Runoffs are officially underway in Georgia as several of the state’s biggest 2026 contests will stay unresolved following yesterday’s partisan primary.
Georgia primary candidates must win more than 50% of the vote to secure a nomination outright, no candidate in the Republican U.S. Senate or gubernatorial races met that threshold.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and health care executive Rick Jackson advanced to a June 16 Republican runoff for governor after a bruising and expensive primary to replace term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp. ABC News projected the runoff, with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr failing to advance.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms avoided a Democratic runoff, giving her a direct path to the November general election. (RELATED: Georgia’s High Court Seats Spark Rare All-Out Campaign War)
The Republican race for U.S. Senate remains open. U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and former Tennessee Volunteers football coach Derek Dooley advanced to a June 16 runoff, with the winner set to face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November. Longtime U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter did not make the runoff.
The night’s most notable surprise was Jackson’s strong performance in the race for governor. The political newcomer spent heavily from his personal fortune and forced a runoff against Jones, a Trump-endorsed statewide official. That left two better-known statewide officials, Raffensperger and Carr, outside the next round.
Down ballot, voters triggered runoffs for both parties’ secretary of state nominations and for lieutenant governor. State Sen. Greg Dolezal faces former State Sen. President Pro Tem John F. Kennedy in the Republican runoff for lieutenant governor while State Sen. Josh McLaurin squares off with former State Sen. Nabilah Parkes in the Democratic runoff. State Rep. Tim Fleming and former Democratic Dekalb County CEO Vernon Jones advanced on the Republican side for secretary of state, while former state judge Penny Brown Reynolds and Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett moved on in the Democratic race.
Incumbent Georgia Supreme Court Justices Sarah Hawkins Warren and Charlie Bethel held their seats, defeating high-profile challenges from Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin.
(RELATED: Ossoff Raises $14 Million But Three Well-Funded Republicans Are Closing The Gap)
