Early voting is underway in Georgia’s primary election, with candidates for governor intensifying outreach as the May 19 primary approaches.
On both sides of the ballot, the race is defined by crowded fields, competing coalitions and a growing sense that a runoff is likely.
What’s really driving the race isn’t just policy — it’s positioning. With no clear path to an outright win in either primary, candidates are competing to consolidate their lanes and secure a spot in what is increasingly shaping up to require a runoff election.
On the Democratic side, the race is less about ideology and more about positioning for a likely runoff.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms entered as the candidate to beat, with the highest name recognition and a statewide profile built during her time in office and working in the Biden administration. Polling has often placed her ahead of the field, but not at a level that would allow her to avoid a second round.
That has shifted the focus of the race.
Rather than competing directly with Bottoms, the rest of the field is increasingly competing with one another — jockeying for the second spot in what is expected to be a runoff.
Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former state Sen. Jason Esteves and former Labor Commissioner Mike Thurmond have emerged as the most viable contenders in that lane, each working to consolidate support from key Democratic constituencies.
The candidates are largely aligned on core issues, including affordability, access to health care and how to use the state’s $17 billion rainy day fund. But differences are beginning to emerge in how they approach those issues — and in how they distinguish themselves in a crowded field.
Duncan, for example, has focused on building trust with Democratic voters, including appearances at Black churches and labor events, while addressing past positions such as his role in passing the state’s abortion law. He has since apologized and said he would support repealing it — a position shared across the field, reflecting a broader consensus within the party on reproductive rights.
Another divide has taken shape around data center development.
Bottoms and Duncan have called for a moratorium on new projects, citing concerns about infrastructure strain and energy use. Thurmond has taken a different approach, arguing that companies should bear the full cost of development rather than relying on tax incentives.
“What I would make sure we do is that we take the tax handouts that are currently going to data centers — about two and a half billion dollars in the state of Georgia — and put that money in your pockets,” Esteves said during an Atlanta Press Club debate.
For now, Bottoms remains the frontrunner. But with no clear path to an outright majority, the real contest is who joins her in the next round.
On the Republican side, the race has become a contest over who can claim the party’s base — and whether money can disrupt it.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones entered the race as the presumed frontrunner, backed by former President Donald Trump and a network of support built during his time in statewide office. But that dynamic has shifted.
Businessman Rick Jackson’s late entry — and the more than $100 million he has poured into the race — has quickly reshaped the field, turning what had been a relatively stable contest into a more volatile one.
Jackson has positioned himself as an outsider, using his personal wealth to build name recognition and take direct aim at Jones. His campaign has framed Jones as a political insider, arguing that the system is designed to protect candidates like him.
Jones, in turn, has been forced into a more defensive posture. Jackson’s attacks have brought renewed scrutiny to his record, including questions around past legislation and political relationships.
The clash between the two has dominated the Republican primary, both in messaging and in spending.
“But see, he’s been spending millions of dollars telling lies about me,” Jones said of Jackson during a debate. “But what’s worse than that, he’s been spending millions of dollars telling lies to you, the public, about himself.”
Jackson pushed back on similar lines of attack.
“First of all, the real Rick Jackson has never taken $1 from Planned Parenthood,” he said. “We’ve never taken $1 from recruiting surgeons to do transgender surgery for underage kids.”
The back-and-forth has narrowed the conversation around the race, leaving less room for other candidates to break through.
Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger have largely avoided competing directly in that lane, instead emphasizing their records in statewide office. But in a primary increasingly shaped by base voters and high-dollar campaigning, their path to a runoff remains uncertain.
As early voting continues, turnout — and where it comes from — is likely to play a decisive role.
With multiple candidates on each side, both primaries are expected to extend into runoffs, setting up another round of competition in races that are still taking shape.
The Georgia primary is scheduled for May 19. Early voting runs through May 15, with winners advancing to the November general election.
For a race that has yet to fully break open, the outcome may hinge less on who leads now — and more on who is still standing once the field narrows.
