Show Caption

Georgia voters are heading to the polls in May to kick off the 2026 midterm election season.

The midterms will be a referendum on the Trump Administration and a chaotic start to the president’s second term, coming to a head with the war in Iran escalating just weeks before the polls open.

Some states have already held their midterm primaries, and in Georgia, a closely-watched special election for the U.S. House seat left behind by Marjorie Taylor Greene showed Republicans may be losing some of their strength in places like Georgia.

The eyes of the nation will be on the Peach State as Governor Brian Kemp completes his second term, unable to run again, and leaving a vacuum for a new conservative, or liberal, leader in the South.

More than a dozen candidates have thrown their name in the ring to replace him on both sides of the political spectrum.

Here’s a look at the race for governor and which candidates have landed significant endorsements.

Who is running for governor of Georgia?

A total of eight Republican candidates and seven Democratic candidates have qualified for the May gubernatorial primary.

Brad Raffensperger, Burt Jones, Chris Carr, Clark Dean, Gregg Kirkpatrick, Ken Yasger, Rick Jackson and Tom Williams have qualified as candidates for the Republican Party.

Current Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and late-entry healthcare executive Rick Jackson have been leading the polls, with Jackson performing well over the past few weeks.

Seven Democratic candidates are also in the race, including Amanda Duffy, Derrick Jackson, Geoff Duncan, Jason Esteves, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Mike Thurmond and Olu Brown.

The polls show Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, leading the pack, followed by former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan.

Jones and Jackson locked in fight for MAGA base in Georgia

The closer race lies on the Republican side of the ticket, with Trump-endorsed Jones having to shift his strategy after the surprise late entry of Jackson to the gubernatorial race.

Jones was endorsed by the president long before Jackson announced his candidacy, and Jackson has since focused his campaign on Trump voters and parts of the MAGA base. Despite not having the endorsement, Jackson has also publicly supported the president and said he would be a friend to the president in Georgia. Jones has largely targeted Jackson in his campaign ads and social media posts, and regularly shares images of himself with the president to reinforce the political connection.

President Trump has had his focus on the state since the 2020 election when he claimed the race had been stolen in part because of voter fraud in Fulton County. The claims eventually led to an FBI raid of an election center in south Atlanta earlier this year. The legality of the raid is being disputed in court, and there has not been any evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 election.

Jones was also endorsed by Gov. Kemp, who he has worked with throughout Kemp’s second term as governor.

Jones has received endorsements from U.S. Representative Andrew Clyde, Congressman Rick Allen, Majority Caucus Chairman Bruce Williamson, state senator Steven McNeel, state senator Matt Brass, a group of Georgia sheriff’s and country music star Jason Aldean, a Macon native, among others.

Jackson, on the other hand, is playing catch up trying to get big names to his cause, but it hasn’t slowed him down.

He has been endorsed by NFL Hall of Famer and former UGA player Fran Tarkenton, state insurance commissioner candidate John King, state representative Bethany Ballard, Georgia Public Service Commissioner Bubba McDonald, state representative Steven Sainz and others.

Could Bottoms, Duncan turn Georgia blue?

In March, the Center for Politics’ Crystal Ball predicted the Georgia gubernatorial race was the “clearest Democratic pickup opportunity,” setting frontrunners Bottoms and Duncan up for potential success against the Trump-aligned Republicans.

Bottoms has name recognition on her side in Georgia after serving as the mayor of Atlanta for 4 years and working in the Biden Administration.

She has been endorsed by EMILYs List, a pro-choice political action committee, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Higher Heights for America, rapper and activist Killer Mike, among others.

Duncan will have to convince Democratic voters that he has turned over a new leaf. Duncan previously served as a Republican lieutenant governor under Kemp’s first term, only switching to the Democratic Party after he did not seek reelection in 2022, and Jones won the seat for Kemp’s second term. He became a vocal critic of the president after his time in the state house before announcing his bid for governor as a democrat.

Duncan has been endorsed by the former Georgia NAACP President James “Major” Woodall, the Southern Regional Council of Carpenters Union, Georgia Men for Democracy Now PAC, and state representative Michelle Au, among others.

Irene Wright covers the governor’s race in Georgia as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.