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.
Republican Governor Brian Kemp is term-limited. Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic primary for governor on May 19, with Rick Jackson and Burt Jones finishing at the top of the Republican primary and advancing to the June 16 runoff. 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.
While many primaries were decided on May 19, there were some races where no candidate got more than 50% of the vote, forcing a runoff on June 16 between the top two candidates.
Scroll down to read about everyone running for statewide offices and the U.S. House and state legislative seats representing Southeast Georgia. 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
With five candidates on the Republican primary ballot, no candidate earned more than 50% of the vote, forcing a runoff between the top two candidates. The winner of the June 16 runoff will face Ossoff in November.
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)
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)
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. While Keisha Lance Bottoms was able to win the crowded Democratic primary in May, no candidate in the Republican primary got more than 50% of the vote, forcing a June 16 runoff.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
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)
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE
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)
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, both races will require a June 16 runoff.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
Greg Dolezal - business owner from Forsyth County (Campaign website)
John Flanders Kennedy - Attorney from Adrian in Monroe County (Campaign website)
Nabilah Parkes - State Senator from Gwinnett 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. Both the Republican and Democratic primaries will require a June 16 runoff.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
Tim Fleming - Small business owner from Newton 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.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE
Brian Strickland - Attorney from Henry County (Campaign website)
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)
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
Nikki Porcher - Businesswoman from Fulton County (Campaign website)
Michelle Sanchez - Self-employed, from Hall 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.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
Fred “Bubba” Longgrear - School superintendent from Candler County (Campaign website)
Richard Woods - State school superintendent from Tift County (Campaign website)
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
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)
Joshua Tolbert - Professional engineer from Cobb County (Campaign website)
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
Shelia Edwards - Business owner 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. Incumbents Charles Bethel and Sarah Warren were re-elected to their seats in the May primary.
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. The other judges, Trenton Brown and Elizabeth Gobeil, were both re-elected to their seats in the May primary.
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 ran for the U.S. Senate, there is no incumbent in this year’s election. Republican Jim Kingston won the Republican primary in May, but the Democratic primary will require a June 16 runoff.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE
Jim Kingston - Insurance broker from Chatham County (Campaign website)
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
Joyce Marie Griggs - Retired military, from Chatham County (Campaign website)
Amanda Hollowell - Chief of campaigns, 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 unopposed for re-election. The race will appear on Republican primary ballots as Goodman had drawn one challenger, Greg Tyre. However, Tyre later withdrew from the race. No Democrats qualified for the election.
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.
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