Georgia 2026 election qualifying begins with major candidates

Qualifying for the 2026 election in Georgia started Monday, and several candidates arrived at the Secretary of State’s office to make their campaigns official.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff qualified Monday for his reelection campaign, and one of his Republican opponents, U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter also made the trip to Atlanta for qualification, according to The Georgia Recorder.

Candidates in the governor’s race also qualified Monday, including two Democrats, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and former state Sen. Jason Esteves, and one Republican, state Attorney General Chris Carr.

“Now, I’m walking through these doors to qualify to run for governor of this state, and it’s this reminder that the work that we do today is not just about us. It’s for generations not yet born,” Bottoms said in a video on Instagram. “I know my ancestors are looking down on me, and they’re cheering me on.”

Sen. Ossoff held a press conference after qualifying Monday to express his disdain for President Donald Trump’s military actions against Iran and to position himself as the candidate to oppose the president’s decisions.

“Now this morning I signed papers officially declaring my candidacy to continue serving Georgia in the United States Senate,” Ossoff said. “These midterms will be among the most consequential in American history because if there were ever a moment that called for checks and balances, this is it.”

Candidates up and down the ballot will arrive at the Capitol this week to file their paperwork and pay the required fee. Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns was another candidate to file his paperwork Monday.

“Not a day goes by as Speaker of the Georgia House that I don’t remember my most important public office – State Representative for House District 159,” he said to The Georgia Recorder.