An open-seat race with historic stakes for the Peach State | General Election: November 3, 2026
For the first time in nearly a decade, Georgia voters will choose a governor without an incumbent on the ballot. Brian Kemp, who has helmed the state since 2019, is term-limited and constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term. That single fact transforms November 3, 2026 into one of the most consequential elections in modern Georgia history, an open seat, a purple battleground state, and two candidates who could not be more different in background, funding, or vision for what Georgia should become.
This is not an abstract civics exercise. This race will determine whether Georgia expands Medicaid to cover hundreds of thousands of uninsured residents, whether public school teachers finally get the economic respect they deserve, whether reproductive rights are protected or further curtailed, and whether the values of Black Georgia, which have powered Democratic victories from the statehouse to the U.S. Senate, translate into the highest office in the state. Let’s break it all down.
| DEMOCRAT |
Keisha Lance Bottoms
Attorney | Former Mayor of Atlanta | Senior Advisor to President Biden | FAMU & Georgia State Law
Keisha Lance Bottoms is, in many ways, the embodiment of Black Atlanta’s rise. The daughter of R&B legend Major Lance, she grew up steeped in the culture and community that defines the city. Her path to this race is as credentialed as it gets: she served as a magistrate judge, won a seat on the Atlanta City Council, and then made history as the 60th Mayor of Atlanta from 2018 to 2022, navigating the city through a global pandemic, a racial justice uprising, and the constant pressure of leading one of the most scrutinized cities in America.
After her mayoral tenure, she served as a senior advisor in the Biden White House, deepening her federal policy experience. She’s a graduate of Florida A&M University (HBCU-proud) and Georgia State University College of Law. When Bottoms entered the Democratic primary for governor, she didn’t just win, she won decisively, capturing approximately 57% of the primary vote and avoiding a runoff entirely. Perhaps most telling: roughly 92% of her donors gave under $100. Her campaign is not bankrolled by corporate PACs. It is powered by people, real Georgians investing small amounts in a candidate they believe in.
| REPUBLICAN |
Rick Jackson
Founder & CEO, Jackson Healthcare | Faith-Based Philanthropist | Former Foster Child
Rick Jackson’s biography is a genuine American story of hardship and success. He grew up in the foster care system, built Jackson Healthcare into one of the nation’s largest healthcare staffing companies, and has parlayed that business success into philanthropic ventures, including significant work supporting foster youth. His personal story is compelling, and he tells it well on the campaign trail.
What is also a fact: Rick Jackson is a billionaire who chose to self-fund his entire primary and runoff campaign, spending over $108 million of his own money to win the Republican nomination. He defeated Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones in the Republican runoff on June 16, 2026, with 52.7% of the vote. Since securing the nomination, he has announced an additional $87 million TV and digital general-election ad buy beginning August 1, 2026, potentially making his total spend of approximately $195 million the largest ad buy in Georgia political history. He received a high-profile endorsement from former President Donald Trump, which Democrats have already begun leveraging as an attack line.
Where the Race Stands: The Polling Picture
Independent forecasters unanimously rate this race a Toss-up. The polling average as of August 4, 2026 shows Bottoms with a modest lead but the race is absolutely within striking distance for either candidate. Here is what the data shows:
| Pollster | Poll Dates | Sample | Bottoms (D) | Jackson (R) | Undecided/Other |
| AARP / Fabrizio-Impact Research (Bipartisan) | July 23, 2026 | 1,060 LV ±3% | 48% | 46% | 6% |
| State Navigate | July 10–13, 2026 | 448 LV ±4.6% | 51% | 44% | 5% |
| Wick Insights | June 30–July 8, 2026 | 1,175 LV ±2.9% | 43% | 43% | 14% |
| Fox News / Beacon Research | June 27, 2026 | 1,002 RV ±3% | 52% | 47% | 1% |
| Echelon Insights (R-leaning) | April 9–21, 2026 | 407 LV ±6.5% | 49% | 43% | 8% |
Sources: 270toWin, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Pollsmax. Polling average (Aug. 4, 2026): Bottoms +6.1 (D 50.5% / R 44.4%). All polls subject to margin of error. Race rated Toss-up by Inside Elections, Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and The Cook Political Report.
| Bottom Line on the Polls: Bottoms leads in the majority of recent surveys, but the AARP bipartisan poll, the most methodologically rigorous, shows a two-point race within the margin of error. The 14% undecided in the Wick poll is the most critical number on the board. Those voters will decide this election. And in Georgia, we know exactly which communities hold the key to moving those numbers. |
Where They Stand: A Policy-by-Policy Breakdown
A side-by-side comparison of each candidate’s positions on the issues that matter most to Georgia voters
Forget the ads. Forget the spin. Here is what each candidate has actually said and proposed on the issues that directly affect Black Georgia families, workers, students, patients, and voters. Read this table carefully and share it with someone who needs it.
