People cast their ballots, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) (Brynn Anderson, Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Georgia voters will have a chance to shape the future of their state during this election year, with an open seat for governor highlighting the races on the 2026 ballot, with the first votes to be cast for the May 19 primaries.
Republican Governor Brian Kemp is term-limited, and both Republicans and Democrats have multiple candidates vying for their party’s nomination for the general election. But the race for governor is far from the only statewide race gaining attention: Republicans are lining up for the chance to run for the U.S. Senate in November, and challenge Democrat Jon Ossoff.
The crowded fields for these high-profile races could add a twist to how the primaries play out. Unlike in Florida, where there are not runoffs for party primaries, Georgia does require more than 50% of the vote to win a primary election. That means some races could send the top two vote-getters on to a primary runoff on June 16.
Scroll down to read about everyone running for statewide offices and the U.S. House and state legislative seats representing Southeast Georgia. Also, the Georgia Republican Party and the Democratic Party of Georgia have placed ballot questions on their party’s primary ballots. These questions are non-binding but may help advise the party on future priorities. To see what’s on local ballots, go directly to voter’s guides for Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Glynn, Pierce, and Ware counties. (Clinch County does not have any local races in the primary election.)
U.S. Senate
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE
Incumbent Jon Ossoff is the only candidate in the Democratic primary. Joining the Senate after the 2020 elections, Ossoff previously worked as an investigative journalist whose small business produced investigations of corruption and war crimes for international news organization. He grew up in the Atlanta area, studied diplomacy at Georgetown University, and received his Master of Science degree from the London School of Economics. (Campaign website)
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
Five candidates are on the Republican primary ballot, vying for the chance to face Ossoff in the November general election. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote in the primary, the top two will advance to a runoff on June 16.
Earl “Buddy” Carter was born and raised in Port Wentworth, Ga., and was first elected to the U.S. House, representing Georgia’s 1st District, in 2014. For over 32 years, Carter owned Carter’s Pharmacy, Inc., and served as the mayor of Pooler, as well as serving in the Georgia General Assembly. (Campaign website)
Mike Collins currently represents Georgia’s 10th District in the U.S. House. Collins, from Jackson, Ga., started his first trucking business at age 25, and grew it to employ more than 100 drivers. He graduated with a business degree from Georgia State University. (Campaign website)
John F. Coyne III is listed as a CEO in his candidate qualifying records. Federal election records indicate he ran for a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia in 2016 as a Democrat, losing in the primary. (Campaign website)
Derek Dooley is the son of legendary University of Georgia football coach and athletic director Vince Dooley. Derek Dooley played football at the University of Virginia and received a law degree at UGA. He practiced law in Atlanta before pivoting to coaching football at the college level and in the NFL. (Campaign website)
Jonathan McColumn is a retired U.S. Army brigadier general. A native of Macon, he spent 31 years in the military, retiring while serving as a minister for more than 25 years, and an adjunct instructor at the University of Phoenix for a period of time. (Campaign website)
LIBERTARIAN CANDIDATE
Allen Buckley has been a Georgia attorney and CPA for approximately 40 years, working in areas of tax, employee benefits, estate planning, and related business law. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia law school and received an LL.M. in Tax from the University of Florida. (Campaign website)
Governor
Republican incumbent Brian Kemp is leaving office due to term limits. There are multiple candidates for both the Democratic and Republican primaries. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote in a party’s primary, the top two candidates will advance to the June 16 runoff election.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
Chris Carr has served as Georgia’s attorney general since 2016. He previously served as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development under governor Nathan Deal, and was chief of staff to Senator Johnny Isakson prior to that. Carr is a graduate of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business and Lumpkin School of Law. (Campaign website)
Clark Dean has a background in management consulting, corporate finance, and commercial real estate. A Harvard graduate, Dean currently lives in Atlanta. (Campaign website)
Rick Jackson is a businessman who started his career in a sales job, and later went on to buy the company he worked for. According to his campaign website, Jackson grew up in foster care, and because of that, worked with state leaders to help pass legislation that now allows former foster youth in the state to attend college tuition-free. (Campaign website)
