Brad Raffensperger
Brad Raffensperger (Republican Party) is the Georgia Secretary of State. He assumed office on January 14, 2019. His current term ends on January 11, 2027.
Raffensperger (Republican Party) is running for election for Governor of Georgia. He is on the ballot in the Republican primary on May 19, 2026.[source]
Biography
Raffensperger earned his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Western University and his M.B.A. from Georgia State University. His professional experience includes owning and working as CEO of Tendon Systems, LLC, a contracting and engineering design firm.[1]
2026 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the May 19 Republican primary as a battleground race. The summary below is from our coverage of this election here
Eight candidates are running in the Republican primary for Georgia governor on May 19, 2026.
Four candidates have led in media attention:
- Chris Carr (R) is the incumbent attorney general and is campaigning on affordability and public safety.[2]
- Rick Jackson (R) is a healthcare executive and is campaigning on his business experience and on passing an income tax cut.[3]
- Burt Jones (R) is the incumbent lieutenant governor and is campaigning on reducing taxes and improving education.[4]
- Brad Raffensperger (R) is the incumbent secretary of state and is campaigning on jobs and lower taxes.[5]
For more information about each candidate's policies, click here.
Cook Political Report with Amy Walter's Matthew Klein wrote, "Ever the swing state, Georgia is gearing up for yet another competitive and expensive gubernatorial contest. And this time, both parties have packed primaries that guarantee plenty of chaos before the general election kicks off in earnest."[6]
The Georgia Political Insight Substack wrote after Jackson's entry that the race "is now one of the most expensive and unpredictable statewide contests in the country."[7] According to official campaign finance reports from the Georgia Ethics Commission, Carr raised $4.9 million, Jones $3.9 million, and Raffensperger $864.2k. Fundraising info for Jackson was not available.[8] Observers have noted that Jackson, Jones, and Raffensperger can self-finance their campaigns, and Jackson and Jones have done so.[3][9] Satellite spending has also been a factor in the race as a group called Georgians for Integrity has spent $14 million in ads opposing Jones' campaign.[10]
Additionally, Carr, Jackson, and Raffensperger have filed lawsuits over a state law that allows Jones, as a specified state officeholder, to use special finance committees to raise unlimited campaign funds. To read more about that, click here.
The Washington Post's Patrick Svitek wrote that Donald Trump's legal challenges to the outcome of the 2020 presidential election had become "a stark dividing line in the Georgia governor’s race, where Republicans [who took differing sides]... are now facing off in a major midterm contest."[11] In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential elections, the candidates who held office at the time took differing stances on Trump's lawsuits. Jones, a state Senator at the time, supported the lawsuits and was an alternate elector for Trump, while Carr and Raffensperger did not support the president's lawsuits.[12][13]
Trump endorsed Jones on August 11, 2025, saying in a Truth Social post, "Burt has proven he has the Courage and Wisdom to deliver strong results for the incredible people of his wonderful State and Nation".[14] The four candidates have spoken about Trump and the 2020 election in different ways. Carr has praised Trump's policies but did not back his lawsuits in 2020, and says his campaign and style were more aligned with Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and former Sen. Johnny Isakson (R).[15][16] Jackson says Trump was his inspiration to run for office, and he has aired ads criticizing Raffensperger over his actions following the 2020 presidential election.[3] Jones says he supports Trump's agenda and also previously supported his lawsuits in 2020.[17] Raffensperger, who did not support the president's lawsuits in 2020, has defended his actions and says his record has been conservative and would align with Trump's objectives.[18][19]
If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, the top two leading candidates will advance to a runoff on June 16, 2026.[20]
Clark Dean (R), Gregg Kirkpatrick (R), Leland Olinger II (R), and Kenneth Yasger (R) are also running.
This page focuses on Georgia's Republican Party gubernatorial primary. For more in-depth information on Georgia's Democratic gubernatorial primary and the general election, see the following pages:
- Georgia gubernatorial election, 2026 (May 19 Democratic primary)
- Georgia gubernatorial election, 2026
Political career
Below is a list of offices within Ballotpedia’s scope. Offices outside of that scope will not be listed. If an update is needed and the office is within our scope, please contact us.
