With Gov. Brian Kemp wrapping up his final term, several hopefuls have hit the pavement to prove why they are the best candidate to replace him.
The Georgia primary for the midterm election will be held Tuesday, May 19. Polls will open at 7 a.m., and as long as voters are in line by 7 p.m., they can make their selections in some of Georgia's most important races.
The primary will determine who will either head into a runoff in June or who will receive an admission ticket into the Nov. 3 general election.
Georgia historically has been a battleground state in past nationwide elections, and few of the current gubernatorial contenders have been in the national spotlight.
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The action-packed gubernatorial race is full of familiar faces, from a former White House aide to two state officials who were once the focal points of controversy surrounding the 2020 presidential election to the former leader of one of metro Atlanta's most populous counties.
Polls on Tuesday showed health-care executive and philanthropist Rick Jackson led the GOP pack by an average of least 26 percent. During a recent debate, he claimed to be "late to the Trump train," saying he is a new supported of President Donald Trump.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a businessman who was once investigated by state officials amid allegations he acted as a fake elector on behalf of President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, on Tuesday trailed behind Jackson in the polls by about 2 percent. He was cleared of any wrongdoing in the subversion case.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger also landed in a controversial incident when he found himself thrown into a political standoff with Trump. The president, who lost the 2020 election to former President Joe Biden, was heard on a recording requesting Raffensperger "find" 11,780 votes much to the secretary's dismay.
During a recent debate, Raffensperger was asked about his decision to certify election results that showed Biden was victorious in Georgia. He appeared to stand on his choice.
"At the end of the day, we have a great team, and we follow the law, and we follow the Constitution," he said.
Raffensperger on Tuesday was third in the GOP polls in front of Attorney General Chris Carr, who established two inaugural statewide units, one targeting gangs and another combatting human trafficking.
Other candidates in the Republican primary for governor are businessman Clark Dean, high-tech entrepreneur Gregg Kirkpatrick, former Air Force software and electronics worker Tom Williams and Army veteran Ken Yasger.
Come November, one of these Republicans will face off with one of the seven candidates on the Democratic ticket.
Early polls showed former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms overwhelmingly surpassed her opponents by wide margins. Bottoms previously served as senior advisor and director of the Office of Public Engagement in the Biden administration.
In the poll rankings, former DeKalb County CEO and former Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond largely fell behind Bottoms but had the lead over former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who stunned the masses when he flipped from Republican to Democrat.
Before switching parties, Duncan declined to run for a 2024 presidential bid as a No Labels candidate - adding he wanted to "heal" the Republican party.
"My journey here looks a lot different than all of these individuals," Duncan said at a recent debate. "My journey here started as a Republican, and now I'm standing here as a proud Democrat with the best toolkit I've ever had, a toolkit that's allowing me to better understand why we need to expand Medicaid, why we need to reform the heartbeat bill and repeal it and why we need to take commonsense decisions around gun legislation."
Attorney Jason Esteves, who served as a state senator from 2023-25, showed more promise than State Rep. Derrick Jackson in the polls as Esteves had about a 5.5 percent margin over Jackson on Tuesday.
Other Democratic candidates are Pastor Olu Brown and former accounting employee Amanda Duffy.
Candidate (in no particular order) |
Stance On The Issues |
| Chris Carr (R) |
|
| Rick Jackson (R) |
|
| Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) |
|
| Burt Jones (R) |
|
| Michael Thurmond (D) |
|
| Clark Dean (R) |
|
| Amanda Duffy (D) |
|
| Brad Raffensperger (R) |
|
| Gregg Kirkpatrick (R) |
|
| Geoff Duncan (D) |
|
| Olu Brown (D) |
|
| Tom Williams (R) |
|
| Derrick Jackson |
|
| Jason Esteves |
|
| Ken Yasger (R) |
|
On The Campaign Trail
The group of more than a dozen candidates engaged in a witty back-and-forth during a partisan debate hosted by the Atlanta Press Club on April 28.
