Georgians

Following Tuesday's elections that gave Democrats the Georgia governorship and state House and narrowed the GOP's state Senate majority to 29-27, Lt. Gov.-elect Josh McLaurin and Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones II outlined priorities for the coming legislative session: Medicaid expansion, affordable housing, public education funding, child care, abortion rights and cost-of-living relief. Democrats, now boosted by Keisha Lance Bottoms' governorship win and four new state senators, said they intend to begin bipartisan outreach immediately rather than waiting for the new administration to take office in January. McLaurin also criticized the state's six-week abortion ban and Georgia's partial Medicaid expansion, while calling on Republicans to help advance shared priorities.

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, former Atlanta mayor, has won Georgia's governor's race, defeating Republican healthcare executive Rick Jackson, who self-funded his campaign with over $200 million. The Associated Press called the race for Bottoms, who finished with about 54% of the vote to Jackson's 46%. Bottoms becomes the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history and the first Democrat to win Georgia's governorship since 1998, succeeding term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp. Her victory came four years after Stacey Abrams's unsuccessful bids against Kemp. Bottoms campaigned on Medicaid expansion, raising the minimum wage, repealing Georgia's six-week abortion ban, and countering President Trump's policies.

The race topped a 2026 midterm ballot that also included Sen. Jon Ossoff's reelection bid against Republican Mike Collins, all 14 U.S. House seats — with Democratic incumbents Hank Johnson and Nikema Williams both winning reelection — and record midterm early voting exceeding 2.8 million ballots.

Florida's 2026 midterm elections take place Nov. 3, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. statewide. Voters must present a current, valid photo ID with a signature; those without matching signatures need a secondary ID, and voters lacking acceptable ID or unverified registration may cast a provisional ballot, counted if documentation is supplied within two days. Mail-in ballots must reach election offices or drop boxes by 7 p.m. on Election Day, as postmarks no longer count. The registration deadline was Oct. 5.

In Ohio, voters cast ballots in a closely watched governor's race alongside all 99 state House seats and 17 state Senate seats; Cuyahoga County's 269 polling locations opened smoothly, with more than 1.73 million Ohioans having already voted early statewide. Georgia also held Election Day voting Nov. 3, with polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and anyone in line by closing guaranteed a ballot. Georgians chose a U.S. senator, all 14 U.S. House members, governor, and other statewide and local offices, with unofficial results expected after polls close.

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.