Georgia 2026 election: Here's who will be on the ballot during May's governor, Senate primaries
The qualifying stage is over, and now candidates in Georgia's governor and U.S. Senate races have begun the two-month sprint to the May 19 primaries.
Friday was the deadline for candidates to submit their qualification documents. Those names will be on the ballot in May for some of the Peach State's crucial races.
With Gov. Brian Kemp limited to two terms, the governor's mansion is open, and Democrats are hoping that their recent statewide wins in the Public Service Commission races could mean a chance to take the state's top position. Many high-profile state Republicans want to succeed Kemp, though the governor hasn't said who he'd like to take his place.
In the Senate race, three Republicans are battling for the chance to face Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is running unopposed with a large fundraising chest prepared for the general election.
Here is a look at who qualified for the statewide races:
Georgia governor
On the Republican side of the gubernatorial race, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, and Attorney General Chris Carr have traded blows over campaign financing and support for President Trump.
Jones was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who declared themselves electors in 2020 even though Joe Biden had won the state. He also backed a call for a special session to declare Mr. Trump the winner. and Raffensperger and Carr spurned Trump's efforts. Raffensperger and Carr will appeal to more moderate Republicans, but they may split a critical voting group.
Quickly gaining attention is healthcare baron Rick Jackson, who has spent heavily on ads positioning himself as a political outsider. Jackson was the last major candidate to qualify for governor.
Other Republican candidates include Atlanta businessman Clark Dean, Gregg Kirkpatrick, Thomas Williams, and Kenneth Yasger.
On the Democratic side, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is regarded by many as the front-runner among the eight Democrats running for governor. She faces a crowded field of state and local politicians that includes former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party after siding with Kemp to certify Georgia's 2020 presidential election results.
Former state Sen. Jason Esteves, who has criticized Bottoms for choosing not to run for a second term as mayor and Duncan for supporting Republican parties that he now disavows, qualified for the race on March 2. Former DeKalb County CEO Mike Thurmond is in the race, describing his path from a low-income upbringing to a life in politics as the "American Dream." The four of them join Olu Brown, Amanda Duffy, and state Rep. Derrick Jackson on the ballot.
Libertarian Chase Oliver has qualified and will be on the ballot in November.
U.S. Senate
With no Democratic challengers to Ossoff, Republicans are competing against themselves for the chance to challenge him in November.
Each of Georgia's three main Republican contenders — Rep. Mike Collins, Rep. Buddy Carter, and former football coach Derek Dooley — has positioned himself as the best person to help Mr. Trump in Washington.
While the president has not said whether he will endorse anyone in the race, Kemp has put his support behind Dooley, a newcomer to politics who argues that voters are looking for an outsider candidate not focused on "their own political career or their political ambitions."
As Republicans compete with each other, Ossoff has been boosting his cash advantage. The senator has over $25.5 million on hand. Meanwhile, Collins has $2.3 million, Dooley has $2.1 million, and Carter has $4.2 million, including many of his own dollars.
Along with Carter, Collins, and Dooley, CEO John Francis Coyne III and retired Brig. Gen. Jonathan McColumn will be on the ballot in May.
Lieutenant governor
Democrats:
- State Sen. Josh McLaurin
- State Sen. Nabilah Parkes
- Business owner and CPA Richard N. Wright
Republicans:
- CEO Brenda Lynn Nelson-Porter
- State Rep. David Clark
- State Sen. Greg Dolezal
- Former state Sen. John F. Kennedy
- State Sen. Blake Tillery
- State Sen. Steve Gooch
- Small business owner Takosha Misheal Swan
Secretary of State
Democrats:
- Voter advocate Adrian Consonery Jr.
- Small business owner and former AAPI Outreach Director for Sen. Raphael Warnock Cam Ashling
- Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett
- Judge Penny Brown Reynolds
Republicans:
- Paper ballot advocate Ted Metz
- Air Force veteran and businessman Kelvin King
- Georgia Secretary of State COO Gabe Sterling
- State Rep. Tim Fleming
- Former DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones
Attorney General
Democrats:
- Attorney and former state Rep. Bob Trammell
- Attorney Herbert Adams Jr.
- Attorney Tanya Miller
Republicans:
- Attorney and state Sen. Brian Strickland
- Attorney and state Sen. Bill Cowsert
Agricultural Commissioner
Democrats:
- Farmer Katherine E. Juhan-Arnold
- Farmer Sedrick Kent Rowe Jr.
Republicans:
- Incumbent Tyler Harper is running unopposed.
Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner
Democrats:
- Entrepreneur Ambuj "AJ" Jain
- Small business owner Clarence Blalock (also running for labor commissioner)
- U.S. Navy veteran and insurance agent Deandre Bernard Mathis
- Former state Rep. Keisha Waites
- Driver Thomas Gabriel Dean
Republicans:
- Incumbent John F. King is running unopposed after he dropped out of the race for U.S. Senate last year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
