Keisha Lance Bottoms

Republican gubernatorial candidate Burt Jackson said he's worried rural Georgia voters may not turn out strongly for him, as early voting shows high turnout among Black voters, a key bloc for Democrats. Jackson faces former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) in a close contest; a recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution/University of Georgia poll gave Jackson a narrow one-point lead. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) leads his reelection race by a wider margin, and Democrats hope strong Ossoff turnout lifts Bottoms. Jackson, a billionaire healthcare executive, has self-funded over $100 million of his campaign, far outpacing Bottoms, though Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker donated $1 million to her effort. Decision Desk HQ gives Bottoms a 56 percent win probability.

President Trump traveled to Dalton, Georgia, to rally for Senate candidate Mike Collins and gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson ahead of a competitive midterm election. Unlike recent stops in safely Republican states, Georgia remains a genuine battleground, with Collins facing Sen. Jon Ossoff and Jackson facing former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Both Democrats seized on the visit, arguing it ties the GOP ticket to Trump's economic record and 2020 election denialism; Collins has echoed Trump's fraud claims without directly affirming Biden's legitimate win. Gov. Brian Kemp, who delayed endorsing Collins, skipped the rally. The race highlights GOP divisions and narrowing margins even in deep-red Georgia districts.

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.

Georgia's data center footprint could grow dramatically, with 119 planned facilities poised to increase the state's current 3,906 MW capacity by 287%, according to records analyzed by market intelligence firm Cleanview. The average new data center, running at typical two-thirds capacity, consumes enough energy to power 54,000 homes, and next-generation facilities are on track to use 2.5 times more power than those opening in 2026.

Growth projections face mounting local resistance over water and energy use. Effingham County residents have organized against an incentives deal for a proposed $20 billion OpenAI data center, while Shadowbox Studios is suing DeKalb County over a moratorium blocking its own data center plans. The issue has become a flashpoint in Georgia's governor's race, with Democratic candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms calling for a statewide development pause and Republican nominee Rick Jackson favoring local control. Cleanview notes many listed projects may never be built, with 45 already canceled and about 450 lacking completion dates.

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.

Leaked audio obtained by the Daily Caller shows Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms telling donors she is "deeply concerned" about President Trump's executive order targeting cashless bail, arguing it primarily harms poor people facing low-level misdemeanor charges. In the recording, Bottoms claimed cash bail does not apply to felons, a statement that is inaccurate — Georgia law does apply cash bail requirements to felony offenses.

Trump's order directs federal agencies to identify and withhold funding from jurisdictions that have substantially eliminated cash bail for crimes posing a public safety threat, including violent, sexual, and property offenses. As Atlanta mayor, Bottoms signed an ordinance eliminating cash bond for minor offenses like public drunkenness and disorderly conduct, during a period marked by rising crime in the city. Bottoms faces Republican nominee Rick Jackson in the November 3 general election. Her campaign has not responded to requests for comment on the leaked remarks.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) begins a four-day "Take it Back" tour through South Carolina, North Carolina and Alabama this week, notably skipping Georgia, home to Sen. Jon Ossoff's competitive reelection race. Newsom aides say the omission reflects scheduling constraints, not distance from Ossoff — Newsom has raised nearly $142,000 for the senator this cycle and more than $2.2 million for southern Democrats overall, and his office is discussing future Georgia dates before November.

Strategists note the arrangement may benefit both sides: Ossoff can keep his race focused on kitchen-table issues rather than 2028 speculation, while Newsom, a frontrunner in early Democratic presidential polling, targets Super Tuesday states. Ossoff's own national profile has grown after a viral confrontation involving Trump, and recent polling shows him gaining traction as a potential future contender even as he insists his focus is reelection. The tour also comes as South Carolina prepares to vote first in the 2028 Democratic primary calendar.