Qualifying week is Georgia politics at its most theatrical — and most consequential.
For five days, would-be governors, senators and legislative hopefuls stream through the state Capitol to formally stake their claims to power, turning the Statehouse into a political parade.
On Monday, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Atlanta, qualified for reelection, then pivoted to a campaign event outside the State Capitol where he blasted President Donald Trump and U.S. military involvement in Iran.
Qualifying continues today. Check back here for the latest.
Before he qualified to run for governor Thursday, Democrat Michael Thurmond told supporters during an emotional tele-town hall that a victory would mean "the American Dream is still alive.”
Minutes after signing paperwork to run, he expanded on that message.
“When you start out on a dead-end dirt road, a house with no indoor plumbing, and then go on this life’s journey, you recognize — with all of the challenges we face in this country — we don't have to make America great again. America has been, is and will always be the greatest nation on the face of this earth,” he said.
Fighting back tears, Thurmond said his campaign is meant to send a message to people who grew up in circumstances like his.
“If you work hard and keep the faith, all things are possible. We're running this race for you. There are millions of Mike Thurmonds out there,” he said. “All they need is an opportunity.”
He faces a tough road ahead. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms leads in the polls, and Thurmond is battling former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and former state Sen. Jason Esteves for a second spot in what many expect will be a runoff.
The 73-year-old is also running in a cycle when many younger Democrats are calling for generational change and a more confrontational approach to President Donald Trump.
Thurmond brushed aside concerns about his age. He pointed to his long political resume that includes the state Legislature, labor commissioner and as DeKalb County’s chief executive.
"I think they want someone who can win," he said of Democrats. "What difference does it make whether you're young or old, if you can't win. It's been close to three decades."
Suspended Democratic state Rep. Sharon Henderson has qualified to run for a seat in the Georgia Senate.
Henderson filed paperwork Thursday to run in the Democratic primary for Senate District 43, which covers parts of Rockdale County. She'll be challenging state Sen. Tonya Anderson, D-Lithonia.
Henderson, who listed her occupation as a pastor, was charged with defrauding the government by taking unemployment benefits to which she was not entitled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She pleaded not guilty and has said she was “wrongfully accused.”
A new Emerson College Polling/Nexstar Media survey underscores just how unsettled Georgia’s major races remain.
In the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, roughly 40% of likely GOP voters are still undecided. Among those who have made up their minds, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins holds a sizable lead, while U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter and former football coach Derek Dooley are battling for the second runoff slot.
The Democratic governor’s race shows a similar level of uncertainty. Nearly 40% of likely Democratic voters say they’re undecided. Among those who have chosen a candidate, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms leads with 35%, followed by former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan at 13%.
The Republican contest for governor also remains fluid. About 40% of likely GOP voters are undecided. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire Rick Jackson are running neck and neck, while Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger registers 11% and Attorney General Chris Carr trails in the single digits.
In hypothetical November matchups, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff leads each of his potential Republican rivals.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones once enjoyed a steady lead in public polling for the Republican nomination for governor. That changed a month ago when billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson upended the race.
As Jones filed to run for governor on Thursday, he signaled a more aggressive approach toward Jackson, criticizing the more than $1 billion in state contracts tied to the health care executive’s company.
“Obviously the newness is going to wear off and they’re going to look to the person who has been most consistent through the years,” he said. “I’ve got a proven track record that I’ll put against anybody in this race.”
Jackson transformed the race with his surprise February entry and has pummeled Jones with attacks ever since. Jackson has largely ignored two other Republican rivals, Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Asked whether Jackson’s challenge has forced him to sharpen his campaign, Jones framed himself as a longtime underdog.
“I don't ever back down from a challenge. I mean, I've always been an underdog from my time at the University of Georgia when they said I'd never see the field. I ended up as team captain,” he said.
“Every race I've run politically, I've always been against some established opponent, and I've always come out on top. So me being in a role that where we're going to be outspent — that doesn't bother me a bit.”
The longest serving Black senator in state history says he won't run for reelection.
State Sen. Ed Harbison, a Democrat from Columbus, first took office in 1993. He told Lt. Gov. Burt Jones on Tuesday that he would not qualify for reelection. The deadline is Friday.
State Sen. David Lucas, D-Macon, announced the news in a teary-eyed speech on the Senate floor on Wednesday, slightly jumping the gun ahead of Harbison's planned remarks.
"Even though February is Black History Month, we are watching Black history unfold at our eyes. The senior senator is the longest serving senator of color," Lucas said.
Harbison said he didn't know Lucas planned to recognize him, but was still excited to announce his retirement.
"I'm certainly in an august body that embraces ... fairness, that we can work together on as many issues as we need to, " he said. "This has been the greatest honor of my life."
The Georgia GOP passed a resolution last year seeking to block Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger from qualifying for office. That didn’t stop him from filling out paperwork Wednesday to run for governor.
There were no protests, no recriminations, no attacks. The Republican quietly walked into the second-floor Capitol office, just like hundreds of other GOP hopefuls, and sealed his decision to run for Georgia’s top job.
In an interview afterward, he dismissed far-right attempts to sideline him, saying simply: “I’m excited because I’m running for governor to make things affordable and safe.”
That doesn’t mean his road ahead will be easy. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson are battling for the pro-Donald Trump MAGA base. Meanwhile Attorney General Chris Carr is aiming for more mainstream voters.
And as the state party’s resolution makes clear, a sizable bloc of GOP activists still blame Raffensperger for Trump’s 2020 defeat in Georgia. They're angry about his public rejection of the president’s false claims of widespread election fraud.
Now Raffensperger is framing himself as a supporter of Trump’s agenda, though not one who embraces all of the president’s rhetoric. His path to victory relies on swing voters and old-school conservatives who want to reward his independence.
“People know, no matter what, that I’m going to stand up for the people of Georgia. No matter how tough it gets,” Raffensperger said. “I don’t buckle. I don’t bend. I stand up for them. I’ll fight for them.”
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins trained most of his fire Tuesday on Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff during his filing-day stop. But he couldn’t resist taking a swipe at a GOP rival.
Asked about former football coach Derek Dooley — who earlier in the day pitched himself as an outsider — Collins pointed to Dooley’s acknowledgment that he rarely voted until recent years.
“I’ve been 30-plus years in the private sector. This is only my second term in Congress. But Republican voters, especially, they not only want to elect Republican candidates, but they also want to elect people that have voted. We’ll make sure that we show the distinction,” Collins said.
The Jackson Republican branded Ossoff “California’s third senator,” accusing him of aligning with “nut jobs” on the left.
“This guy has been on the wrong side of the issues for everything,” Collins said, casting himself instead as a problem-solver. “I know that the people of the state of Georgia just want somebody to go up there and get things done.”
Former football coach Derek Dooley couldn’t resist a gridiron metaphor after filing paperwork to cement his U.S. Senate bid.
“It’s kind of like kickoff for me,” the Republican said. “I've been at it seven months, building the foundation of our campaign. We're mobilized in all 159 counties. We've outraised both sitting congressmen two quarters in a row. And now it’s game time.”
Dooley was referring to U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins, his two GOP rivals vying to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in November. Both have edged him in scattered early polls, though a sizable bloc of voters remains undecided.
“The front-runner right now is undecided,” said Dooley, adding he’s “more confident each week that we're in the right lane” as a political newcomer.
“Voters are frustrated with what's going on in Congress," he said. "They see a system that benefits the politicians a lot more than the people, and they're looking for something different, somebody who's from the outside.”
The scramble to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk is accelerating — and the GOP field is starting to take shape.
Public Service Commissioner Tricia Pridemore qualified Tuesday for the solidly Republican seat in northwest Georgia, adding her name to a growing list of contenders.
She joins Rob Adkerson, Loudermilk’s chief aide and his preferred successor, and Dr. John Cowan, the Rome neurosurgeon who lost a 2020 runoff to Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Meanwhile, U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach confirmed he won’t run, narrowing one lane in what could still become a crowded contest before Friday’s noon qualifying deadline.
“This is an incredible time for us to take Georgia values and what we've done right to Washington, D.C.,” she said.
Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan has qualified plenty of times on the GOP side of the Capitol to run for public office. But on Tuesday, he crossed the hall to formally declare he’s running as a Democrat for governor.
Duncan’s path from conservative Republican to outspoken Donald Trump critic to unabashed Democrat has been well documented.
But he reinforced his stance moments after signing his paperwork, arguing he’s the Democrat best positioned to defeat a well-financed, pro-Trump Republican — whoever emerges from the GOP primary.
“Here’s the brutal reality of this: If a Democrat doesn’t win the next governorship in this state, Donald Trump will by default have an office in this Capitol,” he said. “That doesn’t sit well with the majority of Georgians watching this play out day after day, hour after hour on our TV screens. Nobody wants Donald Trump to have a heavy influence in this state, and that includes me.”
He also contended that fellow Democrats aren’t as concerned about his past stances — a record that includes support for dozens of GOP priorities — than on where he stands now.
“Folks aren't asking, ‘Why weren't you a Democrat earlier?’ They're asking, ‘What can you do to help us? How do we win this election for the first time in nearly 30 years?’” he said. “And the answer is: We work hard. We meet Georgians where they're at. We produce real solutions to real problems, and we win this race in November.”