Georgia’s 13th Congressional District: 2026 House Race

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.

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.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams in their 2022 rematch, preserving GOP control of Georgia's governorship and dealing a second statewide loss to the national Democratic figure. Kemp campaigned on tax cuts and cash rebates funded by state and federal surpluses, his handling of the economy, an early end to COVID-19 restrictions, and attacks on Abrams over policing, after surviving a primary challenge backed by Donald Trump following disputes over the 2020 election.

Abrams, who would have been the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history, campaigned on expanding Medicaid, raising teacher pay, legalizing gambling to fund college aid, tightening gun laws, and restoring abortion rights after the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade. She outraised Kemp but trailed in polls throughout the race. Exit surveys showed the economy, inflation, and crime as top voter concerns, favoring Kemp, while abortion rights drove support for Abrams and Senator Raphael Warnock. Abrams vowed to continue advocating for voting rights and other priorities despite the loss.

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.

A scheduled debate between Georgia gubernatorial candidates fell apart Tuesday when Republican nominee Rick Jackson declined to appear opposite Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in an in-studio matchup at 11Alive. Supporters for both campaigns clashed outside the station after Jackson backers crashed a Democratic Party of Georgia news conference. Party chair Charlie Bailey criticized Jackson for rejecting Bottoms' challenge to hold six statewide debates; Jackson has agreed only to an October town hall, saying his campaign is focused on direct voter outreach. It remains unclear whether he will reconsider before Atlanta Press Club debates set for October 12 and 13.

The turmoil comes as Georgia's Senate race also intensifies. Incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff called on GOP nominee Mike Collins to release all communications between his office and white nationalists, after Collins aide Kip Talley departed amid revelations he had contacted figures including Nick Fuentes and Richard Spencer to help free a convicted Holocaust denier. Collins' campaign denied Talley was formally affiliated with the office and accused Ossoff of ignoring extremism among his own allies.

Republican Greg Dolezal and Democrat Josh McLaurin, both Georgia state senators, met in an Atlanta televised debate ahead of the lieutenant governor race. Dolezal called property taxes an unfair burden and criticized state subsidies for data centers, while touting the Georgia Promise Scholarship Program's reach among lower-income and Black families. McLaurin defended his bipartisan record, warned that eliminating property taxes would gut local services, and said communities need more control over data center growth given its strain on power and water. The two also traded accusations over public safety votes, with McLaurin framing his positions as constitutional pushback. Early voting runs through Oct. 30, with Election Day set for Nov. 3.

Florida Republicans showed a marked shift in voting behavior ahead of this year's primary election compared to the last open governor's race in 2018. State Division of Elections data show about 422,000 Republicans voted by mail this cycle, down from over 621,000 in 2018, while in-person early voting jumped from roughly 300,000 to nearly 450,000. Democrats' habits changed less, roughly matching 2018 patterns for both mail and early in-person voting.

Analysts point to President Trump's repeated criticism of mail voting as a likely driver of the GOP shift, along with a 2021 Florida law requiring voters to request mail ballots each election cycle rather than every other cycle. Nearly 2 million Floridians had voted early or by mail as of Monday, with Republicans slightly outnumbering Democrats. The contested four-way GOP gubernatorial primary, featuring Byron Donalds, Jay Collins, Paul Renner, and James Fishback, is fueling Republican turnout, while Democrats face a less competitive race led by David Jolly. Experts say the net effect on overall turnout remains uncertain.

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) denied having presidential ambitions during a Georgia U.S. Senate debate against Republican Rep. Mike Collins, hosted by the Atlanta Press Club. Pressed on whether he would commit to serving a full six-year term, Ossoff said, "Yes, I will. I have zero interest in running for president... I'm running for reelection to the Senate."

Collins, who is endorsed by President Trump, rejected the denial, accusing Ossoff of being an "elitist" using Georgia as a platform for a 2028 White House bid and labeling him a future "DSA candidate." Ossoff has previously urged Democrats to focus on the 2026 midterms rather than 2028, though he has drawn attention from the party's progressive wing, including a since-distanced endorsement from streamer Hasan Piker. The Georgia Senate race is seen as pivotal to Senate control in the second half of Trump's term, with polling showing Ossoff ahead less than a month before election day.