National Journal: “Democrats are relishing the GOP chaos as they see the Peach State as the best shot to flip a red seat.”
National Journal’s Hotline has named Georgia as Democrats’ best chance to flip a governor’s race in 2026 in a new piece published this evening. This comes after a series of recent overperformances in special elections across the state have given Georgia Democrats a wave of momentum and have Republicans running scared.
“Georgia Democrats are in an excellent position to take back the Governor’s Mansion for the first time in 23 years,” said Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Charlie Bailey. “With Republicans locked in a destructive and expensive primary and GOP policies raising costs on families and businesses, we have never been more confident that Georgians are ready to turn the page and elect a strong Democratic governor.”
As Georgia Democrats focus on solutions, the GOP gubernatorial field could not be more out-of-touch with Georgia. The Republican gubernatorial primary is one of the most expensive and nasty in recent Georgia history, with Jones, Jackson, Raffensperger, and Carr all staking out extreme, cost-raising positions that are deeply unpopular with the people of Georgia. And as dark money allegations swirl, corruption charges fly, and several of the candidates strongly suggest that their GOP opponents belong behind bars, the eventual Republican nominee is set to be badly bruised and limp into the general election.
Read more from National Journal’s Hotline Gubernatorial Power Rankings:
Key Excerpts:
- “Health care executive Rick Jackson’s surprise entrance into the Republican primary has upended the race, undercutting Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.”
- “At the same time, a mysterious dark-money group, Georgians for Integrity, has spent over $13 million accusing Jones of enriching himself in office.”
- “Now coming to Jones’ aid, Republicans will have to spend big to keep him afloat in this likely runoff and rebuild his image after the primary—diverting resources away from attacking the Democratic field in the process.”
- “Democrats are relishing the GOP chaos as they see the Peach State as the best shot to flip a red seat.”
- “The state, which never expanded Medicaid, is feeling impacts from the federal Republican budget bill—and the recent FBI raid of the Fulton County election office has riled up a Democratic base in a state where the wounds from Trump’s 2020 election challenges are still fresh.”
Read the full National Journal piece here.
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