Burt Jones is a sixth-generation Georgia native who currently serves as the state’s lieutenant governor, having been elected in 2022. He previously served in the State Senate for over a decade. Jones has played a leadership role in his family’s business, Jones Petroleum, and also founded JP Capital & Insurance, Inc.8 (Campaign website)
Gregg Kirkpatrick has a background in biotechnology, billing himself as a medical device developer and inventor. He ran for the District 21 seat in the Georgia House in 2024 but lost in the primary. (Candidate’s LinkedIn profile)
Brad Raffensperger is currently Georgia’s Secretary of State, wrapping up his second term. He previously served in the state House, and on the Johns Creek City Council. Before entering politics, he founded a company that provided high-strength steel for construction projects, growing it to a company that employed more than 150 people. (Campaign website)
Tom Williams is a native of Wilkinson County, and was employed at Robins Air Force Base for 35 years, where he worked in software and electronics. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia and his website bills him as a true political outsider who has never held public office. (Campaign website)
Ken Yasger spent 12 years serving in the U.S. Army and later the Georgia Army National Guard. He has run for public office twice. (Campaign website)
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
Keisha Lance Bottoms is a former Atlanta mayor, having been elected in 2017 and choosing to not seek re-election in 2021. Before becoming mayor, she served on the Atlanta City Council, and also previously served as a judge. Under President Joe Biden, she served as a Senior Advisor for Public Engagement. (Campaign website)
Olu Brown grew up in Texas but has been a Georgia resident for 25 years, starting when he moved to Atlanta for theological training. In 2007, he founded a church, which grew over the years to a multi-acre campus. He retired from church leadership in 2022, and now facilitates workshops and provides guidance on leadership development, organizational growth, and economic revitalization. (Campaign website)
Amanda Duffy says she is running for governor to give volume to the voices of lower middle-class families stuck in financial survival mode. A mother of twins, Duffy says she is not the stereotypical candidate. She has accounting experience with small-business construction companies in Georgia. (Campaign website)
Geoff Duncan was Georgia’s lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2023, elected as a Republican. After the 2020 presidential election, he rejected President Donald Trump’s false claims about fraud in the state. (Campaign website)
Jason Esteves worked as a public school teacher before beginning his legal career. He served as a representative on the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education, eventually serving as board chair. Esteves was elected to the State Senate in 2022, and along with his wife owns several small businesses across the state. (Campaign website)
Derrick Jackson is currently a state representative from Fayette County, for the 68th District. He served in the U.S. Navy, then worked at General Electric, including seven years as a senior marketing manager. (Campaign website)
Mike Thurmond grew up in Clarke County and returned there after law school to start his practice. He was elected to the Georgia Legislature at age 33. Thurmond also led Georgia’s Division of Family & Children Services and later served as state Labor Commissioner, and then interim DeKalb County school superintendent. (Campaign website)
LIBERTARIAN CANDIDATE
Chase Oliver is a Libertarian activist living in Atlanta. He ran as a Libertarian for the U.S. Senate in 2022, and was the party’s nominee for president in 2024. (Libertarian Party of Georgia website)
Lieutenant Governor
The current lieutenant governor, Burt Jones, is running for governor, leaving the seat open. With multiple candidates in both the Democratic and Republican primaries, one or both could go to a runoff on June 16 if no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote in that primary.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
David Clark - businessman from Gwinnett County (Campaign website)
Greg Dolezal - business owner from Forsyth County (Campaign website)
Steve Gooch - Business owner from Lumpkin County (Campaign website)
John Flanders Kennedy - Attorney from Adrian in Monroe County (Campaign website)
Brenda Lynn Nelson-Porter - Research scholar from Coweta County (Campaign website)
Takosha Swan - Small business owner from Rockdale County (Campaign website)
Nabilah Parkes - State Senator from Gwinnett County (Campaign website)
Richard Wright - Certified public accountant from Fulton County (Campaign website)
Secretary of State
The Georgia Secretary of State oversees voting, tracks annual corporate filings, grants professional licenses, and oversees the state’s securities market. As current secretary of state Brad Raffensperger is running for governor, this is an open position.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
Tim Fleming - Small business owner from Newton County (Campaign website)
Adrian Consonery, Jr. - Voting rights advocate from Cobb County (Campaign website)
Penny Brown Reynolds - Attorney from Fulton County (Campaign website)
Attorney General
The Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to the executive branch & prosecutes violent crime across the state. The seat is open in this election because Chris Carr is running for governor.
