Georgia’s 2026 primary season is unlike anything the state has seen in years.
With no incumbent governor on the ballot for the first time since 2018, an unusually crowded and ambitious field has rushed in to fill the void.
Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff faces his first serious Republican challenge. And a utility board that most Georgians had never heard of is now at the center of a fight over your electric bill, and the state’s energy future.
Here are all the key races and candidates in Georgia’s 2026 midterm elections.
Still have questions? Check out our full 2026 Guide to Voting in Georgia, covering what ID you’ll need, how to find your polling place, and what to do if something goes wrong at the polls.
Who’s running for US Senate in Georgia?
Jon Ossoff, elected in the landmark January 2021 runoff, faces no primary challenger from his own party.
He has carved out a reputation as one of the Senate’s more aggressive voices on government ethics, championing a ban on congressional stock trading and pushing to eliminate corporate PACs.
Ossoff regularly criticizes Trump and the “Mar-a-lago Mafia,” pointing to the fact that Trump has enriched himself by more than a billion dollars since becoming president.
On the Republican side, the race is a three-way scramble.
Congressmen Buddy Carter and Mike Collins are both Trump loyalists. Collins has been in hot water over a House Ethics Investigation that found “substantial reason to believe” he paid his chief-of-staff’s girlfriend $10,000 to work as an intern, despite the fact that she performed no work.
Carter and Collins are competing against Derek Dooley, a former college football coach positioning himself as a political outsider. His key asset is the endorsement of outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp. With no clear frontrunner, most observers expect the race to result in a runoff.
Who’s running for Governor in Georgia?
The Republican primary has effectively become a two-man spending war.
Healthcare executive Rick Jackson entered the race in February and has since poured more than $50 million of his own money into the race, much of it aimed directly at Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones.
Jones is the heir to Jones Petroleum, which operates more than fifty gas stations across the South. He holds perhaps the biggest card in a Republican primary: a Trump endorsement.
The Democratic field is led by former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who came under controversy in 2020 when she declined to run for a second term amid the COVID-19 pandemic and moved into the private sector. She’s the frontrunner, but the race for second to force a runoff is competitive.
State Assembly Member Jason Esteves, a teacher and co-owner of two beloved Flying Biscuit Cafes, is currently in the lead for that spot.
He’s followed by Geoff Duncan, the former Republican Lieutenant Governor who has since joined the Democratic Party, though his past vote for a six-week abortion ban has drawn criticism from progressive activists.
Rounding out the field is Michael Thurmond, former CEO of DeKalb County, who many remember for his role in the “Cop City” protests and support for the controversial police training facility, which has since been built.
Who’s running for US House in Georgia?
Three Georgia seats have no incumbent on the ballot: GA-1 (Savannah and Southeast Georgia), GA-10 (Northeast and Central Georgia), and GA-13 (Southeast Atlanta suburbs). Candidates are lining up for all three, though the state’s partisan gerrymandering means none are expected to be truly competitive in November.
Who’s running for Public Service Commission in Georgia?
The PSC is a five-person board that regulates Georgia’s utilities, including Georgia Power, and it has real power over what you pay each month and how the state generates its electricity.
In 2022, the Republican-led commission approved rate hikes that added roughly $500 per year to the average Georgia Power customer’s bill. The backlash was significant. In 2025, voters flipped two seats Democratic for the first time in two decades. Republicans still hold the majority, but several seats are on the ballot again in 2026, making this a rare opportunity for Democrats to take control.
But the stakes go beyond your utility bill. The PSC also decides whether Georgia doubles down on coal and natural gas or accelerates investment in solar and wind. Democratic candidates are largely running on a platform of tighter utility regulation and renewable energy, arguing it could lower costs as oil prices climb. Republicans counter that nuclear, oil, and coal remain essential to powering the state’s economy, particularly its rapidly expanding data center industry.
