Market2026 Georgia gubernatorial election
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2026 Georgia gubernatorial election

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 to seek re-election to a third consecutive term. Primary elections are scheduled to be held on May 19, 2026, and in races where no candidate receives over 50% of the votes, runoff elections will take place on June 16.

Background
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 ==
Republican primary
Candidates Declared Chris Carr, attorney general of Georgia (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) • Tom Williams, retired software engineer DeclinedAndrew Clyde, U.S. representative from (2021–present) (running for re-election)Marjorie Taylor Greene, U.S. representative from (2021–2026) Endorsements Fundraising Asterisk indicates loans or previous campaign account balances Polling Aggregate polls Marjorie Taylor Greene vs. Burt Jones vs. Brad Raffensperger vs. Chris Carr Results == Democratic primary ==
Democratic primary
Candidates Declared • Olujimi Brown, church founder • Amanda Duffy, accountant • 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 2022Keisha 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 2010 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 2018 and 2022Jason Carter, former state senator from the 42nd district (2010–2015), grandson of former governor and president Jimmy Carter, and nominee for governor in 2014Lucy McBath, U.S. representative from (2019–present) Endorsements Fundraising Polling Aggregate polls Results == Independents and minor parties ==
Independents and minor parties
Libertarian Party Candidates Declared Chase Oliver, former chair of the Atlanta Libertarian Party and perennial candidate == General election ==
General election
Predictions Polling Rick Jackson vs. Keisha Lance Bottoms Burt Jones vs. Keisha Lance Bottoms Brad Raffensperger vs. Keisha Lance Bottoms == Notes ==
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