2026 Georgia State Senate election
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November 3, 2026
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All 56 seats in the Georgia Senate 29 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Results: Democratic incumbent Democratic incumbent retiring Republican incumbent Republican incumbent retiring Vacant | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Georgia |
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The 2026 elections for the Georgia Senate will take place on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, to elect state senators from all 56 districts.
Retirements
[edit]Democratic
[edit]- District 10: Emanuel Jones is running for the U.S. House of Representatives.[1]
- District 14: Josh McLaurin is running for Lieutenant Governor.[2]
Republican
[edit]- District 19: Blake Tillery is running for Lieutenant Governor.[3]
- District 27: Greg Dolezal is running for Lieutenant Governor.[4]
- District 42: Brian Strickland is running for Attorney General.[5]
- District 46: Bill Cowsert is running for Attorney General.[6]
- District 51: Steve Gooch is running for Lieutenant Governor.[7]
Special elections
[edit]Five special elections were held during the 158th Georgia General Assembly.
2025
[edit]Senate district 21
[edit]A special election was held on August 21, 2025, in Senate District 21 to fill the vacancy left by Republican Brandon Beach's resignation on May 4, 2025, to become treasurer of the United States. As no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election between Democrat Debra Shigley and Republican Jason Dickerson was held on September 23, 2025, with Dickerson winning to serve the remainder of the 158th Georgia State Senate.[8]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Debra Shigley | 8,444 | 39.52 | |
| Republican | Jason T. Dickerson | 3,709 | 17.36 | |
| Republican | Steve West | 3,642 | 17.04 | |
| Republican | Brian Will | 2,192 | 10.26 | |
| Republican | Brice Futch | 1,749 | 8.19 | |
| Republican | Lance Calvert | 1,424 | 6.66 | |
| Republican | Stephanie Donegan | 207 | 0.97 | |
| Total votes | 21,367 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jason T. Dickerson | 19,065 | 61.46 | |
| Democratic | Debra Shigley | 11,955 | 38.54 | |
| Total votes | 31,020 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Senate district 35
[edit]A special election was held on November 18, 2025, in Senate District 35 to fill the vacancy left by Democratic Jason Esteves's resignation on September 10, 2025, to focus on his campaign for governor. As no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election between Democrats Jaha Howard and Roger Bruce was held on December 16, 2025, with Howard winning to serve the remainder of the 158th Georgia State Senate.[11]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jaha V. Howard | 5,135 | 32.63 | |
| Democratic | Roger Bruce | 3,992 | 25.37 | |
| Republican | Josh Tolbert | 2,765 | 17.57 | |
| Democratic | Erica-Denise Solomon | 2,721 | 17.29 | |
| Democratic | John D. Williams | 832 | 5.29 | |
| Independent | Corenza Morris | 290 | 1.84 | |
| Total votes | 15,735 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jaha V. Howard | 3,232 | 51.92 | |
| Democratic | Roger Bruce | 2,993 | 48.08 | |
| Total votes | 6,225 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2026
[edit]Senate district 18
[edit]A special election was held on January 20, 2026, in Senate District 18 to fill the vacancy left by Republican John F. Kennedy's resignation on December 8, 2025, to focus on his campaign for lieutenant governor. As no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election between Democrat LeMario Nicholas Brown and Republican Steven McNeel was held on February 17, 2026, with McNeel winning to serve the remainder of the 158th Georgia State Senate.[14]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | LeMario Nicholas Brown | 7,947 | 36.93 | |
| Republican | Steven McNeel | 4,581 | 21.29 | |
| Republican | Eric S. Wilson | 4,357 | 20.25 | |
| Republican | Lauren Daniel | 4,052 | 18.83 | |
| Republican | Nathan Warnock | 310 | 1.44 | |
| Republican | Eugene Allison | 271 | 1.26 | |
| Total votes | 21,518 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Steven McNeel | 14,998 | 59.41 | |
| Democratic | LeMario Nicholas Brown | 10,247 | 40.59 | |
| Total votes | 25,245 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Senate district 53
[edit]A special election was held on March 10, 2026, in Senate District 53 to fill the vacancy left by Republican Colton Moore's resignation on January 13, 2026, to focus on his campaign for Georgia's 14th congressional district. As no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election between Republican Lanny Thomas and Democrat John Bentley "Jack" Zibluk was held on April 7, 2026, with Thomas winning to serve the remainder of the 158th Georgia State Senate.[17]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lanny Thomas | 11,799 | 38.70 | |
| Democratic | John Bentley "Jack" Zibluk | 8,228 | 26.99 | |
| Republican | Denise Pierce Burns | 6,372 | 20.90 | |
| Republican | Blake Elsberry | 4,087 | 13.41 | |
| Total votes | 30,486 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lanny Thomas | 22,133 | 68.66 | |
| Democratic | John Bentley "Jack" Zibluk | 10,102 | 31.34 | |
| Total votes | 32,235 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Senate district 7
[edit]A special election was held on May 19, 2026, in Senate District 7 to fill the vacancy left by Democrat Nabilah Parkes's resignation on March 13, 2026, to focus on her campaign for lieutenant governor. As no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election between Republican Aizaz Shahbaz Shaikh and Democrat Adrienne White was held on June 16, 2026, with White winning to serve the remainder of the 158th Georgia State Senate.[20] The election and runoff took place concurrently with the regularly-scheduled state primary and primary runoff elections. During the runoff, there were more high-profile races in the Republican primary than the Democratic primary, significantly boosting Republican turnout relative to the first round, leading to fears among Democrats that this turnout could carry Shaikh to victory, flipping the seat.[21] White heavily campaigned during the final days of the race, including with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms, to prevent the seat from flipping, winning a narrow victory.[22]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Aizaz Shahbaz Shaikh | 9,896 | 33.70 | |
| Democratic | Adrienne White | 9,798 | 33.37 | |
| Democratic | Astrid S. Ross | 9,671 | 32.93 | |
| Total votes | 29,365 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Adrienne White | 8,504 | 51.12 | |
| Republican | Aizaz Shahbaz Shaikh | 8,130 | 48.88 | |
| Total votes | 16,634 | 100.00 | ||
Predictions
[edit]The Atlanta Journal-Constitution identified Senate District 48 among five districts most likely to flip from Republican to Democratic control in 2026.[25]
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[26] | Likely R | January 22, 2026 |
| State Navigate[27] | Likely R | August 27, 2026 |
Results summary
[edit]- † denotes a retiring incumbent.
