2026 Georgia gubernatorial election

2026 Georgia gubernatorial election

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, and in races where no candidate receives over 50% in a primary, runoff elections will take place on June 16. Incumbent Republican governor Brian Kemp is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a third consecutive term in office.

Background

2026 Georgia gubernatorial election

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 executive offices 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. 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.

Republican primary

Declared

• Chris Carr, Georgia Attorney General (2016–present) • Clark Dean, real estate executive • Rick Jackson, healthcare executive • Burt Jones, Lieutenant Governor of Georgia (2023–present) • Gregg Kirkpatrick, entrepreneur • Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Secretary of State (2019–present) • Thomas Williams, retired software engineer • Ken Yasger, member of the Georgia Army National Guard

Declined

• Andrew Clyde, U.S. representative from Georgia's 9th congressional district (2021–present) (running for re-election) • Marjorie Taylor Greene, U.S. representative from Georgia's 14th congressional district (2021–2026)

Fundraising

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

Asterisk indicates loans or previous campaign account balances

Polling

Source of poll aggregation	Dates administered	Dates updated	Chris Carr	Clark Dean	Rick Jackson	Burt Jones	Brad Raffensperger	Other/Undecided	Margin
270toWin	February 9 - March 9, 2026	March 18, 2026	5.0%	0.0%	26.0%	19.6%	9.8%	39.6%	Jackson +6.4%
RealClearPolitics	February 5 - March 2, 2026	March 18, 2026	5.3%	–	23.3%	19.0%	9.5%	42.9%	Jackson +4.3%
Race to the WH	through March 8, 2026	March 18, 2026	5.2%	0.7%	25.4%	20.1%	10.2%	38.4%	Jackson +5.3%
Average	5.2%	0.4%	24.9%	19.6%	9.8%	40.1%	Jackson +5.3%

<table><thead><tr><th>Poll source</th><th>Date(s) administered</th><th>Sample size</th><th>Margin of error</th><th>Chris Carr</th><th>Clark Dean</th><th>Rick Jackson</th><th>Burt Jones</th><th>Brad Raffensperger</th><th>Other</th><th>Undecided</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>JMC Analytics</td><td>March 7–8, 2026</td><td>560 (LV)</td><td>± 4.1%</td><td>4%</td><td><1%</td><td>37%</td><td>22%</td><td>11%</td><td><1%</td><td>25%</td></tr><tr><td>Emerson College</td><td>February 28 – March 2, 2026</td><td>453 (LV)</td><td>± 4.6%</td><td>6%</td><td>0%</td><td>20%</td><td>21%</td><td>11%</td><td>4%</td><td>38%</td></tr><tr><td>Quantus Insights (R)</td><td>February 17–18, 2026</td><td>1,337 (LV)</td><td>± 3.0%</td><td>5%</td><td>–</td><td>33%</td><td>17%</td><td>8%</td><td>–</td><td>37%</td></tr><tr><td>Rasmussen Reports (R)</td><td>February 11–12, 2026</td><td>1,022 (LV)</td><td>± 3.0%</td><td>10%</td><td>–</td><td>22%</td><td>16%</td><td>18%</td><td>34%</td></tr><tr><td>co/efficient (R)</td><td>February 8–9, 2026</td><td>1,123 (LV)</td><td>± 3.2%</td><td>3%</td><td>1%</td><td>24%</td><td>16%</td><td>9%</td><td>5%</td><td>42%</td></tr><tr><td>Cygnal (R)</td><td>February 5–6, 2026</td><td>600 (LV)</td><td>± 4.0%</td><td>7%</td><td>–</td><td>16%</td><td>22%</td><td>10%</td><td>–</td><td>45%</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>February 3, 2026</td><td>Jackson enters the race</td></tr><tr><td>InsiderAdvantage (R)/ Rosetta Stone (R)</td><td>December 18–19, 2025</td><td>1,000 (LV)</td><td>± 3.1%</td><td>9%</td><td>4%</td><td>–</td><td>24%</td><td>14%</td><td>–</td><td>49%</td></tr><tr><td>University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs</td><td>October 15–23, 2025</td><td>1,000 (LV)</td><td>± 3.1%</td><td>7%</td><td>1%</td><td>–</td><td>22%</td><td>15%</td><td>–</td><td>55%</td></tr><tr><td>Quantus Insights (R)</td><td>October 13–14, 2025</td><td>900 (RV)</td><td>± 3.2%</td><td>12%</td><td>2%</td><td>–</td><td>32%</td><td>15%</td><td>1%</td><td>38%</td></tr><tr><td>20/20 Insight</td><td>September 25–28, 2023</td><td>245 (LV)</td><td>± 6.3%</td><td>9%</td><td>–</td><td>–</td><td>18%</td><td>–</td><td>–</td><td>73%</td></tr></tbody></table>

