By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher, GwinnettForum
FEB. 13, 2026 | Are you already seeing signs of the major event of 2026? Yes, 2026 is a political year, and the outcome of the Georgia voting could have a significant impact on the national scene. The season is closer than you think, since the General Primary will be on May 19, which is 95 days from now.
The candidates are coming out all around us. Look at the big races:
- U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff will face re-election this year.
- There’s the governor’s race.
- And the lieutenant governor’s race.
- Plus other statewide offices, such as secretary of state and attorney general.
- The 14 congressional races.
- And races for the Georgia Senate and House.
- Locally, seats open are for county commissioners in districts 2 and 4; School board districts 2 and 4; the office of Solicitor General and two state court seats. Altogether, there are 46 races only in Gwinnett open this year.
Democrats, particularly, are looking forward to the mid-term House elections, since in most of the off-year elections in the nation, Democrats have done particularly far better than Republicans, who are trying to defend President Trump’s actions.
So, let’s at least look at the list of candidates in the key statewide races.
For the Senate: U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff should have no trouble winning the primary since no significant statewide candidates are running.
However, Republicans are after his seat, with three major Republicans campaigning hard to oppose Ossoff in the general election. They are Congressman Mike Collins of Jackson; U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter of Savannah; and a newcomer to Georgia politics, former football coach Derek Dooley of Clayton, the son of Barbara and Vince Dooley; and several minor candidates.
For Governor: The latest count shows eight Republicans wanting to be governor, and seven Democrats having their sights on the governor’s chair.
Democrats campaigning for governor include former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms; Olu Brown, a retired Methodist minister from Atlanta; Geoff Duncan of Cumming, a former Republican lieutenant governor who switched parties; Sen. Jason Esteves of Atlanta, Sen. Derrick Jackson of Tyrone; Rep. Rumman of Gwinnett; and former Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, also the former DeKalb CEO.
Republicans seeking the governorship include Chris Carr, the state attorney general of Marietta; Businessman Clark Dean of Scottsdale; healthcare executive Rick Jackson of Alpharetta; Lt. Gov. Burt Jones of Jackson; Entrepreneur Gregg Kirkpatrick of Woodstock; LeLand Olinger II (residence unknown); Brad Raffensperger of Johns Creek, the current secretary of state; and Ken Yasger of Savannah.
For Lieutenant Governor: So far, three Democrats are seeking this office, while seven Republicans are running for the seat.
The Democrats are Seth Clark of Macon, State Sen. Josh McLaurin of Sandy Springs; and CPA Richard N. Wright of Atlanta.
Republicans for lieutenant governor include Rep. David Clark of Buford; Rep. Greg Dolezal of Cumming; Rep. Steve Gooch of Dahlonega; State Sen. John Kennedy of Macon; Researcher Brenda Nelson-Porter of Newnan; State Sen. Blake Tillery of Vidalia; and Jerry Timbs of Griffin. Note that in this race, five members of the General Assembly are not running for their legislative seat but seek higher office.
You will be hearing much more about these races in coming weeks.
- Have a comment? Click here to send an email.
