Georgia Primary Election: The winners, the losers, the runoffs
Georgia Elections 2026: The winners, the losers, the runoffs
Georgia’s 2026 election races are taking shape after Tuesday’s primary results. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic nomination for governor, while Republicans Burt Jones and Rick Jackson advanced to a June 16 runoff. Georgia’s Republican U.S. Senate race is also headed to a runoff between Mike Collins and Derek Dooley. The winner will face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November. Early voting for the runoff begins June 8.
ATLANTA - Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms officially became the Democratic nominee for Georgia governor Tuesday night after winning enough support to avoid a primary runoff, while Republicans face a heated monthlong battle to determine who will represent the party in November.
RELATED: Keisha Lance Bottoms wins Georgia Democratic primary in governor race
What we know:
On the Republican side, Burt Jones and businessman Rick Jackson advanced to a June 16 runoff after neither candidate secured a majority of the vote in the GOP primary. Early voting for the runoff begins June 8.
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The contest between Jones and Jackson is expected to become increasingly combative over the next several weeks after both candidates traded sharp attacks election night.
Jones, who highlighted his endorsement from President Donald Trump, described himself as a "workhorse" candidate and accused Jackson of trying to "buy the election." Jackson, meanwhile, criticized Jones as a career politician and argued he represented an outsider alternative.
"We’ve had over a hundred million dollars spent against us," Jones said. "Most of them are attack ads on myself, my family, just whatever they could make up."
Jackson pushed back during his remarks, saying, "I think it’s safe to say we shook up the career politicians and insiders to their core."
RELATED: Burt Jones, Rick Jackson advance to Georgia Republican primary runoff for governor
Bottoms now heads directly into the general election campaign and said she plans to focus on opposing Trump and contrasting herself with whichever Republican candidate emerges from the runoff.
The state’s Republican U.S. Senate primary also failed to produce a winner outright, setting up another runoff election between Mike Collins and Derek Dooley. With 99% of precincts reporting, Collins led with about 41% of the vote, while Dooley received roughly 30%.
RELATED: Mike Collins, Derek Dooley advance to GOP runoff for Georgia U.S. Senate seat
Dooley, a lawyer and former football coach making his first run for public office, said his status as a political outsider gives him momentum heading into the runoff campaign. Collins pointed to his congressional record and conservative credentials as reasons Republican voters should support him.
The winner of the runoff will face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is seeking re-election and is currently the only Democratic senator nationwide running for another term this year.
View all Georgia Primary Election Results
Ossoff’s campaign released a statement criticizing the Republican field, saying the candidates would "limp into a month-long race to the bottom that will surely leave both broke and unelectable."
Several other statewide and congressional races also remained unsettled Tuesday night.
Democrats Josh McLaurin and Nabilah Islam Parkes advanced to a runoff in the lieutenant governor’s race, while Republican state Sen. John F. Kennedy moved into a GOP runoff against state Sen. Greg Dolezal.
RELATED: Georgia Lt. Gov. election: Both parties head to June 16 primary runoffs
In Georgia’s 13th Congressional District, Democratic state Rep. Jasmine Clark won the nomination to succeed the late Rep. David Scott, who died in April while seeking another term. Republican Jonathan Chavez ran unopposed for his party’s nomination.
Results in other races
What we know:
Additional statewide and down-ballot races across Georgia also produced several key victories and runoff matchups Tuesday night.
Attorney General
State Rep. Tanya Miller overwhelmingly won the Democratic nomination for attorney general, defeating former House Minority Leader Bob Trammell. Miller is expected to face Republican state Sen. Brian Strickland in the general election after Strickland built a sizable lead over longtime state Sen. Bill Cowsert in the GOP primary.
Lieutenant Governor
Republicans were also forced into runoffs in several major statewide races. In the lieutenant governor’s race, state Sen. John F. Kennedy led the field with about 27% of the vote, followed by state Sen. Greg Dolezal with roughly 23%, sending both candidates to a June runoff. In the Republican secretary of state race, Tim Fleming and Vernon Jones advanced after no candidate secured a majority.
Congressional races
Georgia’s congressional races also saw a mix of incumbents cruising to victory and competitive runoff contests emerging. In the Democratic primary for the 1st Congressional District, Joyce Griggs and A. Hollowell advanced to a runoff election. Democratic incumbents including Nikema Williams in the 5th District and Lucy McBath in the 6th District easily secured their nominations, while Rep. Sanford Bishop ran unopposed in the 2nd District.
On the Republican side, Jim Kingston won the GOP primary in Georgia’s 1st Congressional District, while Kevin Martin captured the Republican nomination in the 6th District. Several other Republican congressional candidates, including Brian Jack in the 3rd District, advanced without opposition.
Georgia General Assembly
Dozens of races for the Georgia General Assembly were also decided Tuesday night, though many incumbents and challengers ran unopposed. Among the more competitive Democratic state House races, Stacey Evans won in District 57, Esther Panitch secured victory in District 51, and Betsy Holland won in District 54. Multiple Democratic legislative contests are headed to runoffs, including races in House Districts 58, 62, 68 and 117, along with the Democratic primary for State Senate District 7 between Ruwa Romman and Rahul Garabadu.
State Supreme Court
Georgia voters also decided several state Supreme Court races. Incumbent Justice Charles Bethel narrowly defeated challenger Miracle Rankin with just over 51% of the vote, while incumbent Justice Sarah Hawkins Warren won reelection comfortably over Jen Auer Jordan. Justice Ben Land retained his seat after running unopposed.