Georgia primary ballots set as candidates qualify for Governor, Senate races

Qualifying for the 2026 midterm elections in Georgia is officially closed meaning the ballots are set for the primaries.

The gubernatorial race, U.S. Senate race, and the U.S. Representative races are among the highest held offices Georgians will be deciding in November.

A total of 15 candidates qualified for the governor’s race, including eight Republicans and seven Democrats.

President Donald Trump has endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones for the position, but several other Republicans are rallying for the seat, including Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Attorney General Chris Carr, and businessman Rick Jackson.

Prominent Democrats in the race include former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and former state Sen. Jason Esteves.

“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.”

The election for the U.S. Senate includes the incumbent, Sen. Jon Ossoff, and five Republicans.

“Now this morning I signed papers officially declaring my candidacy to continue serving Georgia in the United States Senate,” Ossoff said in a news conference. “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.”

Here are the Republican candidates in the race.

• Derek Dooley, a football coach and political outsider, received an endorsement from Gov. Brian Kemp.
• Former U.S. Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter qualified for the race March 2.
• John Francis Coyne III is the head of a company.
• Jonathan McColumn is a retired Brigadier General of the U.S. Army.
• U.S. Rep. Mike Collins qualified for the race on March 3.

U.S. Representative races in Georgia

All 14 districts in Georgia for the U.S. House of Representatives will have elections in November, but four of those districts will not have an incumbent in the race.

District 1 was left vacant as former Rep. Carter resigned to pursue the Senate seat. Rep. Collins is also not running for reelection for District 10. U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk announced Feb. 4 that he would not seek reelection for District 11.

District 14 is also vacant after former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned. A special election will fill the seat before the midterm elections, and several of the candidates running in the special election have also qualified for the midterms.

Here are the Democratic candidates for District 1:

• Amanda Hollowell
• Defonsio Daniels
• Joey Palimeno
• Joyce Marie Griggs
• Michael McCord
• Patrick Wilver
• Randall Jay Zurcher
• Sharon Stokes Williamson

Here are the Republican candidates for District 1:

• Brian Allen Montgomery
• Eugene Chin Yu
• Jim Kingston
• Kandiss Taylor
• Krista Penn
• Pat Farrell

Here are the Democratic candidates for District 10:

• Alexandra “Lexy” Doherty
• John B. Dority
• Pamela “Pam” Delancy

Here are the Republican candidates for District 10:

• Houston Gaines
• Jeffrey Dwayne Baker
• Ryan Christopher Millsap

Here are the Democratic candidates for District 11:

• Barry Walfert
• Chris Harden

Here are the Republican candidates for District 11:

• Chris Mora
• John Cowan, Jr.
• Lisa Anne Carlquist
• Robert Allen Adkerson
• Tricia Pridemore
• Uloma Stacy Kama
• William Brown