Democratic primary

Declared

• Olujimi Brown, church founder • Amanda Duffy, accountant • Geoff Duncan, former Republican Lieutenant Governor of Georgia (2019–2023) • Jason Esteves, former state senator from the 35th district (2023–2025) • Derrick Jackson, state representative (2017–2023, 2023–present) and candidate for lieutenant governor in (/wiki/2022Georgialieutenantgubernatorialelection) • Keisha Lance Bottoms, former director of the Office of Public Engagement (2022–2023) and former mayor of Atlanta (2018–2022)

• Mike Thurmond, former DeKalb County CEO (2017–2025), former Georgia Labor Commissioner (1999–2011), and nominee for U.S. Senate in (/wiki/2010UnitedStatesSenateelectioninGeorgia)

Withdrawn

• Ruwa Romman, state representative from the 97th district (2023–present) (running for state senate)

Declined

• Stacey Abrams, former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives (2011–2017) and nominee for governor in (/wiki/2018Georgiagubernatorialelection) and (/wiki/2022Georgiagubernatorialelection) • Jason Carter, former state senator from the 42nd district (2010–2015), grandson of former governor and president Jimmy Carter, and nominee for governor in (/wiki/2014Georgiagubernatorialelection) (endorsed Esteves) • Lucy McBath, U.S. representative from Georgia's 6th congressional district (2019–present)

Fundraising

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

Polling

Source of poll aggregation	Dates administered	Dates updated	Derrick Jackson	Geoff Duncan	Jason Esteves	Keisha Lance Bottoms	Michael Thurmond	Undecided	Margin
Race to the WH	through March 24, 2026	April 1, 2026	2.5%	12.4%	8.3%	33.7%	9.2%	33.9%	Bottoms +21.3%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Olujimi Brown	Derrick Jackson	Geoff Duncan	Jason Esteves	Keisha Lance Bottoms	Michael Thurmond	Other	Undecided
20/20 Insight	March 19–24, 2026	575 (LV)	± 4.1%	–	–	12%	14%	32%	11%	–	30%
Emerson College	February 28– March 2, 2026	464 (LV)	± 4.5%	0%	3%	13%	4%	35%	7%	–	39%
University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs	October 13–21, 2025	1,000 (LV)	± 3.1%	–	1%	5%	3%	40%	11%	1%	39%
Frederick Polls (D)	September 23–25, 2025	1,513 (LV)	± 2.5%	2%	2%	17%	10%	43%	25%	–	–
Public Policy Polling (D)	September 15–16, 2025	620 (LV)	–	1%	2%	9%	4%	38%	12%	–	43%

Independents and minor parties

2026 Georgia gubernatorial election

• Chase Oliver (Libertarian), 2024 Libertarian presidential nominee, nominee for U.S. Senate in (/wiki/2022UnitedStatesSenateelectioninGeorgia), and candidate for Georgia's 5th congressional district special election in 2020.

General election

Predictions

<table><thead><tr><th>Source</th><th>Ranking</th><th>As of</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>The Cook Political Report</td><td>Tossup</td><td>September 11, 2025</td></tr><tr><td>Inside Elections</td><td>Tilt R</td><td>August 28, 2025</td></tr><tr><td>Sabato's Crystal Ball</td><td>Tossup</td><td>March 19, 2026</td></tr><tr><td>Race to the WH</td><td>Tossup</td><td>September 11, 2025</td></tr></tbody></table>