The results are in for the 2026 midterm elections. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was elected governor of Georgia on Tuesday, making history as the first Black woman to be elected governor in the United States. Bottoms defeated Republican businessman Rick Jackson and flipped the top job in a key swing state. Bottoms also becomes Georgia’s first female governor and the first Democrat to prevail in a Georgia governor’s race since 1998. She succeeds outgoing Governor Brian Kemp, who is leaving due to term limits.
U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff soundly beat back a challenge from Republican Congressman Mike Collins to win a second term by a 59 to 41 percent margin.
Georgia experienced a blue wave in statewide races for the 2026 midterms, sweeping the rest of the state’s top executive offices and possibly flipping the State House of Representatives.
Democratic state senator Josh McLaurin defeated colleague Greg Dolezal in the race for Lt. Governor. He succeeds Lt. Governor Burt Jones.
Penny Brown Reynolds defeated Republican Tim Fleming to take the Secretary of State’s Office. She succeeds Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Prosecutor Tanya Miller won the race for State Attorney General against Republican candidate Brian Strickland.
Republican incumbent Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper lost his effort to retain his seat to Katherine Juhan-Arnold.
There’s a new State Insurance Commissioner as Democrat Keisha Waites defeated Republican incumbent John King.
State School Superintendent Richard Woods lost his bid for a second term to Democratic challenger Lydia Powell.
Labor Commissioner Barbara Rivera Holmes, who was appointed by Governor Brian Kemp, lost to Democrat Nikki Porcher.
All of these races had roughly 55 to 45 percent margins.
Democratic candidates have won both of the Public Service Commission (PSC) seats up for re-election in Georgia. District 3’s incumbent Democrat Peter Hubbard won against Republican Fitz Johnson. In District 5, where the incumbent’s term limit has run out, Democrat Sheila Edwards won against Republican Josh Tolbert.
These wins follow last year’s special election, which flipped two seats blue, and marked the first time Democrats held any seats on Georgia’s Public Service Commission since the 2000 election. Now, Democrats hold a historic majority of the seats.
Locally, Republicans did to win some offices, with Houston Gaines defeating Pamela Delancey for Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, Incumbent Andrew Clyde defeats Caitlyn Gegen for Georgia’s 9th Congressional District, Mark McMain wins State Senate District 46 over Ray Smith, Gary Black, Junior defeats Suzanna Karatassos for state house district 120, Mack Dutch Guest defeats incumbent Eric Gisler for State House District 121 and incumbent Republican Trey Rhodes defeats Democrat Melanie Michele Miller for state house district 124.
Two of the three statewide amendments from the November 3rd ballot have passed. Amendment 2 will require probate court judges to run in nonpartisan elections, and Amendment 3 will create a special fund to improve Georgia’s 9-1-1 systems. Amendment 1, which would have allowed farms owning up to 4,000 acres of land to be eligible for Georgia’s Conservation Use Valuation Assessment, failed to pass by a narrow margin. The amendment would have reduced taxes on land used for farming, timber, or wildlife conservation.
Voters in Clarke County renewed a one percent local option sales and use tax and a one percent educational sales tax. Voters in Oconee County defeated a transportation special purpose local option sales tax.
