Georgia’s 5th District House Race 2026

All 14 of Georgia's U.S. House seats are up for election on Nov. 3, 2026, with major-party nominees now set in every district. Most incumbents, including Sanford Bishop, Brian Jack, Hank Johnson, Nikema Williams, Lucy McBath, Rich McCormick, Austin Scott, Andrew Clyde and Rick Allen, face challengers, while District 13 features state Rep. Jasmine Clark against Air Force veteran Jonathan Chavez. Candidates include political organizers, veterans, business owners, a physician, a microbiologist and several first-time contenders.

For prediction markets, the races hinge on incumbency, district partisan lean and name recognition, with most seats considered safe for the incumbent party but a handful, such as Districts 1, 2 and 13, drawing closer scrutiny.

South Carolina Republicans returned to the polls Tuesday to pick a nominee for the Senate seat long held by the late Lindsey Graham, who died in July after winning renomination in June. Sen. Darline Graham, appointed to fill her brother's term and backed by President Trump and Sen. Tim Scott, faced Rep. Ralph Norman in a runoff after neither cleared a majority in the Aug. 11 primary; third-place finisher Rep. Russell Fry endorsed Graham. The winner faces Democrat Annie Andrews in the fall.

In Georgia's 13th Congressional District near Atlanta, Democrats Everton Blair and Marcye Scott, daughter of late Rep. David Scott, competed in a runoff to serve the remainder of Scott's term after topping a five-candidate field in July. Neither is seeking the full term beginning in 2027; that contest will pit Democratic state Rep. Jasmine Clark against Republican Jonathan Chavez in November. Both races drew attention as tests of turnout and party strength ahead of the 2026 midterms, now 70 days off.

Candidate fields are set for county commission, school board and other local races across eight North Georgia counties — Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Forsyth, Hall, Cherokee and Paulding — ahead of the 2026 midterms. The contests mix incumbents seeking reelection, open seats and several unopposed candidates. Notable races include Fulton County's commission chair contest between Mo Ivory and Eric Tatum, a crowded special election for Fulton's District 4 seat, and rematches such as Bridget Thorne versus Maggie Goldman in Fulton District 1.

These local races typically draw less prediction-market attention than statewide or federal contests, but the lineups give early visibility into competitive seats and turnout dynamics heading into next year's elections.

Candidates have filed across 13 Georgia State Senate districts, mostly in metro Atlanta, ahead of the 2026 midterms. Several incumbents, including Sheikh Rahman, Ruwa Romman, Gail Davenport, Kenya Wicks, Jaha Howard, Kim Jackson, and Tonya Anderson, face no Republican opponent listed in their districts. Other seats are contested, including District 10, where Larry Johnson and Furquan Stafford compete to succeed Sen. Emmanuel Jones, and District 14, where Kevin Abel faces Mike Dvorscak for Sen. Josh McLaurin's open seat. Additional matchups include Romman vs. Shaikh, Castro vs. Setzler, Kemp vs. Helvy, and Jackson vs. Newlin, setting up a broad set of down-ballot races within the state's legislature.

Early voting opened in Georgia for the 2026 midterm election, running through Oct. 30, with Oct. 23 as the deadline to request an absentee ballot. Nearly every major statewide office is open, with new officeholders guaranteed in most races. The headline contest pits Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms against Republican Rick Jackson for governor, while incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff faces Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins in a closely watched Senate race.

Down-ballot races include lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, agriculture, insurance and labor commissioner, plus two Public Service Commission seats, congressional and legislative contests. Voters will also decide three constitutional amendments covering conservation-use acreage limits, nonpartisan election of probate judges, and dedicated funding for 911 systems. Turnout data is tracked through the secretary of state's Election Data Hub. The races carry significant implications for prediction markets given Georgia's status as a key battleground state.

Election security has emerged as a flashpoint in Georgia's governor's race, with Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms calling for vote totals precise enough to eliminate any doubt about turnout, referencing the narrow 2020 margin that put the state under national scrutiny. Republican candidate Rick Jackson drew criticism after audio surfaced suggesting Gov. Brian Kemp would deploy the National Guard to monitor the election; Kemp's office pushed back, saying its approach to elections remains unchanged. Bottoms accused Jackson of echoing Trump-aligned election claims and pointed to the FBI's raid of the Fulton County elections office and a Justice Department subpoena for poll worker information as part of an ongoing federal investigation into the 2020 election.

Separately, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Trump administration order letting the Department of Homeland Security compile voter eligibility lists for the U.S. Postal Service to check before mailing ballots. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has convened a bipartisan task force to combat election misinformation, while state lawmakers continue debating a new hand-marked ballot system.

Early voting opened in Georgia for the 2026 midterm elections, giving voters until Oct. 30 to cast ballots ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3. Voting hours, locations, and weekend availability vary by county, and officials are urging voters to check local election offices or the state's My Voter Page for details.

Two statewide contests are drawing the most attention. In the governor's race, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former Atlanta mayor, faces Republican businessman Rick Jackson. In the U.S. Senate race, Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins is challenging incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. Both races are considered competitive and could have broader implications for partisan control heading into the next election cycle, making Georgia a focal point for political forecasters and prediction markets tracking gubernatorial and Senate outcomes.

Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and Republican challenger Rep. Mike Collins met Thursday night for their first debate in Georgia's closely watched U.S. Senate race, hosted by Atlanta News First. It was the first of two scheduled face-offs, with a second debate set for Tuesday at an Atlanta Press Club event.

Ossoff, seeking a second term, has maintained a consistent lead in public polling and holds a significant fundraising advantage over Collins, a sitting U.S. House member. Collins used the debate to try to shift momentum as the campaign enters its final weeks before the November election.

Advance in-person voting begins Oct. 13, with Election Day set for Nov. 3. The contest is among the most competitive Senate races of the midterm cycle and could play a role in determining control of the chamber, drawing national attention and heavy spending from both parties.

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) said during a debate against Republican challenger Rep. Mike Collins that President Trump's conduct already meets the threshold for impeachment, should Democrats win a House majority in November. Asked at the Atlanta Press Club-hosted debate whether he would support impeachment efforts and vote to convict, Ossoff said the president's "misconduct, abuse of power, and corruption already exceed any prior standard for impeachment," adding he would consider any articles of impeachment "on the merits as a juror in the Senate" if the House sends them.

Ossoff voted for Trump's second impeachment but was not in Congress during the first. Impeachment requires a House majority and a two-thirds Senate vote, both currently controlled by Republicans. The Georgia Senate race is seen as pivotal to control of the chamber in the second half of Trump's term, with polling showing Ossoff ahead of Collins less than a month before election day.