| Issue Area | Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) | Rick Jackson (R) |
| Education | Free technical and community college pathway for all Georgians. Eliminate state income tax for teachers to invest in and retain classroom educators. Boost early literacy programs. Increase overall public school funding. Expand access to Pre-K. | Freeze state income tax now; work toward full elimination. Free tuition, room, and board at public colleges for Georgia foster youth. Ban DEI curriculum in public schools. Strengthen Georgia Parents’ Bill of Rights. Limited specifics on broader K–12 funding levels. |
| Healthcare | Expand Medicaid fully — covering an estimated 300,000+ uninsured Georgians. End Georgia Pathways (the work-requirement program). Launch a rural healthcare access initiative. Invest significantly in maternal health. Protect and expand reproductive healthcare access. | Market-based healthcare reform. Has not committed to Medicaid expansion. Advocates use of technology and AI to improve healthcare services and reduce costs. Opposed to expanding government-run health programs. |
| Economy & Taxes | Raise wages across Georgia. Robust support for small businesses and minority-owned enterprises. Major investment in affordable housing stock. Require companies receiving state tax incentives to prioritize hiring local Georgia workers. | Cut state income tax in half with goal of full elimination. Use AI and technology to identify and eliminate government waste. Audit every government program for efficiency. Term limits for all state politicians. Free college for foster youth as economic investment. |
| Criminal Justice & Public Safety | Expand GBI capacity and resources. Invest in community-based crime prevention programs. Provide reentry support for formerly incarcerated Georgians. Reform-minded approach that addresses root causes of crime alongside enforcement. | “Ban revolving-door justice.” Reject what he calls “soft-on-crime” policies. Tough prosecution stance across the board. Prioritizes law enforcement resources and longer sentences. No stated support for criminal justice reform measures. |
| Housing & Affordability | Increase housing supply through targeted development policy. Protect renters from predatory landlord practices. Cap property tax assessment increases to protect longtime homeowners. Provide homestead exemptions for Georgia families. | Homestead exemptions up to $55,000 for primary residences. Cap property tax assessment increases. Specialized exemptions for senior citizens and disabled Georgians. Framed primarily around property tax relief rather than supply-side housing investment. |
| Immigration | Moderate, due-process-focused immigration stance. Opposes mass deportation policies. Supports pathways that respect immigrant communities and their contributions to Georgia’s economy. | “Make Georgia number one in the nation for deporting criminal illegal immigrants.” Anti-sanctuary city policies. Aggressive state-level cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Campaign rhetoric emphasizes border security as a top priority. |
| Reproductive Rights | Protect and expand reproductive rights. Seeks to repeal or significantly reform Georgia’s existing restrictive abortion law (the “heartbeat bill” limiting abortion at approximately 6 weeks). Positions reproductive healthcare as a core economic and public health issue. | Supports Georgia’s existing abortion restrictions. Anti-abortion stance in alignment with the state’s current law. Also supports legislation ensuring transgender girls do not compete in girls’ sports or access girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms. |
| Voting & Elections | Defend and expand voting rights across Georgia. Condemned the 2026 FBI raid on Fulton County election offices as a direct attack on democratic integrity and the will of Georgia voters. Opposes restrictive voter laws. | Has not publicly questioned the 2020 election results. Supports “election integrity” measures broadly defined. Has not taken a public position on the Fulton County FBI raid. Supports existing Georgia voting laws. |
| LGBTQ+ / Social Policy | Inclusive governance. Supports anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ Georgians in housing, employment, and public accommodations. Opposes legislation targeting transgender individuals and communities. | Anti-transgender legislation as a campaign centerpiece. Supports banning transgender athletes in women’s sports. Supports legislation restricting bathroom access for transgender youth. Positions these as parental rights and safety issues. |
| Note: Candidate positions compiled from public statements, official campaign platforms, debate appearances, and media reporting through August 2026. Positions may evolve during the general election campaign. Voters are encouraged to consult candidate websites and attend public forums for the most current information. |
My Take: What This Race Means for Black Georgia
A first-person editorial by Charles King | America in Black and White Podcast
I want to talk to you directly, not as an analyst, not as a pundit, but as a brother from Lithia Springs, Georgia, who hosts a show called America in Black and White precisely because I believe Black voices deserve to be heard loud and clear in every conversation that shapes this country. And right now, there is no conversation more important to have than this one: the 2026 Georgia Governor’s race.
| “The last Democrat to win the Georgia Governor’s mansion was Roy Barnes, in 1998. Let that sink in. Twenty-eight years. My children have grown up in a state that has not had a Democratic governor their entire lives.” |
Twenty-eight years. That is how long it has been since a Democrat held the governor’s office in Georgia. Roy Barnes won in 1998, a year when Lauryn Hill swept the Grammys and Google was barely a year old. A generation of Black Georgians has come of age, graduated, had children of their own, and never once seen a Democrat in the mansion on West Paces Ferry Road. That changes this November but only if we make it change. Nobody is going to do this for us.
