonough.

Secretary of State: Rep. Tim Fleming, a Republican from Covington.

Insurance Commissioner: Sen. Nabilah Parkes, a Democrat from Duluth.

Capitol Beat is a nonprofit news service operated by the Georgia Press Educational Foundation that provides coverage of state government to newspapers throughout Georgia. For more information visit capitol-beat.org.