Bob Trammell - Attorney from Meriwether County (Campaign website)
Agriculture Commissioner
The Georgia Department of Agriculture administers a variety of programs related to the state’s farm industry and the public that consumes its products. The current commissioner, Republican Tyler Harper, is unopposed for his party’s nomination. He will face the winner of the Democratic primary in the general election.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE
Tyler Harper - Georgia Agriculture Commissioner, from Irwin County (Campaign website)
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
Katherine Juhan-Arnold - Farmer / engineering & construction management, from Gwinnett County (Campaign website)
Sedrick Rowe, Jr. - Farmer / agricultural scientist, from Dougherty County (Campaign website)
Labor Commissioner
The Georgia Department of Labor provides a wide range of services to individuals and employers. These include administration of Georgia’s unemployment insurance, reemployment services, provision of workforce information to the public and private sectors, and oversight of child labor issues.
The current Labor Commissioner, Republican Bárbara Rivera Holmes, was appointed to the post in April 2025 by Gov. Brian Kemp. She is now seeking a full term and is unopposed for the Republican nomination. She will face the winner of the Democratic primary in the general election.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE
Bárbara Rivera Holmes - Georgia Labor Commissioner, from Dougherty County (Campaign website),
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
Brett Hulme - Self-employed, from Chatham County (Campaign website)
Jason Moon - Professional representative for U.S. Small Business Association from Walton County (Campaign Facebook page)
Nikki Porcher - Businesswoman from Fulton County (Campaign website)
Michelle Sanchez - Self-employed, from Hall County (Campaign website)
Christian Wise Smith - Attorney from Fulton County (Campaign website)
State School Superintendent
The State School Superintendent leads the Georgia Department of Education, which serves the state’s K-12 public school districts, schools, and students. The current superintendent, Republican Richard Woods, has served in the position since 2015 and is seeking re-election. He does face opposition in the Republican primary, and there are three candidates in the Democratic primary.
Otha Thornton - 53rd National Parent Teacher Association President from Coweta County (Campaign website)
Insurance & Fire Safety Commissioner
The mission of the Office of the Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner (OCI) is to protect Georgia families by providing access to vital insurance products and safe buildings through fair regulation that creates economic opportunities for all Georgians. The current commissioner, Republican John King, is seeking re-election. He is the only Republican in the race. He will face the winner of the Democratic primary in the general election, as well the Libertarian nominee, Colin McKinney.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE
John King - Georgia Insurance Commissioner, from Fulton County (Campaign website)
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
Clarence Blalock - Small business owner from Paulding County (Campaign website)
Thomas Gabriel Dean - Driver from DeKalb County (Campaign website not available)
Ambuj “AJ” Jain - Entrepreneur from Fulton County (Campaign website)
DeAndre Mathis - Insurance agent from Fulton County (Campaign website)
Keisha Sean Waites - Former state legislator from Fulton County (Campaign website)
LIBERTARIAN CANDIDATE
Colin McKinney - Physician from Clarke County (Campaign website)
Public Service Commission, District 3
The Georgia Public Service Commission regulates utilities such as electricity, telephone, and natural gas. Its five commissioners must live within a designated district, but are elected statewide. They serve staggered six-year terms.
The District 3 commissioner, Democrat Peter Hubbard, was just elected in a special election in 2025. He is seeking re-election, and is unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
Brandon Martin - Purchasing, from DeKalb County (Campaign website)
Terrell “Fitz” Johnson, Sr. - Entrepreneur from Fulton County (Campaign website)
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE
Peter Hubbard - Public Service Commissioner, from DeKalb County (Campaign website)
Public Service Commission, District 5
The incumbent commissioner, Tricia Pridemore, is not seeking re-election.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
Bobby Mehan - Business owner from Haralson County (Campaign website)
Carolyn Roddy - Attorney from Cobb County (Campaign website not available)
Joshua Tolbert - Professional engineer from Cobb County (Campaign website)
Shelia Edwards - Business owner from Cobb County (Campaign website)
Angelia Pressley - Professor from Cobb County (Campaign website)
Supreme Court of Georgia
Three of the nine seats on the Supreme Court of Georgia are up for election this year in statewide, non-partisan races. One of the three justices, Justice Benjamin Land, was unopposed. Each of the other two justices will face one challenger.
