Georgia’s 2026 gubernatorial race has kicked off with a dramatic flourish, as two high-profile candidates from opposite sides of the political spectrum declared their intentions to run within days of each other. Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and former Republican turned Democrat Geoff Duncan have both thrown their hats into the ring, shaking up what is sure to be a fiercely contested and closely watched election.
On Wednesday, September 17, 2025, Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s current Secretary of State, made his candidacy official. His announcement came just a day after Geoff Duncan, who served as Georgia’s lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2023, revealed his own bid for the state’s highest office—this time as a Democrat. The rapid-fire announcements, reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other local outlets, have set the stage for a race that promises to test party loyalties, policy priorities, and the very identity of Georgia politics.
Raffensperger’s entry into the Republican primary adds a new wrinkle to an already crowded field. He’ll be facing off against Attorney General Chris Carr and current Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, the latter of whom has secured the coveted endorsement of former President Donald Trump. In his campaign launch, Raffensperger positioned himself as a principled conservative, declaring, “I’m a conservative Republican, and I’m prepared to make the tough decisions. I follow the law and the Constitution, and I’ll always do the right thing for Georgia no matter what.” (LaGrange News)
Yet, Raffensperger’s relationship with Trump’s base is complicated. He famously refused to help overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results—a stance that has alienated many MAGA loyalists but won him praise from moderates and some independents. According to LaGrange News, this could prove to be a significant hurdle as he seeks support in a primary where Trump’s influence remains strong, especially with Burt Jones enjoying the former president’s official backing.
Raffensperger’s platform is a blend of conservative staples and red-meat issues. He has pledged to cap property taxes for seniors and eliminate the state income tax, positioning Georgia to compete with tax-friendly neighbors like Florida and Tennessee. He’s also called for banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports and supports the deportation of undocumented immigrants. These policy proposals are likely to resonate with the Republican base, but whether they’ll be enough to overcome skepticism from Trump-aligned voters remains to be seen.
On the Democratic side, Geoff Duncan’s candidacy is no less dramatic. Once a Republican rising star, Duncan switched parties in August 2025, a move that followed his expulsion from the Georgia GOP after he endorsed Kamala Harris for president in 2024. As reported by the Capitol Beat News Service, Duncan explained his decision during a visit to Columbus, Georgia: “As I wake up and tried to solve problems as a Republican on my way out the door, it just became harder and harder and harder. Loving your neighbor does not have an asterisk mark next to it.”
Duncan has been vocal in his criticism of the current political climate, decrying the partisan divide as “unfortunate” and “disgusting.” He singled out Donald Trump’s leadership style as “dangerous, it’s corrosive, it’s toxic, it’s a lot of things, but not effective,” and argued that Georgia needs a leader willing to push back against Trump’s influence. “Georgia Republicans threw me out of their party,” Duncan said in his campaign announcement video. “I was leaving anyway.” (LaGrange News)
His platform reflects the priorities of many Democratic voters, with a focus on reducing the costs of childcare, healthcare, and housing, and promoting fairness and opportunity across the state. He has also staked out clear positions on divisive issues. On guns, Duncan now supports universal background checks and red flag laws, aligning himself with what he describes as “the 90% of Americans that want to have universal background checks and red flag laws.” On abortion, he has reversed his previous stance, stating, “I was wrong to think a room full of legislators knew better than millions of women, and I’ve listened to those women.” He has pledged to sign an executive order on his first day as governor to protect doctors who care for pregnant women and to introduce legislation to repeal Georgia’s six-week abortion ban, returning the state to the standards set by Roe v. Wade.
Duncan’s pitch to voters is rooted in his unique political journey. He argues that his Republican past will help him appeal to a broad coalition: “I actually think it’s going to help because I think it gives me more of an opportunity to put on display something that’s important to me, and that’s authenticity.” He claims to be the only Democrat in the primary “that can get Democrats, independents and disgusted Republicans to show up and vote” in the general election.
Duncan faces a competitive Democratic primary, with opponents including former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former pastor Olu Brown, state Sen. Jason Esteves, state Rep. Derrick Jackson, and former Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond. The primary is set for May 19, 2026, with a potential runoff scheduled for June 16.
Meanwhile, the Republican primary is shaping up to be just as contentious. In addition to Raffensperger, Attorney General Chris Carr and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones are vying for the nomination. Jones, buoyed by Trump’s endorsement, is seen as a frontrunner among the party’s conservative base. The contest will likely serve as a referendum on the future direction of the GOP in Georgia—whether it remains firmly in Trump’s orbit or charts a more traditional, law-and-order conservative path as advocated by Raffensperger.
The excitement surrounding the governor’s race is mirrored in down-ballot contests as well. At a recent meeting of the Troup County Republican Party, candidates for state superintendent, attorney general, and lieutenant governor laid out their visions for Georgia’s future. Dr. Fred “Bubba” Longgrear, running for state school superintendent, emphasized his faith and decades-long commitment to public education, declaring, “Public education is critical, I think, to our democracy. As the superintendent of schools in Georgia, I promise you every bit of effort that I give will be to make the public education offering as good in every community in Georgia as it can be for the students and for the future of Georgia, and that’s what I’m committed to.”
Sen. Brian Strickland, who is running for attorney general, pledged to restore faith in the justice system and push back against what he described as “rogue prosecutors going after folks with lawfare here in Georgia.” He promised, “We will not have rogue prosecutors going after folks with lawfare here in Georgia. We’re not going to be New York. We’re not going to be California. That is going to stop.”
Sen. Blake Tillery, a candidate for lieutenant governor, proposed eliminating the state income tax entirely, pointing to other states as models: “Nine states have already done this. This isn’t a new idea. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We can just pick the good ideas that those nine states have already done and make it a Georgia way.”
With the primary elections months away, Georgia voters are already being courted by candidates with sharply contrasting visions for the state’s future. The coming months promise robust debate, shifting alliances, and, if early signs are any indication, more than a few surprises.
As the campaign trail heats up, Georgia stands as a microcosm of the nation’s political turbulence—where party lines blur, loyalties shift, and the stakes for the future couldn’t be higher.
