Georgia Voters Prepare to Choose Their Parties’ Candidates

On Tuesday, Georgia voters will choose their parties’ nominees for statewide executive offices and federal posts, setting the stage for closely contested general elections.

While Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff has already secured his party’s nomination, the Republican primary for Senate—along with both parties’ gubernatorial primaries—remains underway.

Governor’s Race

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, backed by President Donald Trump, is running for governor against billionaire Rick Jackson. Jones has pledged to advance the “America First” agenda, including ramping up deportation enforcement.

“If you enter our country illegally, you are breaking the law, period,” Jones said in a 2025 press release. “While President Donald Trump fights on the national level to secure our borders and keep illegal immigrants off the streets, we will do the same in Georgia. As part of our commitment to protect our citizens, we are taking a stand against sanctuary policies that violate the law and harbor criminals.”

During a gubernatorial debate, Jones accused Jackson—who owns landscaping companies—of previously employing illegal immigrants.

“You claim to be tough on deportation, but you’ve got illegals working in your backyard as we speak,” Jones said. “Who’s the real Rick Jackson?”

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Jackson denied the allegation, saying he is not aware of his employees’ immigration status.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is also in the race. He has highlighted his record of “modernizing” the state’s election system, including implementing an auditable paper ballot system and expanding voter control over election security, according to his official website.

Raffensperger has also touted being the first secretary of state to require photo ID for all forms of voting and to expand polling locations while holding counties accountable.

A recent poll shows Jackson leading the Republican primary with 27%, followed by Jones at 25% and Raffensperger at 14%, with about 30% of voters undecided.

The GOP nominee will face the winner of a crowded Democrat primary that includes former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former state Sen. Jason Esteves, and state Rep. Derrick Jackson.

Duncan, who served as lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2023 as a Republican, switched parties in 2025 and has not secured major national endorsements.

Bottoms, by contrast, has been endorsed by former President Joe Biden.

Polling from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows Bottoms leading the Democrat field with 39%, followed by Thurmond at 10%, Esteves at 8%, and Duncan at 7%, with roughly one-third of voters undecided.

An InsiderAdvantage poll conducted May 1 found Bottoms leading with 52% among Democrats, while Jackson led the Republican field with 28%. About 14% of Democrats and 12% of Republicans remain undecided.

Senate Race

For Republicans, the race to unseat Ossoff, the Democrat senator, is underway. Ossoff flipped the seat in 2020, and GOP leaders see the contest as a key pickup opportunity.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who has remained neutral in the gubernatorial primary, has weighed in on the Senate race.

“I want to win our Senate seat back,” Kemp told voters at a local bike and coffee shop just days ahead of Tuesday’s primary. “We haven’t done so well in U.S. Senate races here in the state of Georgia in the last several cycles, and we have one more opportunity to try to get one of our Senate seats back. And we’ve got to have the right person to do that.”

Kemp has endorsed Derek Dooley, the former head football coach at the University of Tennessee. Dooley is running against two Trump-aligned congressmen: Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter.

At a recent campaign event, Kemp argued that Dooley’s status as a political outsider could give Republicans their best chance at reclaiming the seat.

“My goal here is to win our Senate seat back,” Kemp said. “We need a political outsider to do that.”

In campaign messaging, Dooley has emphasized his willingness to work with the president. “I’m going to work with President Trump—but for you,” he tells voters in one ad.

Trump has not endorsed a candidate in the race, but several Trump-aligned figures have backed Collins. Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., has supported Collins, citing his stance on illegal immigration, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has also endorsed him.

In 2024, after a Georgia nursing student was killed by an illegal immigrant while jogging in Athens, Collins introduced the Laken Riley Act, which was later signed into law and expanded immigration enforcement.

“I have proven that I can deliver for the state of Georgia,” Collins said. “I can even do it with bipartisan legislation. And I never compromise my conservative values.”

Carter has taken a similar approach to immigration. He supported Collins’ legislation and, in February, introduced the No Sanctuary Cities Act, aimed at requiring local officials to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

“So-called sanctuary cities protect criminal illegal immigrants at the expense of justice and American citizens’ safety,” Carter wrote in a press release. “The No Sanctuary Cities Act will force compliance with federal law enforcement, holding criminals to account and making our streets safe again.”

If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers will advance to a June 16 runoff.

A recent poll shows Collins in the lead at 33%, with Dooley trailing Collins by 10% and Carter polling in at 14%.