Like a screen door with a busted latch on a windy day, election season is in full swing in Georgia. The May 19 primary is just over a month away, and in this week’s political round up, we’ve got the scoop on some major endorsements, including big ones from labor leaders in the state. And […]
The Georgia state Capitol pictured on April 2, 2026. Alander Rocha/Georgia Recorder
Like a screen door with a busted latch on a windy day, election season is in full swing in Georgia.
The May 19 primary is just over a month away, and in this week’s political round up, we’ve got the scoop on some major endorsements, including big ones from labor leaders in the state.
And if armies march on their stomachs, do political campaigns march on their wallets?
If that’s the case, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and his eventual Republican opponent will have plenty to march on through November, but the latest filings show one incumbent Georgia congressman has been outfundraised by several of his challengers.
Labor leaders give stamps of approval
The Georgia State AFL-CIO has decided to hold off on endorsing in the race for governor until primary voters have had a chance to pick nominees. But plenty of other union groups are weighing in.
Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan picked up a key labor endorsement this week in his bid to be Georgia’s next governor. The IBEW Local 613, which represents about 6,000 electrical workers across 54 counties, made the unusual move to endorse a candidate before the primary election. Kevin Swanson, who leads the local union, said Duncan’s history as a Republican who has served as a legislative leader is appealing. Duncan is running now as a Democrat .
“Geoff crossing the aisle with being a former Republican and lieutenant governor has a better opportunity to connect with all of our members, because our membership is pretty much 50/50 divided (politically),” Swanson said Wednesday.
The Southern Regional Council of Carpenters also endorsed Duncan in February.
But labor unions around the state have been divided on who they’re backing in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, with Workers United Southern Region and UNITE HERE Local 23 endorsing former state Sen. Jason Esteves in late March, as well as the Federation of Public Service Employees,AFSCME Local 1644 and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 528.
Mark Wilkerson, district director of Workers United Georgia/Florida said in a statement that “Jason has shown a commitment to fighting for working families, fair wages, and economic opportunity throughout his career.”
Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms also received a hefty union endorsement from the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents about 80,000 employees in Georgia, in mid-2025.
Other endorsements:
On the Republican side, health care executive-turned-Republican candidate for governor Rick Jackson posted on social media that he had received the endorsement of Georgia House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones, a Milton Republican who is retiring after serving in the Assembly for over 20 years. In a quote Jackson shared, Jones said that “I know we can count on Rick to do the right thing to make our lives better and more affordable.”
Georgia Equality, which advocates on behalf of the state’s LGBTQ residents, has rolled out its slate of preferred candidates: Esteves for governor; state Sen. Josh McLaurin for lieutenant governor; Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett for secretary of state; state Rep. Tanya Miller for attorney general; and longtime union advocate Brett Hulme for labor commissioner. All are Democrats. The group has also backed former state Sen. Jen Jordan and attorney Miracle Rankin in two nonpartisan races for the Georgia Supreme Court.
Duncan also received two endorsements this week from Democratic state lawmakers, Dawson Sen. Freddie Powell Sims and Atlanta Sen. Donzella James. State Rep. Michelle Au of Johns Creek, who served in the Senate when Duncan presided over that chamber, backed Duncan last week.
Cash Rules Everything Around Me
This week marked a key Federal Election Commission deadline for campaign finance reports, offering insight into the campaigns for Georgia’s U.S. Senate seat.
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, the Democratic incumbent, is the top recipient of campaign cash, reporting just over $14 million raised from the start of the year through the end of March.
Ossoff’s total war chest tops $31 million, which his campaign says he’ll use to fight off attacks from well-funded Republicans leading up to the November election.
Ossoff flipped his seat in a close 2021 runoff election and is now the only Democratic senator up for re-election in a state won by President Donald Trump in 2024, making him a prime target for Republicans hoping to keep control of the Senate. Trump won Georgia in 2024 by a little more than 2 percentage points.
Last week, the Senate Leadership Fund, a Super PAC that supports Republicans in the Senate, announced plans to spend $44 million to unseat Ossoff.
“The Ossoff campaign will continue building an unstoppable grassroots coalition over the next seven months as Republicans zero in on the Georgia Senate race as a top target and spend millions of dollars to unseat Senator Ossoff,” Campaign Manager Ellen Foster said in a statement.
On the Republican side, U.S. Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter along with football coach Derek Dooley are duking it out in the May 19 primary election.
Once GOP voters select their nominee, donations are likely to spike, but Collins led the pack in the latest fundraising report, touting just over $1 million raised in the first quarter of 2026.
Dooley’s filing reported around $664,000 raised and Carter’s about $470,000.
Collins’ campaign said the figures show Republicans need to unite around him.
“Every week, month, and quarter for the last eight months unsurprisingly shows the same thing,” said Collins campaign manager Josh Siegel in a statement. “There’s only one campaign that’s succeeded in building a machine ready to deliver victory in November, and as all Republicans in Georgia see and know, the sooner we can unite around Mike Collins, the better off the entire Republican ticket will be.”
Carter and Dooley’s campaigns did not respond to requests for comment.
Incumbent outraised ahead of primary
In another federal race, State Rep. Jasmine Clark of Lilburn, a Democratic candidate for the 13th Congressional District, outpaced other Democratic opponents in fundraising, raising nearly $622,500 during the first quarter of 2026 and bringing her total contributions to over $1 million. Meanwhile, incumbent Congressman David Scott, who has been in office for 24 years and faces concerns about his ability to serve because of his age and health, raised just over $57,500 in the first quarter, bringing his total contributions to just over half a million dollars.
Former Gwinnett County School Board Chairman Everton Blair, another Democrat running for the 13th Congressional District, raised almost $181,000 in the first quarter of 2026, bringing his total contributions to $622,000 and making him the second strongest fundraiser in the race.
Dr. Heavenly Kimes, a reality TV star and dentist in Duluth, followed in third place, raising nearly $200,000 in this year’s first quarter and bringing her total contributions to about $537,000.
State Sen. Emanuel Jones, a Democrat from Decatur, also outpaced Scott in fundraising during the first quarter of 2026, but his total contribution is still about $130,000 short of surpassing Scott.
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