2026 Georgia gubernatorial election
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| Elections in Georgia |
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The 2026 Georgia gubernatorial election will take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Georgia. Incumbent Republican governor Brian Kemp is ineligible for a third term as per the Georgia Constitution.[1]
Background
[edit]Though Georgia is currently a purple state at the federal level (having voted very close to the nation as a whole in Donald Trump's 2024 win, with Georgia voting for Trump by 2.2% while having two Democratic Senators), it continues to maintain a slight to moderate red lean at the state level, with Republicans holding all state seats between 5-10% in the 2022 midterms despite the year overall being somewhat favorable to Democrats, in which Governor Brian Kemp was re-elected against Democrat Stacey Abrams by 7.5% and with 53.4% of the vote,[2] a considerable increase from his 1.3-point victory against Abrams four years earlier. Republicans also control both houses of the Georgia Legislature.
Republican primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Chris Carr, Georgia Attorney General (2016–present)[3]
Publicly expressed interest
[edit]- Marjorie Taylor Greene, U.S. representative from Georgia's 14th congressional district (2021–present)[4]
- Burt Jones, Lieutenant Governor of Georgia (2023–present) (decision expected after the 2025 legislative session)[5]
Potential
[edit]- Buddy Carter, U.S. Representative from Georgia's 1st congressional district (2015–present)[6]
- Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Secretary of State (2019–present)[7]
Declined
[edit]- Andrew Clyde, U.S. representative from Georgia's 9th congressional district (2021–present)[8] (running for re-election)[9]
Polling
[edit]Hypothetical polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Chris Carr |
Burt Jones |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20/20 Insight[10] | September 25–28, 2023 | 245 (LV) | ± 6.3% | 9% | 18% | 73% |
Democratic primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Olujimi Brown, church founder[11]
Publicly expressed interest
[edit]- Stacey Abrams, founder of Fair Fight Action, former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives (2011–2017), and nominee for governor in 2018 and 2022[12]
- Keisha Lance Bottoms, former director of the Office of Public Engagement (2022–2023) and former mayor of Atlanta (2018–2022)[13]
- Jason Carter, former state senator (2010–2015), grandson of former governor and president Jimmy Carter, and nominee for governor in 2014[14]
- Lucy McBath[b], U.S. representative for Georgia's 6th congressional district (2019–present)[15]
Potential
[edit]- Jason Esteves, state senator from the 6th district (2023–present)[16]
- Michael Thurmond, DeKalb County CEO[14][16]
Polling
[edit]Hypothetical polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Stacey Abrams |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20/20 Insight[10] | September 25–28, 2023 | 247 (LV) | ± 6.2% | 52% | 34% | 14% |
General election
[edit]Predictions
[edit]| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[17] | Tossup | January 23, 2025 |
| Inside Elections[18] | Battleground | February 6, 2025 |
Notes
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Van Brimmer, Adam (January 15, 2023). "Kemp inauguration: Governor's bid for higher office begins. Will it be Senate? President?". Savannah Morning News. Archived from the original on May 13, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ Bluestein, Greg (March 16, 2023). "Abrams says she will 'likely run again.' That doesn't excite some Democrats". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ Bluestein, Greg (November 21, 2024). "Georgia AG Chris Carr launches GOP campaign for governor, kicking off 2026 race". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ Bluestein, Greg; Mitchell, Tia; Murphy, Patricia; Beam, Adam (February 7, 2025). "Marjorie Taylor Greene doesn't rule out run for governor or U.S. Senate". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
- ^ Dukes, Deidra (November 7, 2024). "Attention shifts to 2026 Georgia state elections following November vote outcome". WAGA-TV. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
- ^ Bluestein, Greg; Mitchell, Tia; Murphy, Patricia; Beam, Adam (February 28, 2025). "Georgia teachers might get the same benefits as police officers". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
[Buddy] Carter has $3 million in his campaign fund and has talked about a statewide run in the next election cycle, either for the U.S. Senate or governor.
- ^ King, Maya (November 21, 2024). "The 2026 Georgia Governor's Race Kicks Off With a First Hat in the Ring". The New York Times. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a close Trump ally, and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger have been widely regarded as possible contenders.
- ^ Solender, Andrew (December 12, 2024). "GOP Rep. Ciscomani passes on run for Arizona governor". Axios. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) is not considering a run for Senate or governor and his 'focused on and happy serving [Northeast] GA in the House,' a spokesperson said.
- ^ Daughtry, Will (February 6, 2025). "Amid primary challenge, Rep. Andrew Clyde talks 2026 reelection bid". WDUN-FM. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
- ^ a b 20/20 Insight
- ^ Poole, Shelia (August 29, 2024). "Impact Church's former pastor, Olu Brown, announces bid for Georgia governor". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on August 29, 2024. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
- ^ Bluestein, Greg; Mitchell, Tia; Murphy, Patricia; Beam, Adam (March 26, 2025). "Stacey Abrams taps voter anger as she considers 2026 options". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
- ^ Bluestein, Greg; Bunch, Riley (January 23, 2025). "Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms considers bid for Georgia governor". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
- ^ a b "Former Sen. Jason Carter talks about political future during podcast". WAGA-TV. December 5, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
- ^ Bluestein, Greg (March 31, 2025). "Lucy McBath suspends bid for governor as husband battles cancer". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
McBath didn't rule out a gubernatorial bid, but told The Atlanta-Journal-Constitution she is suspending the exploratory committee she launched weeks ago.
- ^ a b Bluestein, Greg; Mitchell, Tia; Murphy, Patricia; Beam, Adam (February 10, 2025). "Jason Esteves preparing for a potential run for governor in 2026". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
- ^ "2026 CPR Governor Race ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
- ^ "Gubernatorial Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
External links
[edit]Official campaign websites