# Georgia Governor race 2026

Open seat. Businessman Rick Jackson (R) faces former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) to replace term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp (R).

- Office: Governor
- Rating: Toss-up (Cook Political Report, Oct 13, 2026)
- Sabato's Crystal Ball: Toss-up
- Election Day: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/election/ga-governor/
- Back to [Election Headquarters](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/election/)

## Who is running

- Rick Jackson (Republican): open seat
- Keisha Lance Bottoms (Democrat): open seat

## The facts

- Kemp won in 2022 with 53.4% and is term-limited. (Wikipedia)
- Jackson, a healthcare executive, beat Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the June 16 Republican runoff. (Wikipedia)
- Bottoms won the Democratic nomination on May 19. (Wikipedia)

## Why this race matters to conservatives (opinion)

Georgia has a Republican governor now. Both Cook and Sabato call the race a toss-up.

This section is the opinion of RightNewsRightNow. The rest of the page is reporting.

## Where these facts come from

- [Cook Political Report](https://www.270towin.com/2026-governor-election/cook-political-report-2026-governor): current rating, as of Oct 13, 2026
- [Wikipedia (election pages, with their cited sources)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_gubernatorial_elections): candidate and race facts