What a Bottoms Win Means for Black Georgia
Let me be specific, because specificity matters. If Keisha Lance Bottoms wins this race, the first and most immediate impact will be Medicaid expansion. Georgia is one of only ten states in the country that has still not fully expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Brian Kemp’s compromise, the “Georgia Pathways” program, with its bureaucratic work requirements, has been widely criticized as inadequate and difficult to navigate. A full Medicaid expansion under Bottoms would cover an estimated 300,000 or more uninsured Georgians. You already know who those Georgians disproportionately are. They are our people, Black families across rural Georgia, Black workers in service industries, Black mothers who deserve prenatal care without having to choose between a doctor’s visit and rent.
A Bottoms governorship also means serious investment in teachers, eliminating the state income tax for educators, which is a concrete economic argument for attracting and keeping talented teachers in Georgia’s public school classrooms, many of which are in predominantly Black communities that have historically been underserved. It means reproductive rights that recognize Black women’s bodily autonomy. It means a governor whose coalition looks like Georgia actually looks.
| “Keisha Lance Bottoms won her primary with 92% of her donors giving under $100. She is not owned by anybody. That matters enormously when you consider what she would be walking into on Day One.” |
What a Jackson Win Means for Black Georgia
I believe in being honest with my community, even when the truth is uncomfortable. Rick Jackson is not some cartoon villain. His foster care background is real, his philanthropy is documented, and his business success is legitimate. I can acknowledge all of that and still tell you clearly: the policies he has put forward would not benefit Black Georgia as a whole and in some cases, would actively harm us.
The income tax phase-out sounds attractive in the abstract. But here is the economic reality: when you eliminate a progressive income tax and replace it with nothing (or with increased reliance on sales taxes and fees), the burden shifts downward, onto working and middle-class people who spend a higher percentage of their income. Who disproportionately occupies that economic stratum in Georgia? Black families. The wealthy, people like Rick Jackson himself, benefit the most from income tax elimination. We should be clear-eyed about who wins and who loses in that transaction.
Jackson’s opposition to Medicaid expansion means continued gaps in coverage. His ban on DEI in public schools raises serious questions about curriculum, diverse faculty representation, and the acknowledgment of Black history in Georgia classrooms. His aggressive immigration stance targets communities of color. His anti-transgender policies, while framed as parental rights, establish a legal and cultural framework of exclusion that history tells us never stops at the originally targeted group.
The $195 Million Question
I have to address the elephant in the room or more accurately, the billionaire in the room. Rick Jackson has spent over $108 million of his own money to get through a primary and runoff. He has now announced an $87 million TV and digital ad buy for the general election alone. We are potentially looking at $195 million in total personal spending, by one man, to become the governor of a state he believes he can improve.
| “What does it mean for democracy when the ability to buy your way onto every television screen in Georgia, repeatedly, relentlessly, for months, becomes a substitute for a broad coalition? I don’t have a simple answer. But I think every Georgia voter deserves to ask the question.” |
I am not suggesting that wealthy people cannot be good governors. But I am asking you to think critically about what $195 million in self-funding represents. It means that for the next three months, Rick Jackson’s face and his message will be inescapable across this state. It means Georgians who are not deeply engaged will hear his narrative, carefully crafted, expensively produced, on repeat. It means the informational advantage will be significant and real. This is why what we do on this podcast, and in our community, matters more than ever. We are the counter-programming. We are the trusted voices. We have to show up.
The Deciding Factor: You
Here is what I know about Georgia politics. Stacey Abrams lost to Brian Kemp in 2018 by approximately 55,000 votes. In 2020 and 2021, Georgia delivered its electoral votes to Joe Biden and elected two Democratic U.S. Senators, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, on the strength of unprecedented Black voter turnout, particularly in Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Cobb, and Gwinnett counties. Those are the counties. Those are our people. And those are the communities that will make or break this race.
The polls show a tight race. The bipartisan AARP poll has this at two points. The Wick poll shows 14% still undecided. Those undecided voters are winnable. The turnout differential between a high-engagement Black Georgia and a low-engagement one is the ballgame. I have watched this state for years. I know what we are capable of when we are activated, informed, and organized.
| Charles’s Personal Call to Action: • Get informed. Read every section of this guide. Know the candidates and their positions, not just their ads. • Get registered. Georgia’s voter registration deadline is October 6, 2026. Check your registration today at mvp.sos.ga.gov. Help three people in your circle do the same. • Get to the polls. Early voting begins approximately October 13, 2026. Election Day is November 3, 2026. Put it in your phone. Block your calendar. Arrange your ride. No excuses. • Share this information. Your church, your barbershop, your group chat, your family reunion — everyone needs to know what is at stake. |
This race is ours to win. But winning requires work. Let’s get to work, Georgia.
Please join us live tonight August 14th at 6pm EST by clicking the play button below: