Georgia State Senate elections, 2026

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← 2024
2026 Georgia Senate Election
Election info
Seats up: 56 Primary: May 19, 2026 General: November 3, 2026
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Elections for the Georgia State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026.

The Georgia State Senate is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.

Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates and State government trifectas

Party		As of September 2025
	Democratic Party	23
	Republican Party	32
	Other	0
	Vacancies	1
Total		56

Candidates

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

• Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
• Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

General election

Georgia State Senate general election 2026
Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name. = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. The candidate list in this election may not be complete. Please contact Ballotpedia about candidate additions, withdrawals, or disqualifications. Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.
Office	Democratic	Republican	Other
District 1
District 2	Derek Mallow (i)
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18		Eric Wilson
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46	William Gaulden	Michael Broun Doug McKillip Marc McMain
District 47
District 48
District 49
District 50
District 51		Will Wade
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
District 56		Lee Hills

Voting information

See also: Voting in Georgia

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Competitiveness

This section will be updated with information about the competitiveness of state legislative elections in Georgia. For more information about Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Georgia

See statutes: Title 21, Chapter 2, Article 4 of the Georgia Code

There are four ways for a candidate to gain ballot access in Georgia: as a political party candidate, as a political organization candidate, as an independent candidate or as a write-in.

Requirements for all candidates

All candidates are required to pay a filing fee; filing fees vary from year-to-year. In lieu of a filing fee, a candidate may submit a pauper's affidavit and qualifying petition, which certifies that the candidate is unable to pay the fee. The affidavit includes a financial statement that lists the candidate's total income, assets, liabilities, and other relevant financial information. This information must indicate that the candidate has neither the assets nor the income to pay the qualifying fee normally required. The pauper's affidavit must be accompanied by a qualifying petition containing signatures as follows:

• One-fourth of 1 percent of the total number of registered voters eligible to vote in the last general election if the candidate is seeking statewide office
• 1 percent of the total number of registered voters eligible to vote in the last election for the office being sought by the candidate if the candidate is seeking an office other than statewide office

Political party candidates

A political party candidate is nominated at his or her party's primary election. An individual cannot become a political party candidate if he or she has already qualified for the same primary election with a different political party, or if he or she has filed as an independent or political organization candidate. Political parties determine the rules for qualifying to appear on the primary election ballot. However, there are some stipulations set by the state to which all political party candidates must adhere. These include the following:

• filing a declaration of candidacy and an affidavit with the political party during the political party qualifying period, which is set by the Georgia Secretary of State; the affidavit must state the following:
  • the name of the candidate as he or she wishes it to appear on the ballot
  • the candidate’s residence
  • the candidate’s occupation
  • the candidate’s precinct
  • that the candidate is eligible to vote in the primary in which he or she is running
  • the office the candidate is seeking
  • that the candidate is eligible to hold the office he or she is seeking
  • that the candidate will not knowingly violate any election rule or law
  • that the candidate has never been convicted or sentenced for violation of election laws, malfeasance in office or a felony involving moral turpitude, or, if the candidate has been convicted and sentenced for such crimes, that at least 10 years have passed since completion of the sentence and that the candidate's civil rights have been restored
• paying the qualifying fee or submitting a pauper's affidavit and the accompanying qualifying petition

Within three days of the end of the qualifying period, a political party must certify to the Georgia Secretary of State a list of those candidates who successfully qualified with the party for the primary election and turn in the qualifying fees paid by the candidates, the declarations of candidacy, and the affidavits.

Political organization candidates

A political organization candidate can be nominated by his or her organization's convention, if the political organization has qualified to hold such a convention, or by petition. A candidate cannot file as a political organization candidate if he or she has already filed for the same office as a political party candidate.

If nominated by convention, a political organization candidate must file a notice of candidacy with the Georgia Secretary of State during the political party qualifying period. After a candidate is chosen at the convention, the candidate must pay the filing fee for the corresponding office to the Georgia Secretary of State. If the candidate cannot afford the filing fee, he or she must file a pauper's affidavit and accompanying qualifying petition. With the filing fee or pauper's affidavit, a certified copy of the minutes of the convention, attested to by the chairperson and secretary of the convention, must also be filed.

If nominated by petition, a political organization candidate must file a notice of candidacy, petition, and qualifying fee (or pauper's affidavit) with the Georgia Secretary of State during the independent candidate qualifying period, which starts on the fourth Monday in June and ends the following Friday. The signature requirements for these petitions are the same as those for independent candidates, which are listed below. In order for a candidate filing by petition to be recognized as a political organization candidate, the political organization must provide a sworn certificate stating that the named candidate is the nominee of that political organization.

Independent candidates

A candidate cannot run as an independent if he or she has qualified for the same office with any political party or political organization. An independent candidate must file a notice of candidacy, petition, and qualifying fee (or pauper's affidavit) with the Georgia Secretary of State during the independent candidate qualifying period, which starts on the fourth Monday in June and ends the following Friday. The signature requirements for the petitions are as follows:

• For a candidate seeking statewide office, the petition must be signed by registered voters equal in number to 1 percent of the total registered voters eligible to vote in the last election for the same office the candidate is seeking.
• For candidates seeking any other office, the petition must be signed by registered voters equal in number to 5 percent of the total registered voters eligible to vote in the last election for the same office the candidate is seeking.

Petitions cannot be circulated for more than 180 days between the signing of the first signature and the last.

Write-in candidates

A write-in candidate can only run in the general election. A candidate cannot run as a write-in if he or she ran for the same office as a political party candidate in the immediately preceding primary election. A write-in candidate must file a notice of intention of write-in candidacy with the Georgia Secretary of State no earlier than January 1 in the year of the election and no later than the first Monday in September in the year of the election. After the notice of intention is filed, a notice must also be published in a newspaper with general circulation in the state. Once this notice has been published, the candidate must file with the Georgia Secretary of State a copy of the published notice, as well as an affidavit stating that the notice has been published. The affidavit can be filled out by the candidate or by the publisher or an employee of the newspaper.

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

According to the Georgia Constitution, Georgia Senators must be at least 25 years old, American citizens, Georgia citizens for at least two years and a resident of his or her Senatorial District for at least one year immediately preceding election.

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislative salaries, 2024
Salary	Per diem
$24,341.64/year	$247/day

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Georgia legislators assume office the second Monday in January.

Georgia political history

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.

Georgia Party Control: 1992-2025
Eleven years of Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-one years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
Governor	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Presidential politics in Georgia

2024

See also: Presidential election, 2024

Presidential election in Georgia, 2024

		Candidate/Running mate	%	Popular votes	Electoral votes
✔		Donald Trump/J.D. Vance (R)	50.7	2,663,117	16
		Kamala D. Harris/Tim Walz (D)	48.5	2,548,017	0
		Chase Oliver/Mike ter Maat (L)	0.4	20,684	0
		Jill Stein/Butch Ware (G)	0.3	18,229	0
		Peter Sonski (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	730	0
		Shiva Ayyadurai (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	37	0
		Jay Bowman (no running mate) (Independent)	0.0	30	0
		Emily Mathews (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	19	0
		President Boddie (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	14	0
		Brian Kienitz (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	13	0
		Andre Ramon McNeil (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	9	0
		Susan Buchser-Lochocki (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	3	0
		Nomusa Venita Smith (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	3	0

---

There were no incumbents in this race The results have been certified.

Total votes: 5,250,905

2020

See also: Presidential election, 2020

Presidential election in Georgia, 2020

		Candidate/Running mate	%	Popular votes	Electoral votes
✔		Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D)	49.5	2,473,633	16
		Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R)	49.3	2,461,854	0
		Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L)	1.2	62,229	0

---

Incumbents are bolded and underlined The results have been certified.

Total votes: 4,997,716

2016

See also: Presidential election, 2016

U.S. presidential election, Georgia, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Electoral votes
	Democratic	Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine	45.6%	1,877,963	0
	Republican	Donald Trump/Mike Pence	50.8%	2,089,104	16
	Libertarian	Gary Johnson/Bill Weld	3%	125,306	0
	-	Other/Write-in	0.5%	22,359	0
Total Votes				4,114,732	16
Election results via: Federal Election Commission

Georgia presidential election results (1900-2024)

• 20 Democratic wins
• 11 Republican wins
• 1 other win

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020	2024
Winning Party	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	AI	R	D	D	R	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	R

Redistricting following the 2020 census

The district court's approval of remedial state legislative maps was appealed to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Oral argument was held on January 23, 2025.

Governor Kemp (R) signed revised legislative maps into law on December 8, 2023. Legislators in the Georgia House of Representatives voted 98-71 to adopt the new state legislative maps on December 5. The Georgia State Senate voted 32-23 to adopt the state legislative maps on December 1. For more information about the enacted legislative maps, click here.

On October 26, 2023, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia ruled that the state's congressional and legislative district boundaries violated the Voting Rights Act and enjoined the state from using them for future elections. The court directed the Georgia General Assembly to develop new maps by December 8, 2023.

External links

Suggest a link

• Georgia State Senate

Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Georgia State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Jason Anavitarte

Minority Leader:Harold Jones

Senators

District 1

Ben Watson (R)

District 2

Derek Mallow (D)

District 3

Mike Hodges (R)

District 4

Billy Hickman (R)

District 5

Sheikh Rahman (D)

District 6

Matt Brass (R)

District 7

Nabilah Islam Parkes (D)

District 8

Russ Goodman (R)

District 9

Nikki Merritt (D)

District 10

Emanuel Jones (D)

District 11

Sam Watson (R)

District 12

Freddie Sims (D)

District 13

Carden Summers (R)

District 14

Josh McLaurin (D)

District 15

Ed Harbison (D)

District 16

Marty Harbin (R)

District 17

Gail Davenport (D)

District 18

John Kennedy (R)

District 19

Blake Tillery (R)

District 20

Larry Walker (R)

District 21

Vacant

District 22

Harold Jones (D)

District 23

Max Burns (R)

District 24

Lee Anderson (R)

District 25

Ricky Williams (R)

District 26

David Lucas (D)

District 27

Greg Dolezal (R)

District 28

Donzella James (D)

District 29

Randy Robertson (R)

District 30

Tim Bearden (R)

District 31

Jason Anavitarte (R)

District 32

Kay Kirkpatrick (R)

District 33

Michael Rhett (D)

District 34

Kenya Wicks (D)

District 35

Jason Esteves (D)

District 36

Nan Orrock (D)

District 37

Ed Setzler (R)

District 38

Rashaun Kemp (D)

District 39

Sonya Halpern (D)

District 40

Sally Harrell (D)

District 41

Kim Jackson (D)

District 42

Brian Strickland (R)

District 43

Tonya Anderson (D)

District 44

Elena Parent (D)

District 45

Clint Dixon (R)

District 46

Bill Cowsert (R)

District 47

Frank Ginn (R)

District 48

Shawn Still (R)

District 49

Drew Echols (R)

District 50

Bo Hatchett (R)

District 51

Steve Gooch (R)

District 52

Chuck Hufstetler (R)

District 53

Colton Moore (R)

District 54

Chuck Payne (R)

District 55

Randal Mangham (D)

District 56

John Albers (R)

Republican Party (32)

Democratic Party (23)

Vacancies (1)