It’s the 12 Days of Ballotpedia! Your gift powers the trusted, unbiased information voters need heading into 2026. Donate now!
Georgia's 8th Congressional District election, 2026
|
← 2024
|
| Georgia's 8th Congressional District |
|---|
 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 6, 2026 |
| Primary: May 19, 2026 Primary runoff: June 16, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Race ratings |
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th Georgia elections, 2026 U.S. Congress elections, 2026 U.S. Senate elections, 2026 U.S. House elections, 2026 |
All U.S. House districts, including the 8th Congressional District of Georgia, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is May 19, 2026, and a primary runoff is June 16, 2026. The general runoff is December 1, 2026. The filing deadline is March 6, 2026. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- Georgia's 8th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 19 Democratic primary)
- Georgia's 8th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 19 Republican primary)
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for U.S. House Georgia District 8
The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. House Georgia District 8 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Austin Scott (R) | |
 | James Cooper III (D)  | |
 | Kelly Esti (D) | |
 | Justin Laster (D) | |
 | Justin Lucas (D) | |
 | Vinson Watkins (R) | |
 | Roman Coley Davis (Independent) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I am a Lizella resident, was born in Macon, and am a graduate of Mercer University. I also attended seminary at Earlham School of Religion, and served three years as a pastor. I am a musician, an actor, a former small business owner, a political activist, and a cancer survivor. I am a working-class American who understands firsthand the issues that so many Americans face today. I know what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck, struggle to make ends meet, go without healthcare, have to choose between paying rent, paying other bills, and having food to eat, have already insufficient wages garnished for student loan debt, and to be one missed paycheck away from financial devastation. I am passionate about creating social and economic equality and justice for all people. I believe in showing Love, compassion, empathy, and respect to all people, and treating all people fairly. As a U.S. Representative, I will work to bring the American people together for the common good, restore rights that have been taken away from people, restore integrity and rule of law to all branches of our government, and to promote civility and good will between Americans of all backgrounds. I will work to to empower working-class Americans, and to make the U.S. into a true land of opportunity, where ALL people are able to live the American dream."
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Georgia
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
| Collapse all
James Cooper III (D)
The only way we are ever going to change things and make the system work for the average American is for working-class Americans to organize, and run for office ourselves, and for working-class Americans to support and vote for those candidates. We cannot rely on millionaires and billionaires, establishment politicians, or a privileged political class to do the job for us.
Establishment politicians don’t work for us. They never have and they never will. They work for their billionaire and corporate donors. The super rich and those who live privileged lifestyles will never truly understand what it is like to be a middle-class, working-class, or poor American. If the majority of Americans want elected officials who are going to actually work for us, then we are going to have to empower ourselves.
I am running to represent Georgia’s 8th Congressional Dist. I encourage other working-class progressive Americans to make the decision now to run for Senate, House of Representatives, Governors, and other state and local offices. Together, we can change our government and make it finally work for the American people.
We need leaders who will work to establish Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, thriving wages for all American workers, a Federal Jobs Guarantee, Universal Basic Income, equal rights for ALL Americans, protect and expand Social Security and benefits for disabled veterans, and restore women’s reproductive rights and healthcare rights for transgender youth.
Roman Coley Davis (Independent)
Protecting our innocent and most vulnerable children.
Ousting corruption.
James Cooper III (D)
Roman Coley Davis (Independent)
James Cooper III (D)
James Cooper III (D)
James Cooper III (D)
James Cooper III (D)
James Cooper III (D)
James Cooper III (D)
You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Scott | Republican Party | $464,857 | $341,472 | $1,103,550 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| James Cooper III | Democratic Party | $101 | $37 | $64 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Kelly Esti | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Justin Laster | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Justin Lucas | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Vinson Watkins | Republican Party | $0 | $63 | $138 | As of June 30, 2025 |
| Roman Coley Davis | Independent | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
|||||
General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]
| Race ratings: Georgia's 8th Congressional District election, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 12/16/2025 | 12/9/2025 | 12/2/2025 | 11/25/2025 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
Ballot access
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Georgia in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Georgia, click here.
| Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| Georgia | U.S. House | Ballot-qualified party | N/A | $5,220 | 3/6/2026 | Source |
| Georgia | U.S. House | Unaffiliated | 27,992 | $5,220 | 7/14/2026 | Source |
District history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.
General election
General election for U.S. House Georgia District 8
Incumbent Austin Scott (R) defeated Darrius Butler (D) in the general election for U.S. House Georgia District 8 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Austin Scott (R) | 68.9 | 231,547 |
 | Darrius Butler (D) | 31.1 | 104,434 | |
| Total votes: 335,981 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Justin Laster (D)
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 8
Darrius Butler (D) defeated Vinson Watkins (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 8 on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Darrius Butler | 71.6 | 15,755 |
| | Vinson Watkins | 28.4 | 6,236 | |
| Total votes: 21,991 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Justin Laster (D)
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 8
Incumbent Austin Scott (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 8 on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Austin Scott | 100.0 | 59,537 |
| Total votes: 59,537 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for U.S. House Georgia District 8
Incumbent Austin Scott (R) defeated Darrius Butler (D) in the general election for U.S. House Georgia District 8 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Austin Scott (R) | 68.6 | 178,700 |
| | Darrius Butler (D) | 31.4 | 81,886 | |
| Total votes: 260,586 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Michelle Cope (L)
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 8
Darrius Butler (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 8 on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Darrius Butler | 100.0 | 30,655 |
| Total votes: 30,655 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 8
Incumbent Austin Scott (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 8 on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Austin Scott | 100.0 | 90,426 |
| Total votes: 90,426 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Mike Reece (R)
General election
General election for U.S. House Georgia District 8
Incumbent Austin Scott (R) defeated Lindsay Holliday (D) and James Cooper III (G) in the general election for U.S. House Georgia District 8 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Austin Scott (R) | 64.5 | 198,701 |
 | Lindsay Holliday (D) | 35.5 | 109,264 | |
| | James Cooper III (G) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 48 | |
| Total votes: 308,013 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 8
Lindsay Holliday (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 8 on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lindsay Holliday | 100.0 | 44,493 |
| Total votes: 44,493 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 8
Incumbent Austin Scott (R) defeated Robert Vance Dean (R) and Daniel Ellyson (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 8 on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Austin Scott | 89.8 | 73,671 |
| Robert Vance Dean | 5.7 | 4,692 | ||
 | Daniel Ellyson | 4.5 | 3,668 | |
| Total votes: 82,031 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
District analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.
- District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
- Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
- State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.
Partisan Voter Index
Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+15. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 15 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Georgia's 8th the 71st most Republican district nationally.[5]
2020 presidential election results
The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.
Kamala Harris  |
Donald Trump  |
|---|---|
| 34.0% | 65.0% |
Presidential voting history
- See also: Presidential election in Georgia, 2024
Georgia presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 20 Democratic wins
- 11 Republican wins
- 1 other win
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | AI[6] | R | D | D | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | R |
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Georgia's congressional delegation as of October 2025.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Georgia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Republican | 0 | 9 | 9 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 14 | 16 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Georgia's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | Brian Kemp |
| Lieutenant Governor | Burt Jones |
| Secretary of State | Brad Raffensperger |
| Attorney General | Chris Carr |
State legislature
Georgia State Senate
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 22 | |
| Republican Party | 33 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | |
| Total | 56 | |
Georgia House of Representatives
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 79 | |
| Republican Party | 99 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 2 | |
| Total | 180 | |
Trifecta control
Georgia Party Control: 1992-2025
Eleven years of Democratic trifectas • Twenty-one years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
- ↑ American Independent Party
