Democrats continue Election Night with victories in Georgia's gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races, outlets predict.
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms edges out Republican Rick Jackson for Georgia's open gubernatorial seat. (RELATED: DCCC Chair Says She's Watching One Deep-Red Rural Race In Particular)
With 75 percent of the vote counted, the Associated Press called the race for Bottoms with 55.4 percent of the vote. NBC News called the race in favor of Bottoms as well.
Bottoms maintained a safe lead from when the polls were first recorded until the race was called about an hour and a half later.
Bottoms, an attorney and former mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, ran on full Medicaid expansion, establishing a trust fund to finance housing and rent, free community college, and expanding repeal of Georgia's abortion restrictions.
Jackson describes himself as a self-made businessman and has called himself a political outsider before he even received the GOP's nomination.
He campaigned on slashing taxes, improving affordability and public safety, and restoring trust in the state's institutions.
Once the election is certified, Bottoms will be sworn into office on January 11, filling the role vacated by Republican Brian Kemp. She will be the first black female governor in U.S. history.
Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks during a midterm campaign rally on October 28, 2026 in Morrow, Georgia. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)
Democrat incumbent Jon Ossoff appears to defeat Republican challenger Mike Collins after a hard-fought race for the U.S. Senate.
The Associated Press called the race in favor of Ossoff after having achieved 62.2 percent of the votes with 38 percent of the ballots counted.
Ossoff came into Tuesday's race with a comfortable lead, allowing the Democrats' top campaign arm to pull some of his funding so the money could be utilized in more competitive races. Federal Election Commission filings showed that Ossoff has spent over 100 million in campaign funds, while Collins has only spent just over $10 million throughout the race.
ATHENS, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 13: U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff speaks during a campaign event at the Georgia Theater on September 13, 2026 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
As Georgia law allows for the counting of mail-in ballots to begin Election Day morning, results immediately showed an exceptionally large lead for Ossoff only moments after the 7 pm EST polls closed, according to The Associated Press.
Now continuing into his second term in the Senate, Ossoff has positioned himself as a Democratic pragmatist by rejecting far-left positions like the Green New Deal and "Medicare for All." However, he continues to push for bypassing the Senate filibuster, supporting bills critics say have contributed to rising inflation, federal legalization of cannabis, and codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law.
While the GOP had won 9 of the 14 U.S. House seats in 2024, the AP shows the state's seats are currently split six Democrats to eight Republicans at the time of publication, with five of the nine House seats called belonging to Democrats.
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