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November 3, 2026 | |||||||
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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, with primary elections set to be held on May 19, 2026. The incumbent Republican governor Brian Kemp is term-limited and cannot seek a third consecutive term. [1]
Georgia is considered a swing state at the federal level, but the state has maintained a Republican lean at the state level, with Republicans holding all statewide seats in the 2022 midterms, where incumbent governor Brian Kemp was re-elected in a rematch against Democrat Stacey Abrams by a 7.5 percent margin. [2] Republicans also control both the state senate and House of Representatives, together with Kemp's governorship establishing a government trifecta, alongside complete Republican pick on the state's supreme court. A year prior to the elections, the 2025 Georgia Public Service Commission special election resulted in two Democrats being elected to the Commission, both by landslide victories. This was the first time that Democrats won any seats on the PSC since the 2000 elections or any statewide non-federal offices since the 2006 elections. [3] [4]
| Campaign finance reports as of February 14, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Chris Carr (R) | $4,826,330 | $1,680,535 | $3,145,794 |
| Burt Jones (R)* | $3,946,790 | $617,201 | $3,323,949 |
| Brad Raffensperger (R)* | $864,216 | $474,695 | $5,389,520 |
| Rick Jackson (R) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Clark Dean (R) | $314,181 | $226,474 | $87,706 |
| Ken Yasger (R) | $5,791 | $946 | $4,845 |
| Source: Georgia Campaign Finance Commission [20] | |||
Aggregate polls
| Source of poll aggregation | Dates administered | Dates updated | Chris Carr | Clark Dean | Rick Jackson | Burt Jones | Brad Raffensperger | Other/Undecided [e] | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RealClearPolitics [21] | February 5 – February 9, 2026 | February 11, 2026 | 5.0% | 0.5% | 24.3% | 18.3% | 9.0% | 42.9% | Jackson +6.0% |
| Race to the WH [22] | through February 9, 2026 | February 11, 2026 | 5.5% | 1.2% | 23.6% | 19.3% | 9.6% | 40.8% [f] | Jackson +4.3% |
| Average | 5.3% | 0.8% | 24.0% | 18.8% | 9.3% | 41.8% | Jackson +5.2% | ||
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [g] | Margin of error | Chris Carr | Clark Dean | Rick Jackson | Burt Jones | Brad Raffensperger | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantus Insights (R) [23] | February 17–18, 2026 | 1,337 (LV) | ± 3.0% | 5% | – | 33% | 17% | 8% | – | 37% |
| Rasmussen Reports (R) [24] | February 11–12, 2026 | 1,022 (LV) | ± 3.0% | 10% | – | 22% | 16% | 18% | 34% | |
| co/efficient (R) [25] | February 8–9, 2026 | 1,123 (LV) | ± 3.2% | 3% | 1% | 24% | 16% | 9% | 5% [h] | 42% |
| Cygnal (R) [26] | February 5–6, 2026 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 7% | – | 16% | 22% | 10% | – | 45% |
| Jackson enters the race | ||||||||||
| InsiderAdvantage (R)/ Rosetta Stone (R) [27] | December 18–19, 2025 | 1,000 (LV) | ± 3.1% | 9% | 4% | – | 24% | 14% | – | 49% |
| University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs [28] [A] | October 15–23, 2025 | 1,000 (LV) | ± 3.1% | 7% | 1% | – | 22% | 15% | – | 55% |
| Quantus Insights (R) [29] | October 13–14, 2025 | 900 (RV) | ± 3.2% | 12% | 2% | – | 32% | 15% | 1% [i] | 38% |
| 20/20 Insight [30] | September 25–28, 2023 | 245 (LV) | ± 6.3% | 9% | – | – | 18% | – | – | 73% |
| Campaign finance reports as of Februrary 14, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) | $2,213,349 | $1,404,164 | $809,185 |
| Olujimi Brown (D) | $139,566 | $79,939 | $59,626 |
| Jason Esteves (D) | $2,251,836 | $1,029,638 | $1,222,197 |
| Derrick Jackson (D) | $123,780 | $169,313 | $86,467 |
| Michael Thurmond (D) | $747,226 | $334,701 | $690,036 |
| Geoff Duncan (D) | $1,109,523 | $471,948 | $609,237 |
| Ruwa Romman (D) | $245,822 | $208,347 | $37,474 |
| Source: Georgia Campaign Finance Commission [20] | |||
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [g] | Margin of error | Olujimi Brown | Derrick Jackson | Geoff Duncan | Jason Esteves | Keisha Lance Bottoms | Michael Thurmond | Ruwa Romman | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs [28] [A] | October 13–21, 2025 | 1,000 (LV) | ± 3.1% | – | 1% | 5% | 3% | 40% | 11% | 1% | 39% |
| Frederick Polls (D) [50] [B] | September 23–25, 2025 | 1,513 (LV) | ± 2.5% | 2% | 2% | 17% | 10% | 43% | 25% | – | – |
| Public Policy Polling (D) [51] [C] | September 15–16, 2025 | 620 (LV) | – | 1% | 2% | 9% | 4% | 38% | 12% | – | 43% |
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report [53] | Tossup | September 11, 2025 |
| Inside Elections [54] | Tilt R | August 28, 2025 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball [55] | Lean R | September 4, 2025 |
| Race to the WH [56] | Tossup | September 11, 2025 |
Partisan clients
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.
Official campaign websites