GA Midterm 2026: Get To Know SOS Candidates

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's run for governor will leave his current seat vacant - but, don't fret, there are nine candidates hoping to fill his position.

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 on June 16, or who will receive an admission ticket into the Nov. 3 general election.

Candidates must clear the required 50 percent plus one vote threshold to avoid a runoff in the primary.

>> RELATED: Early Voting For GA Primary 2026 Begins: What To Know

Get to know the Republican and Democratic candidates for Secretary of State, as well as their take on some local issues. These viewpoints do not represent Patch but rather the candidates.

Dana Barrett

Party: Democrat

Title: Fulton County Commissioner - District 3 and small business owner

The Issues

The work of Barrett varies; she has served as a former technology executive and an award-winning TV, radio and podcast host. This is in addition to her time as Fulton County commissioner.

In 2020, she was the Democratic nominee for Georgia’s 11th Congressional District.

Barrett also has a plethora of nonprofit work on her resume.

"I'm running because too many Georgians are struggling, right now," Barrett said at a debate. "People can't afford to pay for gas at the pump or rent or childcare or health care. As a single mom and a breast cancer survivor, I know what it's like to have more bills coming in than money in the bank."

Cam Ashling

Party: Democrat

Title: Farmer, small business owner and former stockbroker

The Issues

Ashling is a certified financial planner and a chartered alternative investment analyst who has previously served as a poll monitor, according to her biography.

She has been an AAPI constitinuency director for former campaigns of U.S. Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.

Ashling has also founded and led local nonprofits.

"Here's the reality, this office runs four major systems: elections, investment registrations, professional licensing and oversight of the investment industry," Ashling said at a debate. "It is not politics. It is leading the economic success of our state. ... I'm ready to secure your elections, grow our businesses, expand the workforce and protect families from financial fraud."

Adrian Consonery

Party: Democrat

Title: Founder of Lyfeline Initiative

The Issues

Consonery's humanitarian work began when he was 17-years-old, and later, he founded a nonprofit for vocational rehabilitation and community development, according to his biography.

He was a student at Grambling State University when he first voted via an absentee ballot.

Having experienced challenges with the voting process, he became an advocate for voter rights.

"I am a voter advocacy person that has gone across this nation to make sure that all communities have had their voices heard, amplified and valued," Consonery said at a recent debate, "and Georgia, I'm ready to do that same work for you in making sure that the barriers to the ballot are destroyed, that we are able to have our own bridges to the ballot for our voices to be amplified and for you to be able to trust that this is a state that has your back."

Penny Brown Reynolds

Party: Democrat

Title: Fulton County Superior Court judge

The Issues

• Expand early voting sites and accessible voting centers
• Promotes rapid licensure
• Hinder fraudulent licensing and "elder exploitation"

In her career, Reynolds has held a multitude of titles, including: attorney, judge, professor, public servant, pastor and national leader, according to her campaign site.

She was the first African American to serve as executive counsel to a previous governor and as the first African American chief of staff and executive counsel to a lieutenant governor in Georgia.

Reynolds sat on the bench in Fulton County for nearly 10 years. Her work continued at the federal level in the Biden-Harris administration.

"I have never forgotten where I come from," Reynolds said at a recent debate. "I'm a judge, and I took an oath to the Constitution, the only judge that's running; and more than that, I'm a pastor and what I know is my faith has undergird and given me the foundation for me to serve. ... I will never forget you when it comes to voting rights, when it comes to economic empowerment. I am the person that you need."

Tim Fleming

Party: Republican

Title: State representative, small business owner, former chief of staff in the governor's office and former deputy secretary of state

The Issues

• Supports voter ID and election transparency
• Supports deportation of non-citizens
• Supports safeguarding of conservative values

Serving in the Georgia House since 2022, Fleming has served as the secretary of the Governmental Affairs and Information and Audits committees. He additionally served on the Higher Education committee.

In the House, he served District 114 and was instrumental in passing House Bill 1207, which the Georgia Recorder reported was revised to set citizenship mandates on election workers among other stipulations.

Fleming has in the Kemp administration in various roles, including as his former chief of staff.

“I look forward to continuing meaningful conversations with Georgians across this great state about the challenges we face and the future we can build together with strong conservative leadership,” Fleming told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Ted Metz

Party: Republican

Title: Navy veteran

The Issues

Metz's extensive resume includes time manage scientific laboratories and holding top executive positions in the corporate and nonprofit sectors, according to his biography.

Part of his community service consists of work as the third vice-chair of the 13th Congressional District GOP.

Metz has also testified at committee hearings and has researched the Georgia Election Code for advocacy purposes.

"I'm retired," Metz said at a debate. "I'm not looking for a stepping stone to the higher office. I simply want to apply my skills to fixing the chaos at the secretary of state's office caused by years of incompetence and unlawful acts."

Vernon Jones

Party: Republican

Title: Former Georgia state representative and former DeKalb County CEO

The Issues

• Eliminate the risk of unlawful voter participation
• Fortify voter photo ID process
• Simplify state licensing process

Formerly head of DeKalb County, Jones was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1992 and served from 1993-2001 as a Democrat.

He took a brief break to become DeKalb's CEO but returned to the House in 2017 and served until 2021 as a Republican.

While CEO, he oversaw a $3.2 billion budget and 7,000 employees, according to his biography on his campaign site.

"You want someone that's going to talk about being free and transparent, not only walk the walk but talk the talk," Jones said in a debate.

Gabriel Sterling

Party: Republican

Title: Former chief operating officer in the Secretary of State's Office

The Issues

• Supported Election Integrity Act, Senate Bill 202
• Supports citizenship checks through REAL ID
• Supports audits for citizenship verification

Sterling has spent the least seven years with the Secretary of State's office, he said in a debate.

He helped write the Election Integrity Act in 2021. The act sets limitations on the State Election Board and the SOS office.

He graduated from the University of Georgia, according to the National Press Foundation.

"I'm the only candidate with a history of fighting the Democrats and winning in court, in campaigns, and keeping the main thing the main thing," Sterling said during a debate.

Kelvin King

Party: Republican

Title: Air Force veteran and owner of a construction firm

The Issues

• Supports voter roll maintenance and paper ballots
• Quickening the state licensing process
• "Evaluate the existing Dominion Voting Systems contract to find a way to exit or terminate the agreement, without penalty"

King, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, served five years in the Air Force and retired as a captain, according to his campaign site.

After leaving the military, he found his career shifted to construction. In the industry, the entrepreneur was the general manager of a construction company before starting his own.

He co-founds nonprofit "Speak Georgia" alongside his wife.

"Currently, elections are the number one concern across our state," he said at a recent debate. "Half of our voters think they are fair. Half of our voters think that they are fraudulent. I have a solution to bring both sides together."

Election Day

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:

• Any valid state or federal government-issued photo ID, including a free ID issued by your county registrar's office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services
• A Georgia driver's license, even if expired
• Student ID from a Georgia public college or university
• Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. Government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority or other entity of this state
• Valid U.S. passport ID
• Valid U.S. military photo ID containing a photograph of the voter
• Valid tribal photo ID containing a photograph of the voter

More information on voting ID requirements, including for absentee ballots, can be found here.

Read more information on voting in Georgia here.