The Republicans kicked off the yearly event, with Rick Jackson speaking of his humble roots and voicing his desire to "bring business solutions to Georgia just like Trump did."
"I built a $3 billion business that employs thousands of people and provides medical care to over 20 million people a year, but it's not my money," Rick Jackson said. "It's God's money, and it's not about me. This is about you. When you're going to bed hungry, you don't forget, and you don't forget those that are still fighting and trying to do the same thing. That's the reason I'm running. ... Politicians just talk, but talk doesn't pay a bill."
Jones, who is backed by Trump, was criticized and accused of misusing campaign funds during the debate. Carr questioned how Jones "is worth $10 million but loaned himself $20 million."
"When I loaned myself money, it's because I was going around Georgia asking people to donate to our campaign," Jones said, "and, I would like, when people ask how much skin do you have in the game, I'm able to tell them that."
Yasger later chimed in, asking Jones how it is that he is able to connect with the average Georgian when he spends "millions of dollars on attack ads."
Jones was simply responding to being slammed in ads from his contenders, he told Yasger.
Yasger expressed being able to relate to local residents, saying "I am you." He later added he decided to throw his name in the ring for governor to engage with the people,
"I want to bring people in because I talk to them, because I'm not a farmer," he said. "I'm not a teacher. I'm not a law enforcement officer. I'm not a firefighter. I want to give those people a voice. That's why I'm here."
The debate moved on to Georgia's election integrity, with Kirkpatrick relaying feedback that the state's electronic voting machines can be accidentally hacked or data breached.
In his brief response, Raffensperger shifted his answer to further highlight his determination to create more "great paying jobs" and combat what he deems as an expensive cost of living.
"At the end of the day, what people are really concerned about more than anything else, and that's what polling shows, is affordability," he said.
During the debate, Raffensperger took the opportunity to criticize Bottoms, saying the streets were not safe during her time as mayor.
Bottoms served as Atlanta mayor from 2018-22. She decided to try her hand at governor after the 2024 presidential election, she said during the Democratic debate.
"We need leaders who will focus on expanding Medicaid, improving education in our system, cracking down on corporate landlords, supporting small businesses and working to make sure that our children have the best opportunity to succeed," she said.
Both Derrick Jackson and Bottoms found common ground in believing women's reproductive safety has been at risk at the hands of Republicans.
According to Derrick Jackson, Georgia fails when it comes to women's health. He said the Peach State has received a "F-" on the matter.
Additionally, 82 counties are without an obstetrician/gynecologist and 67 counties have no pediatrician.
"He's absolutely right. Republicans have gotten it wrong, and even some who are participating in this primary have gotten it wrong on this issue," Bottoms said.
"We have to make sure that we are electing leaders who are keeping Georgians' health at top of mind, making sure that we are electing leaders who aren't concerned about politics but are concerned about the future that we are creating for families across this state."
Duncan claimed wrongfulness in supporting the heartbeat bill, which bans most abortions at six weeks and makes abortion criminal thereafter. He also said he regrets advocating against "commonsense gun legislation" and Medicaid expansion.
When the question of affordability arose, she said investing in infrastructure is key as it is currently challenging to retrieve building permits and construct affordable housing in rural areas.
Derrick Jackson believes affordability can start with hiking minimum wage, which presently sits at $5.15. Restaurant workers earn a minimum of $2.13, he said.
The state representative wants to increase the minimum wage to $20 per hour.
"We have to not look at one size fits all because what may be affordable to you may not be affordable to me," he said. "... We need to make sure that we have an economy so all families, yours and mine, have access to this economy."
Thurmond would like to slice the sales tax in half while Brown is striving to start teacher pay at $50,000.
Duncan proposed reallocating 10 percent of Georgia's rainy day fund, which he said is currently about $17 billion, by putting it into a jumpstart fund to address poverty.
