Who's In the Race

Republican Rick Jackson and Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms face each other in Georgia's general election on Nov. 3, 2026. ​

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is not running for reelection and Jackson secured the Republican nomination through a primary runoff on June 16, 2026. . Jackson's path through a runoff of six candidates was complicated by an endorsement gap that persists into the general: Jones, who lost the runoff to Jackson, holds 76 endorsements, the most of the six candidates listed, compared to Jackson's 39. Whether those endorsements translate into meaningful support for Jackson's general-election campaign remains to be seen.

Bottoms won the Democratic primary outright on May 19, 2026, with 607,221 votes — more than three times the total of runner-up Jason Esteves, who received 201,636. Bottoms took more than 56 percent of the counted Democratic primary votes among the five candidates with reported vote totals, a dominant showing that spared her a runoff. That lopsided margin gave her months of general-election runway while Jackson was still competing in a June runoff.

Bottoms served as mayor of Atlanta before joining the Biden administration, giving her a profile that extends well beyond Georgia's Democratic base. Jackson, a businessman, emerged from a crowded Republican field that included two statewide officeholders, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr.

Race Outlook

Every major race-rating outlet has placed this contest in its most competitive category, and they have held that assessment through October. The Cook Political Report rated the race a Toss-up as of Oct. 15, 2026. Sabato's Crystal Ball also rated it a Toss-up as of Oct. 9, 2026. Inside Elections rated it a Toss-up as of Oct. 2, 2026. The consensus rating is Toss-up.

The polling average tells the same story. Jackson leads Bottoms by 1.5 percentage points in the Legis1 polling average as of Oct. 20, 2026 — Jackson at 48.2 percent, Bottoms at 46.6 percent, across 63 polls. A margin that narrow sits well within the range of normal polling error, meaning the average cannot reliably predict a winner. Both candidates are within reach of the 50 percent threshold that would decide the race outright; a shift of fewer than two points in either direction would flip the lead.

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