Georgia gubernatorial election, 2026

	← 2022
Governor of Georgia
	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; General runoff: December 1, 2026
How to vote
	Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Voting in Georgia
Race ratings
	Cook Political Report: Toss-up; Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican; Inside Elections: Tilt Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
	Federal and state primary competitiveness; State executive elections in 2026; Impact of term limits in 2026; State government trifectas; State government triplexes; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
Georgia; executive elections
	Governor; Lieutenant Governor; Attorney General; Secretary of State; Agriculture Commissioner; Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner; Labor Commissioner; Superintendent of Public Instruction; Public Service Commission (2 seats);

Georgia 2026 elections

U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Congressional special elections • Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • Secretary of State • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Special state legislative • Supreme court • Appellate courts • State ballot measures • All local elections by county • How to run for office

Georgia is holding an election for governor on 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:

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 primary will occur on May 19, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Georgia

The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for Governor of Georgia on May 19, 2026.

		Candidate
		Keisha Bottoms
		Olu Brown
		Geoff Duncan
		Jason Esteves
		Derrick Jackson
		Ruwa Romman
		Michael Thurmond

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= 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.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Georgia

The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for Governor of Georgia on May 19, 2026.

		Candidate
		Chris Carr
		Clark Dean
		Burt Jones
	Submit photo	Gregg Kirkpatrick
	Submit photo	Leland Olinger II
		Brad Raffensperger
	Submit photo	Kenneth Yasger

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= 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

There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.

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. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Georgia

Election information in Georgia: May 19, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

In-person: April 20, 2026
By mail: Postmarked by April 20, 2026
Online: April 20, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: May 8, 2026
By mail: Received by May 8, 2026
Online: May 8, 2026

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: May 19, 2026
By mail: Received by May 19, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

April 27, 2026 to May 15, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (ET)

Noteworthy events

Federal judge dismisses Chris Carr's campaign finance lawsuit against Burt Jones' campaign

On August 7, 2025, Chris Carr filed a lawsuit claiming Burt Jones' ability to raise unlimited campaign funds violated Carr's constitutional rights to free speech and equal protection. According to a 2021 campaign finance law, Georgia's governor, lieutenant governor, and select legislative leaders are allowed to raise unlimited funds via leadership committees. As the state's lieutenant governor, Jones can raise unlimited funds through his leadership committee, while Carr, as attorney general, cannot. Carr can, instead, raise up to $8,400 from each primary donor plus $4,800 for any primary runoff. These limits apply to all candidates running for governor of Georgia.^[1]^[2]^[3]

On August 28, 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Victoria Calvert dismissed the lawsuit. She agreed that the 2021 law injured Carr, but argued that he had brought the lawsuit against the wrong defendant. Calvert said the state of Georgia, and not Jones, was the violator.^[1]^[2]

As of September 1, 2025, Carr's campaign said it was considering further legal options, which could include a new lawsuit against the state. Jones' campaign said Carr was a hypocrite because he defended the campaign finance law in 2022 as attorney general. Carr said the defense was necessary in his capacity as attorney general, even if he personally disagreed with the law.^[1]^[2]

On December 4, 2025, the Georgia State Ethics Commission issued an advisory opinion saying Jones was allowed to raise unlimited funds via his leadership committee. According to the Georgia Recorder, "The commission’s position was that a personal loan from a candidate to a leadership committee is permitted because when the loan is repaid by the leadership committee, the candidate is simply receiving their own personal funds back, meaning no excessive or illegal contribution has occurred. The commission also stated that this analysis does not change if funds are loaned to the candidate committee during a primary election."^[4]

Brad Raffensperger sues state over campaign finance law

On December 8, 2025, Brad Raffensperger filed a lawsuit in federal court against that state of Georgia. The lawsuit alleged that the 2021 campaign finance law allowing Georgia's governor and lieutenant governor to raise unlimited funds via leadership committees limited Raffensperger's free speech. The lawsuit did not seek to disband leadership committees but instead sought a ruling that would allow the Raffensperger-aligned PAC, Safe Affordable Georgia, to also raise unlimited funds.^[5]^[6]

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.^[7]
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.^[8]^[9]^[10]

Race ratings: Georgia gubernatorial election, 2026
Race tracker	Race ratings
	1/20/2026	1/13/2026	1/6/2026	12/23/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Tilt Republican	Tilt Republican	Tilt Republican	Tilt Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean 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.

Past elections

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2014.