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Eugammon of Cyrene
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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 term-limited and will leave office at the end of his term in January 2027.[1]
Background
Though Georgia is currently a swing state at the federal level (with two Democratic senators and having voted very close to the nation as a whole in Donald Trump's 2024 win, with Georgia voting for Trump by 2.2 percent), it continues to maintain a red lean at the state level, with Republicans holding all statewide seats in the 2022 midterms[citation needed] in which Governor Brian Kemp was re-elected against Democrat Stacey Abrams by 7.5 percent margin and with 53.4 percent of the vote,[2] an increase from his 1.3-point victory against Abrams four years earlier. Republicans also control both houses of the Georgia Legislature.
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Chris Carr, Georgia Attorney General (2016–present)[3]
Publicly expressed interest
- 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
- Buddy Carter, U.S. Representative from Georgia's 1st congressional district (2015–present)[6]
- Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Secretary of State (2019–present)[7]
Declined
- Andrew Clyde, U.S. representative from Georgia's 9th congressional district (2021–present)[8] (running for re-election)[9]
Polling
Hypothetical polling
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- Olujimi Brown, church founder[11]
- Jason Esteves, state senator from the 6th district (2023–present)[12]
Filed paperwork
- Keisha Lance Bottoms, former director of the Office of Public Engagement (2022–2023) and former mayor of Atlanta (2018–2022)[13]
Publicly expressed interest
- 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[14]
- Derrick Jackson, state representative (2017–2023, 2023–present) and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2022[15]
- Lucy McBath[b], U.S. representative from Georgia's 6th congressional district (2019–present)[16]
- Michael Thurmond, former DeKalb County CEO (2017–2025)[17]
Potential
- Van Johnson, mayor of Savannah (2020–present)[18]
Declined
- Jason Carter, former state senator from the 42nd district (2010–2015), grandson of former governor and president Jimmy Carter, and nominee for governor in 2014[12]
Endorsements
Declined to endorse
- State senators
- Jason Carter, former state senator from the 42nd district (2010–2015)[12]
Polling
Hypothetical polling
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[19] | Tossup | January 23, 2025 |
| Inside Elections[20] | Battleground | February 6, 2025 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[21] | Lean R | May 1, 2025 |
Notes
See also
References
- ^ 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, LLC - Poll of Georgia Likely Voters" (PDF). DocumentCloud. September 29, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c Amy, Jeff (April 21, 2025). "Georgia Democrat Jason Esteves says he's running for governor in 2026". Associated Press. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ^ "Keisha Lance Bottoms confirms she plans to run for GA Governor in 2026". Fox 5 Atlanta. April 28, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
- ^ Bluestein, Greg (April 24, 2025). "Stacey Abrams considers third run for governor as some Georgia Democrats move on". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ Winters, Akilah (April 28, 2025). "State Rep. Derrick Jackson strongly considering 2026 run for governor". 11Alive.com. Retrieved May 1, 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.
- ^ Bluestein, Greg; Mitchell, Tia; Murphy, Patricia; Beam, Adam (April 22, 2025). "Field narrows for Georgia Democrats vying for governor in 2026". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
- ^ Bluestein, Greg; Mitchell, Tia; Murphy, Patricia; Beam, Adam (April 24, 2025). "Republican Bill Cowsert launches campaign for Georgia attorney general". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ^ "2026 CPR Governor Race ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
- ^ "Gubernatorial Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
- ^ "2026 Governor". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
External links
Official campaign websites