Five big political questions for Georgia going into 2026

Gov. Brian Kemp is entering his final year in office. Georgia Republicans find themselves at a crossroads as they fight over his successor. Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is gearing up for the biggest fight of his young career. And one of Georgia’s most outspoken members of Congress is on her way out the door. […]

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, outgoing U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp are at the center of some of the biggest political storylines in Georgia going into the new year. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

Gov. Brian Kemp is entering his final year in office. Georgia Republicans find themselves at a crossroads as they fight over his successor. Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is gearing up for the biggest fight of his young career. And one of Georgia’s most outspoken members of Congress is on her way out the door.

With 2025 coming to a close, several big questions are looming on the horizon. A transition of power is set to unfold at the governor’s mansion this time next year, and Republicans must decide who (and what) comes next. Ossoff will again aim to shatter fundraising records and defy expectations as he fights for a second term. And Democrats are in search of a new leader who can capitalize on a turbulent political climate.

Here are five big questions facing Georgia heading into the new year.

Will the Georgia GOP embrace the MAGA brand in 2026?

It wasn’t long ago when then-Secretary of State Brian Kemp sought an endorsement from President Donald Trump to help win his party’s nomination for governor. The two have had a rather icy relationship in the years since but seem to have somewhat patched things up.

But behind the scenes, a proxy war is well underway between the two leaders and their inner circles: Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is seeking to drop the word “lieutenant” from his title, and the president has thrown his full support behind the Butts County native and longtime friend.

Two other statewide officials are standing in Jones’ way to the GOP nomination, though: Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Kemp is unlikely to publicly take sides, but many of his closest allies and advisers have ties with Carr’s campaign. Both Carr and Raffensperger have butted heads with White House, particularly after the 2020 election, which means they run the risk of splitting the anti-Trump lane in the primary,

Regardless of who wins the primary, the future of the Georgia Republican Party and its image is set to be decided next spring.

Can Ossoff do it again?

Nearing the end of his first six-year term, Ossoff is preparing for what might be the biggest test of his short career. As the only Democrat running in a state Trump carried last year, he is a sitting duck for national Republicans as they fight to expand their Senate majority.

But Republicans must sort out their own messy primary before they can turn their attention to the 38-year-old Atlanta Democrat, who will be armed with a multimillion dollar warchest. The Republican primary has turned into a three-way battle between U.S. Reps. Mike Collins of Jackson and Buddy Carter of St. Simons Island, along with attorney and former football coach Derek Dooley.

Dooley, whose father Vince spent more than two decades as the “top dog” at the University of Georgia, has been endorsed by Kemp and is being boosted by many fundraising committees and leadership groups aligned with the popular Republican – who declined to enter the race himself despite heavy recruitment efforts. Carter and Collins are both trying to make inroads with the president’s supporters, though the president himself has yet to pick a side.

Ossoff will need to walk a very narrow line in his fight for a second term: he must channel the frustration of an angry Democratic base while also convincing swing voters and independents that Trump isn’t fulfilling his promise to lower prices. But as one of the most prolific fundraisers in his party, he will start off in a strong position as his Republican rivals fight it out.

Can Georgia Democrats end 20-year drought?

Democrats in Georgia may have found success in recent presidential and U.S. Senate contests. But it has been two decades since the party last won a race for a statewide constitutional office at the top of the ballot. After a string of recent wins in off-year special elections and a chaotic first year of Trump 2.0, Georgia Democrats sense a rare opening to finally break their losing streak for high-profile statewide offices.

But Stacey Abrams, the two-time nominee for governor who has become one of the party’s most recognizable faces, is unlikely to be the one leading the way. Just like their Republican counterparts, Democrats must also find a new standard-bearer who can lead them into next year’s elections.

Despite the renewed optimism, however, the biggest headlines in the race for governor have been about who isn’t running rather than who is: Abrams, former state Sen. Jason Carter and even U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Marietta) have chosen to stay on the sidelines, even though each one would have entered the race as a prohibitive favorite.

The race for governor has so far been slow to take off: many of the candidates don’t have the name recognition or a national fundraising network like Abrams, so they will be spending a lot of time introducing themselves to primary voters ahead of a likely runoff.

But as the party faces questions about the types of leaders that are needed for this moment, do they run the risk of nominating candidates who won’t unify a frustrated base?

How will Brian Kemp spend his final year in office?

The sun is setting on Kemp’s two-term tenure in the state’s top office: this time next year, the departing incumbent will be preparing to hand the keys to the governor’s Buckhead estate over to his successor.

As we wait to find out who will follow, we are also going to get a better look at how Kemp plans to cement his legacy. He will enter his final legislative session in January with a lot less leverage over his Gold Dome allies, many of whom are already grinding axes in Republican primaries or are candidates for higher office themselves. How the lame duck Kemp wields his remaining power over Republican lawmakers, who have worked hand in hand with him to enact his agenda and raise money for Republican causes, will be a key part of how his time in office will be remembered.

But he is placing a lot of his remaining capital in the race for U.S. Senate – a primary contest he could have had all locked up by now had he decided to run. A family friend of the Dooleys, Kemp wasted no time endorsing the ex-Volunteers coach’s campaign to unseat Ossoff. But his decision to stay out of the race and endorse an untested candidate has not gone over well with some in his party.

Poll after poll shows that Kemp is the most popular elected leader in the state. And at 62, it is not inconceivable that he could wind up on the ballot again in the near future. For now, his main focuses are the upcoming legislative session and boosting Dooley’s Senate bid. But Republican legislators and primary voters will be the ones who decide how much he gets done in his final year.

MTG’s next move?

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s surprise exit from Congress following her public falling out with Trump has become one of the biggest headlines of the year. And for good reason: Greene was one of the president’s most ardent supporters on Capitol Hill.

Greene first arrived in Congress in 2021 as one of the most controversial and outspoken members of her party. But she has been growing more critical of the Trump administration as his second term got underway. Things between the two escalated over the summer as Greene emerged as one of the few voices in her party to support the release of all files related to the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The biggest question that will follow the Rome Republican on her way out the door: What will she do next?

It’s no secret that Greene was contemplating a run for higher office next year; Democrats even tried goading her into challenging Ossoff. But Trump and White House officials were said to have talked her out of a statewide campaign after internal numbers made them nervous about her chances.

While she is unlikely to be a candidate for office next year, her involvement on the campaign trail supporting the Republican ticket will be closely watched. It could also give us a glimpse into whether or not the 51-year-old has any appetite to run for office again.

Georgia is entering 2026 with more questions than answers. With Kemp on his way out, both parties have just one year to nominate and rally around new leaders. Ossoff’s race for a second term will hinge on how well he can navigate a divided and unhappy electorate. And Greene’s next moves could give us an early look at her future plans.

It’s more than just elections on the line: it’s the direction of the state and the political futures of many key power players that could all be decided by this time next year.