Raffensperger's political career includes the following offices:
- 2019-present: Georgia Secretary of State
- 2015-2019: Georgia House of Representatives District 50
Elections
2026
See also: Georgia gubernatorial election, 2026
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 | |
| Amanda Duffy | ||
 | Geoff Duncan | |
 | Jason Esteves | |
 | Derrick Jackson | |
 | Michael Thurmond | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ruwa Romman (D)
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 | |
 | Rick Jackson | |
 | Burt Jones | |
 | Gregg Kirkpatrick | |
| Leland Olinger II | ||
 | Brad Raffensperger | |
| Tom Williams | ||
| Ken Yasger | ||
| ||||
| = 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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Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2022
See also: Georgia Secretary of State election, 2022
General election
General election for Georgia Secretary of State
Incumbent Brad Raffensperger defeated Bee Nguyen, Ted Metz, and Brenda Nelson-Porter in the general election for Georgia Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brad Raffensperger (R) | 53.2 | 2,081,241 |
 | Bee Nguyen (D) | 44.0 | 1,719,922 | |
 | Ted Metz (L) | 2.8 | 108,884 | |
 | Brenda Nelson-Porter (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 154 | |
| Total votes: 3,910,201 | |||
| = 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 runoff election
Democratic primary runoff for Georgia Secretary of State
Bee Nguyen defeated Dee Dawkins-Haigler in the Democratic primary runoff for Georgia Secretary of State on June 21, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bee Nguyen | 77.0 | 198,511 |
 | Dee Dawkins-Haigler | 23.0 | 59,310 | |
| Total votes: 257,821 | |||
| = 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 election
Democratic primary for Georgia Secretary of State
Bee Nguyen and Dee Dawkins-Haigler advanced to a runoff. They defeated Michael Owens, Floyd Griffin, and John Eaves in the Democratic primary for Georgia Secretary of State on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bee Nguyen | 44.3 | 309,437 |
| ✔ | | Dee Dawkins-Haigler | 18.7 | 130,278 |
 | Michael Owens | 16.4 | 114,621 | |
 | Floyd Griffin | 10.8 | 75,423 | |
 | John Eaves | 9.8 | 68,233 | |
| Total votes: 697,992 | |||
| = 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
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Georgia Secretary of State
Incumbent Brad Raffensperger defeated Jody Hice, David Belle Isle, and Torri M. Hudson in the Republican primary for Georgia Secretary of State on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brad Raffensperger | 52.4 | 611,616 |
 | Jody Hice | 33.3 | 389,447 | |
 | David Belle Isle | 8.8 | 103,272 | |
 | Torri M. Hudson | 5.4 | 63,646 | |
| Total votes: 1,167,981 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2018
General runoff election
General runoff election for Georgia Secretary of State
Brad Raffensperger defeated John Barrow in the general runoff election for Georgia Secretary of State on December 4, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brad Raffensperger (R) | 51.9 | 764,855 |
 | John Barrow (D) | 48.1 | 709,049 | |
| Total votes: 1,473,904 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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 Georgia Secretary of State
Brad Raffensperger and John Barrow advanced to a runoff. They defeated Smythe DuVal in the general election for Georgia Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brad Raffensperger (R) | 49.1 | 1,906,588 |
| ✔ | | John Barrow (D) | 48.7 | 1,890,310 |
 | Smythe DuVal (L) | 2.2 | 86,696 | |
| Total votes: 3,883,594 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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 runoff election
Republican primary runoff for Georgia Secretary of State
Brad Raffensperger defeated David Belle Isle in the Republican primary runoff for Georgia Secretary of State on July 24, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brad Raffensperger | 61.8 | 329,708 |
| David Belle Isle | 38.2 | 204,194 | |
| Total votes: 533,902 | |||
| = 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 election
Democratic primary for Georgia Secretary of State
John Barrow defeated Dee Dawkins-Haigler and R.J. Hadley in the Democratic primary for Georgia Secretary of State on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Barrow | 51.5 | 264,864 |
| Dee Dawkins-Haigler | 29.5 | 151,963 | |
 | R.J. Hadley | 19.0 | 97,682 | |
| Total votes: 514,509 | |||
| = 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 election
Republican primary for Georgia Secretary of State
Brad Raffensperger and David Belle Isle advanced to a runoff. They defeated Joshua McKoon and Buzz Brockway in the Republican primary for Georgia Secretary of State on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brad Raffensperger | 35.0 | 185,386 |
| ✔ | | David Belle Isle | 28.5 | 151,328 |
 | Joshua McKoon | 21.1 | 112,113 | |
 | Buzz Brockway | 15.4 | 81,492 | |
| Total votes: 530,319 | |||
| = 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ken Brown (R)
2016
Elections for the Georgia House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on May 24, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 11, 2016.
Incumbent Brad Raffensperger ran unopposed in the Georgia House of Representatives District 50 general election.[21][22]
| Georgia House of Representatives, District 50 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Brad Raffensperger Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 17,802 | |
| Total Votes | 17,802 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Brad Raffensperger ran unopposed in the Georgia House of Representatives District 50 Republican primary.[23][24]
| Georgia House of Representatives, District 50 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Brad Raffensperger Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2015
Kelly Leigh Stewart (R), Royce M. Reinecke (R), Bradford Jay Raffensperger (R), Christine A. Austin (L) and Paul Troop (I) faced off in the special election on January 6, 2015.[25] Since no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters, Stewart and Raffensperger, met in a runoff election on February 3, which Raffensperger won.[26][27]
The seat was vacant following Lynne Riley's (R) resignation to become Commissioner of the Department of Revenue.[28]
A special election for the position of Georgia House of Representatives District 50 was called for January 6, with a runoff on February 3. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was November 21, 2014.[29]
| Georgia House of Representatives, District 50, Special Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Bradford Jay Raffensperger |
52.8% | 1,510 | |
| Republican | Kelly Leigh Stewart | 47.2% | 1,351 | |
| Total Votes | 2,861 | |||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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You can ask Brad Raffensperger to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing campaign@bradforgeorgia.com.
