(The Center Square) – Georgia voters can cast their ballots early for the May 19 primary races that feature a slate of heavy-hitters seeking state and federal offices beginning Monday.
Georgia law requires candidates to receive 50% plus one vote to avoid a runoff, scheduled for June 16.
U.S. Senate
Incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff’s seat is considered one of the most competitive in the country. Osoff has no competition in his primary.
The Republican primary is a different story. U.S. Reps. Michael Collins and Buddy Carter are running. Former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley is endorsed by Gov. Brian Kemp. Also running in the Republican primary are Jonathan McCollum and John Francis Coyne III.
A poll published Friday by pollster Inside Advantage of 800 likely Republican voters shows Collins in the lead with 27%, followed by Carter with 24% and Dooley with 16%. Twenty-nine percent of those polled said they are undecided.
Republican gubernatorial candidates
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is hoping to remove the word “lieutenant” from his title and take the state’s top job. He received President Donald Trump’s endorsement early in the race.
Businessman and political newcomer Rick Jackson is a latecomer to the race and pledged to be Trump’s “favorite governor.” Jones and Jackson have swapped barbs in a series of political ads that have dominated Georgia’s airwaves.
Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger are also in the contest. Other candidates are Clark Howard Dean, Gregg Kirkpatrick, Ken Yasger and Thomas Williams.
The Insider Advantage poll shows Jackson leading in a poll of 800 likely Republican voters with 32%. Jones followed with 25%, followed by Raffensperger with 11% and Carr with 6%. Three percent of respondents picked “other,” while 23% are still undecided.
Democratic gubernatorial candidates
The race for the Democratic nomination is also crowded. It includes former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Olu Brown, former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, Amanda Duffy, former state Sen. Jason Esteves, former state Rep. Derrick Jackson, and former Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond.
Lieutenant governor
With Jones running for governor, several candidates are vying for his job. Republican state Sens. Greg Dolezal, Steve Gooch, John Kennedy and Blake Tillery are among them. Also in the Republican primary are David Timothy Clark, Brenda Lynn Nelson Porter and Takosha Misheal Swann.
The Democratic contest includes state Sens. Josh McLaurin and Nabilah Parkes. Richard Wright is also in the race.
Attorney general
Just two Republicans signed up to take Carr’s job in 2027, state Rep. Tim Fleming and Sen. Bill Cowsert. Democrats Herbert Adams Jr., Tanya Miller and Bob Trammell are in the Democratic contest.
Secretary of state
Five are vying for the Republican nomination. Gabriel Sterling served as the office’s CEO before stepping down. Kelvin King is the husband of State Election Board member Janelle King. Vernon Jones, a former state representative who also served as the CEO of DeKalb County, is also in the race. State Rep. Tim Fleming and Edward Tecumseh Metz are also running.
For the Democrats, the candidates are Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett, Cam Thi Ashling, Adrian Consonery Jr. and Penny Brown Reynolds.
By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square
