Analyzing Georgia's political future: Atlanta Bureau Chief explains
ATLANTA (WJBF) – Georgia, a once ruby red state, has recently emerged as a pale pink state with shades of purple that will have a major impact on the nation's political landscape over the next few election cycles.
Former President Joe Biden's victory in Georgia in 2020, against now-President Donald Trump, marked a change for Georgia's political image. The Peach State joined a handful of other crucial swing states – including Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that went blue in 2020 before returning red in 2024.
For lawmakers and potential presidents, the emergence of Georgia as a battleground state meant the path to the White House was through Georgia. While Biden grabbed the 16 electoral votes in 2020, Trump snagged it back in 2024 flipping the state yet again.
Former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who lost to Governor Brian Kemp twice, played a pivotal role in flipping both of Georgia's U.S. Senate seats blue. However, she was unsuccessful running for governor, losing to Kemp in 2022 and 2018. Governor Kemp is term limited in the next election cycle.
The gubernatorial race in Georgia is already heating up with State Senator Jason Esteves and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms throwing their hats into the ring. Bottoms says she plans to expand Medicaid and tap federal dollars to help uninsured and underinsured Georgians get healthcare coverage.
On the Republican side, Attorney General Chris Carr is the sole candidate at the moment, but there's speculation that Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones may enter that race or the U.S. Senate Race. Political experts say that current Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger could also be a strong contender on the Republican side. Insurance Commissioner John King has also said he will run for the U.S. Senate race against Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026.
With a slew of candidates, the gubernatorial and senate races in 2026 face a potential run off race if a candidate does not secure one more than 50% of the votes.
As for the Democrats, while no potential contenders for president are expected from Georgia, there is widespread speculation that former Vice President Kamala Harrs may run again. Harris may also run for the Governor of California. Other potential Democratic candidates include California Governor Gavin Newsom, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Georgia is also a crucial state for Republicans to maintain their current three seat majority in the U.S. Senate. While political analysts say Kemp had a strong shot to defeat Ossoff, they are now keeping a close watch on the peach state to try to secure another seat in the Senate if Georgia flips red for the Senate race.
In the meantime, Georgia voters will likely see more political ads, texts and campaign stops in the months ahead for both the gubernatorial race and the U.S. Senate race in 2026. And once that is done, it will be a full race ahead to the 2028 election season.
Will Kemp run for president or leave the political arena? His decision will likely be a key factor in what Georgia voters decide in the coming years and have a great impact on the national landscape.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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