District 1
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The first Senate district is in Southeast Georgia encompassing most of Savannah's southern and eastern suburbs, as well as a sliver of Savannah itself. The district includes all of Bryan and Liberty counties. The district also includes coastal and southwestern Chatham County.[29]
The incumbent for this seat is Ben Watson, a Republican, first elected in 2014, winning the general election unopposed. He is running for re-election. Republican Donald Trump won this district with 56.8 percent of the vote at the 2024 presidential election.[29]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Corey Foreman | 9,200 | 58.6 | |
| Democratic | Barbara Gooby | 6,504 | 41.4 | |
| Total votes | 15,704 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ben Watson (incumbent) | |||
| Democratic | Corey Foreman | |||
| Total votes | ||||
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Bluestein, Greg; Mitchell, Tia; Murphy, Patricia; Beam, Adam. "Emanuel Jones to challenge David Scott for Atlanta-area congressional seat". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- ↑ "Democrat Josh McLaurin announces run for Georgia lieutenant governor in 2026". Associated Press News. May 5, 2025.
- ↑ Lasseter, Evan (August 11, 2025). "Republican Blake Tillery announces bid for Lt. Gov.; pledges to cut state income tax". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
- ↑ Kramon, Charlotte (September 30, 2025). "Republican state Sen. Greg Dolezal enters Georgia's lieutenant governor race". Associated Press. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ↑ Baruchman, Michelle. "GOP's Brian Strickland begins campaign for Georgia attorney general". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- ↑ "Republican state Sen. Bill Cowsert enters race to become Georgia's next attorney general • Georgia Recorder".
- ↑ Prabhu, Maya. "Georgia Senate Republican leader launches campaign for lieutenant governor". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- ↑ Homan, Maya (August 26, 2025). "Georgia state Senate election to replace former Sen. Brandon Beach goes to a September runoff". Georgia Recorder.
- ↑ "Results for State Senate District 21". Office of the Secretary of State. September 4, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ↑ "September 23rd, 2025 - Runoffs". Office of the Secretary of State. September 23, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Call for Special Election, Senate District 35". Georgia Secretary of State. September 24, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Results for State Senate District 35". Office of the Secretary of State. November 18, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Results for State Senate District 35". Office of the Secretary of State. December 16, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Call for Special Election, State Senate District 18". Georgia Secretary of State. December 10, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Results for State Senate District 18". Office of the Secretary of State. January 20, 2026. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Results for State Senate District 18". Office of the Secretary of State. February 17, 2026. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Call for Special Election, State Senate District 53". Georgia Secretary of State. January 23, 2026. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Results for State Senate District 53". Office of the Secretary of State. March 10, 2026. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Results for State Senate District 53". Office of the Secretary of State. April 7, 2026. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ↑ "Call for Special Election, State Senate District 7". Georgia Secretary of State. March 24, 2026. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ↑ Rocha, Alander (June 11, 2026). "High-profile races boost GOP turnout, spelling trouble for Democrats in one Georgia Senate seat • Georgia Recorder". Georgia Recorder. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
- ↑ Nolin, Jill (June 17, 2026). "Democrat wins Gwinnett County-based state Senate special election after close call • Georgia Recorder". Georgia Recorder. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Results for State Senate District 7". Office of the Secretary of State. May 19, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Results for State Senate District 7". Office of the Secretary of State. June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
- ↑ Baruchman, Michelle (October 3, 2025). "5 Georgia Legislature seats Republicans could lose in 2026". The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
- ↑ Jacobson, Louis (January 22, 2026). "Handicapping The 2026 State Legislative Map: A First Look". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
- ↑ "2025 Georgia Forecasts". projects.statenavigate.com. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Dave's Redistricting". Retrieved June 28, 2026.
- 1 2 "GA 2024 State Senate". Dave's Redistricting. Retrieved March 23, 2026.