Supreme Court of Georgia - Bethel Seat
Charles “Charlie” Bethel - Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia, from Whitfield County (Campaign website)
Shamiracle Johnson Rankin - Lawyer from Douglas County (Campaign website)
Supreme Court of Georgia - Warren Seat
Jennifer Auer Jordan - Attorney from Fulton County (Campaign website)
Sarah Hawkins Warren - Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia, from Fulton County (Campaign website)
Judge of the Court of Appeals
The Georgia Court of Appeals is made up of 15 judges, and hears cases from across the state. Five of the seats are up for re-election this year in statewide, non-partisan races, though three of the judges are unopposed: Judges Sara Doyle, David Markle, and J. Wade Padgett.
Judge of Court of Appeals - Brown III Seat
Trenton Jones Brown - Judge of Court of Appeals from Putnam County (Campaign website)
Will Wooten - Deputy district attorney from Fulton County (Campaign website)
Judge of Court of Appeals - Gobeil Seat
Elizabeth Dallas Gobeil - Judge from Chatham County (Campaign website)
Fatima Harris Nelson - Attorney from Fulton County (Campaign website)
Georgia’s 1st Congressional District
One of Georgia’s 14 congressional districts, this district spans the entire coastline of Georgia, from the border with Florida, up to Savannah. In our area, it includes Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Glynn, Pierce, and Ware counties. As Congressman Buddy Carter is running for the U.S. Senate, there is no incumbent in this year’s election. Given the number of candidates in each party’s primary, it’s possible a runoff will be needed for one or both races on June 16, if a candidate doesn’t get more than 50% of the vote.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
Pat Farrell - Small business owner from Chatham County (Campaign website)
Jim Kingston - Insurance broker from Chatham County (Campaign website)
Brian Allen Montgomery - Retired, U.S. Army, from Chatham County (Campaign website)
Krista Penn - Healthcare executive from Chatham County (Campaign website)
Kandiss Taylor - Educator from Appling County (Campaign website)
Eugene Chin Yu - Retired, from Chatham County (Campaign website)
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
Defonsio Daniels - Retired Marine from Camden County (Campaign website)
Joyce Marie Griggs - Retired military, from Chatham County (Campaign website)
Amanda Hollowell - Chief of campaigns, from Chatham County (Campaign website)
Michael McCord - Small business owner from Chatham County (Campaign website)
Joey Palimeno - Veterinary technician from Camden County (Campaign website)
Sharon Stokes Williamson - Public health professional (Campaign website)
Patrick Wilver - Self-employed, from Chatham County (Campaign website)
Randall Zurcher - Teachers union representative from Chatham County (Campaign website)
Georgia’s 8th Congressional District
Georgia’s 8th District stretches from Valdosta to north of Macon. In southeast Georgia, the district includes Clinch County. The Republican incumbent, Austin Scott, is unopposed in his party’s primary.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE
Austin Scott - U.S. Representative, from Tift County (Campaign website)
Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office, Georgia General Assembly (Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office, Georgia General Assembly)
Georgia State Senate, District 3
Represents Brantley Camden, Charlton, Glynn and part of Ware counties. The incumbent, Republican Michael Hodges, drew no primary challengers, and no Democrats qualified for the election.
Georgia State Senate, District 8
Includes Clinch, Pierce and part of Ware counties. The incumbent, Republican Russ Goodman, is seeking re-election. No Democrats qualified for this election.
Ralph Tyre - Entrepreneur/small business owner from Ware County (No campaign website found)
Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office, Georgia General Assembly (Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office, Georgia General Assembly)
Georgia State House, District 167
Represents western Glynn County. Republican incumbent Homer “Buddy” DeLoach is seeking re-election but drew no opposition in his party’s primary.
Includes the city of Brunswick, St. Simons Island and other parts of eastern Glynn County. Republican incumbent Richard Townsend (Campaign website) is seeking re-election and is unopposed in his party’s primary. The only Democratic candidate withdrew after qualifying for the election.
Georgia State House, District 180
Includes all of Camden County and a strip of southern Glynn County. Incumbent Steven Sainz (Campaign website) was the only Republican to qualify for the party’s primary. No Democrats qualified for this race.
Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.