2022
Brad Raffensperger did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Campaign website
The following themes were found on Raffensperger's campaign website.
| “ |
The Conservative to Support FairTax. The Conservative to Take on Trafficking in Georgia. The Conservative to Strengthen Voter ID. The Conservative to Support Paper Ballot for Verification of Voters. |
” |
| —Brad Raffensperger's 2018 campaign website[31] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
State legislative tenure
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Georgia committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications |
| • Insurance |
| • Intragovernmental Coordination |
| • Juvenile Justice |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Raffensperger served on the following committees:
| Georgia committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications |
| • Intragovernmental Coordination |
| • Juvenile Justice |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Georgia scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2018
In 2018, the Georgia General Assembly was in session from January 8 through March 29.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on social issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on children's education.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2017, the Georgia General Assembly was in session from January 9 through March 31.
|
2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2016, the Georgia General Assembly was in session from January 11 through March 24.
|
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2015, the Georgia State Legislature was in session from January 12 through April 2.
|
See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Governor of Georgia |
Officeholder Georgia Secretary of State |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "About Brad," accessed May 5, 2022
- ↑ The Current GA, "Carr tries to break through in Georgia governor’s race," February 2, 2026
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Associated Press, "Business owner Rick Jackson launches Republican bid for Georgia governor," February 3, 2026
- ↑ Burt Jones 2026 campaign website, "On The Issues," accessed February 4, 2026
- ↑ Brad Raffensperger 2026 campaign website, "Brad's Blueprint for Georgia," accessed February 4, 2025
- ↑ Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, "Packed Georgia Primaries Pave the Way for Another Dramatic Gubernatorial Clash," October 23, 2025
- ↑ Georgia Political Insight, "Billionaire Rick Jackson Shakes Up Georgia Governor’s Race With $50 Million War Chest and Trump Ties," February 5, 2026
- ↑ Georgia Ethics Commission, "Browse Candidate Data," accessed February 11, 2026
- ↑ Capitol Beat, "Campaigns for statewide offices take shape after first major financial filings," July 19, 2025
- ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Governor’s race: Duncan, Thurmond are first to reveal latest fundraising totals," February 3, 2026
- ↑ Washington Post, "How Trump’s 2020 election falsehoods are shaping a marquee Georgia race," October 2, 2025
- ↑ Washington Examiner, "Investigation into Jones’ actions during 2020 elections closed," September 14, 2024
- ↑ News Channel 9, "Georgia Republican Burt Jones uses legislature to attack his opponent over 2020 election," January 22, 2026
- ↑ Politico, "Trump endorses Lt. Gov. Burt Jones for Georgia governor," August 11, 2025
- ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Carr’s MAGA gamble: The Republican’s high-stakes strategy to satisfy Trump’s GOP," March 28, 2025
- ↑ Atlanta Journal Constitution, "Chris Carr raises more than $2M over 40 days in quest for Georgia governor," January 22, 2025
- ↑ Fox 5 Atlanta, "Lt. Gov. Burt Jones announces campaign for Georgia governor," July 8, 2025
- ↑ Atlanta Journal Constitution, "Brad Raffensperger on passing the 2020 ‘test’," December 15, 2025
- ↑ WALB, "Raffensperger aims to move past differences with President Trump in governor’s race," September 23, 2025
- ↑ Secretary of State of Georgia, "2026 ELECTION CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS," accessed February 5, 2026
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Qualifying Candidate Information," accessed August 17, 2016
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "General Election results," accessed November 23, 2016
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Qualifying Candidate Information," accessed March 13, 2016
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "General primary results," accessed May 24, 2016
- ↑ patch.com, "Five Candidates Qualify for State House District 50 Special Election," November 21, 2014
- ↑ patch.com, "House District 50 Race Heads To Runoff," January 6, 2015
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Official election results," accessed February 25, 2015
- ↑ Patch.com, "Lynne Riley Resigns From Georgia House, Will Serve As State Revenue Commissioner," November 7, 2014
- ↑ Peach Pundit, "Special Election Set for House District 50 (Lynn Riley’s Seat)," November 12, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Brad Raffensperger's 2018 campaign website, "On Issues," accessed September 30, 2018]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robyn A. Crittenden (R) |
Georgia Secretary of State 2019-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Georgia House of Representatives District 50 2015-2019 |
Succeeded by - |
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