Later in the debate, Duncan wondered if Esteves, who he said has publicly criticized him, would vote for him should he become the Democratic nominee in the general election.
"I think we all have to agree that a Democrat's gotta win this race," Duncan said of his former party. "If a Republican wins, it's trouble."
However, Esteves did not appear impressed by Duncan's devotion to Democrats.
He said he would support whoever wins his party's nomination; but to him, Duncan "has overseen some of the worst legislation in the last decade." He said this includes laws relating to campus carry, an abortion ban and voter suppression.
"Georgians have been impacted by that and Democrats are concerned with someone who joins a party, and a month later, says they should be the nominee for the highest office in this state," Esteves said. "... We've been taught long ago that when people show you who they are, you should believe them, and until you show us something otherwise, we can't believe you on that."
Esteves' response spotlights a concern, Duncan said.
"If a Republican wins this race, Donald Trump will literally have an office at the state capitol," Duncan said, adding he will vote for whichever candidate secures the Democratic nomination.
Duffy, who says she is neurodivergent and lower-middle class, said she intends to not accept the full nearly $200,000 governor's salary if she takes the helm.
"It is difficult to make the sacrifices that we have to make being at the bottom, and I have every intention of rebalancing the scales of wealth in this state because we deserve better and our children deserve better," she said in her closing.
Brown believes he is the best person for the job because action is needed to further develop Medicaid and budget-friendly housing, as well as ensuring students receive excellent education.
"Friends, to do that, you need a governor who's a builder, who's not afraid to make tough decisions, to build coalitions and ultimately to take action," he said.
Meanwhile, Thurmond said voters should choose him because he can offer "the vision of one Georgia," one without party or regional lines.
"One great Georgia, one great people," Thurmond said. "A Georgia that will offer education to all of our children, regardless of zip code. One Georgia. ... One America that is under God, indivisible and that will offer liberty justice and economic opportunity for all."
Kirkpatrick, who has helped launch 24 medical devices, believes his experience could be of benefit in reducing the cost of medical care and lowering inflation thus subsequently cutting taxes. He plans to propose the elimination of state taxes for people who are veterans, older or are considered disabled.
"This will bring equality of life to Georgia and restore affordability by lowering the cost of government," he said.
Dean, who has embraced artificial intelligence and utilizes it for his campaign, said the ever-popular digital tool could have a place in state government.
"AI when used responsibly can be extraordinarily powerful. It could help us be even more creative and get to the right answers. It's how you train it," Dean said.
"It's what you focus it on, and as governor, I'm going to focus it on my ASAP plan for Georgia, which is all about affordability, strength, accessibility and prosperity for all Georgians as soon as possible. We don't have time to run at the speed of government. We need to do this at the speed of business."
If governor, Carr said he intends to assemble a Public Corruption Unit, which will include election protection. He will also take a regional approach in facing the mental-health crisis, which he deems the "root cause" of poverty and homelessness.
"I'm running for governor because I believe that this is the model for the nation," he said in his opening. "Whether it's jobs or safety, the only way we've done this is through leadership in the private sector and the public sector."
In closing, Williams said he will safeguard elections as governor. He urged voters to sway away from attack ads.
"Think about I want to live in a free country as a free citizen," he said. "That's what's important. People have fought and died to protect this country, and that's what I want to do and bring as governor is freedom for people."
Georgia voters can check the Secretary of State's website for races on the ballot in their city. The last day to register to vote in the Georgia primary was April 20.
Voters should go to the My Voter Page to determine that they are eligible to vote and to find their polling place and early voting locations. Voters can also confirm their addresses are up to date and view sample ballots.
If there is a runoff election, it will be held on June 16. Absentee ballot applications will be accepted through June 5.
Georgia's law requires photo ID while voting — either in-person or absentee.
The following identifications are accepted for voting, according to the Secretary of State's office:
More information on voting ID requirements, including for absentee ballots, can be found here.
Read more information on voting in Georgia here.
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