The Georgia governor's race officially starts today with all candidates being required to submit their paperwork by Friday to get their names on the ballot for the May 19 primary election.
The race comes as current Georgia Governor Brian Kemp ends his second consecutive term in office, as Georgia law prohibits Governors from serving more than two consecutive terms.
Who is Running?
There are eight candidates for the Republican nomination.
Among the Republican frontrunners for the primary, based on media attention, are Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and incumbent Lt. Governor Burt Jones, along with incumbent Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and businessman Rick Jackson, whose late entry in early February stirred up projected outcomes.
Jackson lists himself as "a Conservative Outsider" on his X bio, writing that "Politicians love to talk. I'm about action."
Prior to Jackson's bid for Governor, Lt. Gov. Jones was the favorite to win, according to a Quantus Insights poll conducted in October 2025.
Jones had an aggressive lead against the other two frontrunners in October, with 32% of primary votes versus 15% and 12%, respectively. Now, Jones is down almost 16% from Jackson, with over 37% of voters still undecided, according to a Feb. 17 and 18 Quantus Insights poll.
Republicans have held the governorship continuously since 2003, but The Cook Political Report still listed the Georgia 2026 gubernatorial race as a toss-up between the two parties, as of late January. The primary election, scheduled for May 19, will decide the nominees for both the Republican and Democratic parties ahead of the November election.
Six candidates are running for the Democratic nomination after state Representative Ruwa Romman (D-Duluth) pulled out of the race last week to run for the state senate instead.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who announced her bid for the chief executive of the state last April, leads the race for the Democratic nomination by almost 30%, according to a poll conducted by the The Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
Chief Executive Officer of DeKalb County Michael Thurmond is in second place with 11% of the vote, according to the poll.
However, like the Republican race, a large proportion of likely primary voters are still undecided, with around 40% who don't know who they will vote for yet.
