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 will be term-limited by the Georgia Constitution in 2026, and cannot seek re-election to a third consecutive term.[1]
Background
[edit]Though Georgia is currently a slightly red 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 2.3%), it continues to maintain a 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.
Republican primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Publicly expressed interest
[edit]- Chris Carr, Georgia Attorney General (2016–present)[3]
- Burt Jones, Lieutenant Governor of Georgia (2023–present)[3]
- Kelly Loeffler, former U.S. senator (2020–2021)[4][3]
- Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Secretary of State (2019–present)[3]
Potential
[edit]- Marjorie Taylor Greene, U.S. representative from Georgia's 14th congressional district (2021–present)[5]
- John F King, Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner & Retired Army Major General (2019–present) [6][3]
Polling
[edit]| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Chris Carr |
Burt Jones |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20/20 Insight | September 25–28, 2023 | 245 (LV) | ± 6.3% | 9% | 18% | 73% |
Democratic primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Olujimi Brown, church founder[7]
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[8]
- Jason Carter, former state senator (2010–2015), grandson of former governor and president Jimmy Carter, and nominee for governor in 2014[9]
- Lucy McBath, U.S. representative for Georgia's 7th congressional district (2019–present)[3]
Potential
[edit]Polling
[edit]| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Stacey Abrams |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20/20 Insight | September 25–28, 2023 | 247 (LV) | ± 6.2% | 52% | 34% | 14% |
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. 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.
- ^ a b c d e f g Bluestein, Greg (May 29, 2024). "US Rep. Lucy McBath says she's open to 2026 bid for Georgia governor". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ Gillespie, Brandon (May 23, 2024). "Biden's Abortion Script Flipped by Businesswoman's Boost to Pro-Life Groups". FOX News. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
- ^ Tran, Ken; Cruz, Melissa (May 24, 2024). "After speaker defeat, Marjorie Taylor Greene is back stirring the pot: What's next?". USA Today. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ |url=https://www.thecentersquare.com/georgia/article_b15609a0-96f3-11ef-a6e1-2bd2fd8fc7ec.amp.html
- ^ Poole, Shelia (August 29, 2024). "Impact Church's former pastor, Olu Brown, announces bid for Georgia governor". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
- ^ Merchant, Zach (August 25, 2024). "Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams not ruling out another run for office, says 'all options are on the table'". WXIA-TV. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ Merchant, Zach (June 2, 2024). "Jason Carter discusses family legacy, potential return to politics". 11Alive. Retrieved June 2, 2024.