Georgia General Assembly Updates: 2026 Primary Takeaways and What They Mean for November – and Beyond

InsightsGeorgia

2026-10-19

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Georgia’s primary elections are behind us, and the November 3 general election is just weeks away. Here are the key takeaways from the primaries and everything you need to know heading into the general election.

As a reminder, 2026 is an election year for all 236 seats in the Georgia General Assembly – 180 House seats and 56 Senate seats. Georgia legislators serve two-year terms in both chambers, so the entire legislature is up every cycle.

Key Takeaways:

  • 97 contested legislative primaries were held across 90 districts – out of 236 seats up for election this cycle.
  • Only two legislative incumbents lost their primaries – Rep. Bill Werkheiser (R-157) and Rep. Mary Ann Santos (D-117) were the only sitting members defeated.
  • 33 seats are guaranteed a new member in January – 31 incumbents chose not to seek re-election and 2 were defeated in the primaries.
  • 68 incumbents are already locked in for the 2027-2028 session – 40 Democrats and 28 Republicans have no November opponent.

Incumbents Not Returning

Not seeking re-election (31)

18 members (7 from the Senate and 11 from the House) gave up their seats in the legislature to run for another office.

In the Senate (7)

  • 4 Senators ran for lieutenant governor:
  • Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-27; Forsyth), who won the Republican nomination.
  • Sen. Blake Tillery (R-19; Appling, Bacon, Coffee, Jeff Davis, Long, Montgomery, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Wayne, Wheeler)
  • Sen. Steve Gooch (R-51; Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Pickens, Union, White)
  • Sen. Josh McLaurin (D-14; Fulton), who won the Democratic nomination.
  • 2 Senators ran in the attorney general’s race:
  • Sen. Brian Strickland (R-42; Henry, Morgan, Newton, Walton), who won the Republican nomination.
  • Sen. Bill Cowsert (R-46; Barrow, Clarke, Gwinnett, Oconee, Walton)
  • Sen. Emanuel Jones (D-10; DeKalb, Henry) ran for the 13th Congressional District and lost against Rep. Jasmine Clark (see below).

In the House (11)

13 members (4 from the Senate and 9 from the House) retired or are stepping aside.

In the Senate (4)

  • Sen. Adrienne White Carden (D-7; Gwinnett)* – Sen. White Carden won a special election to finish out the current term after Sen. Nabilah Parkes resigned to run for lieutenant governor.*
  • Sen. Freddie Powell Sims (D-12; Baker, Calhoun, Clay, Dougherty, Early, Miller, Mitchell, Quitman, Randolph, Stewart, Sumter, Terrell, Webster)
  • Sen. Ed Harbison (D-15; Chattahoochee, Macon, Marion, Muscogee, Schley, Talbot, Taylor)
  • Sen. Elena Parent (D-44; Clayton, DeKalb)

In the House (9)

Defeated in a primary (2)

Guaranteed New Faces

Of the 33 districts that will not see their current member returning, 9 already have their next member. These future members either ran unopposed in their primary or won their primary, and face no opponent in November.

In the Senate (1)

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  • District 12 – Edward Brown (D)

    • Edward Brown defeated opponents Corey B. Morgan and Tracy Taylor in the District 12 Democratic primary election.

In the House (8)

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  • District 31 – Chad Bingham (R)

    • Rep. Emory Dunahoo is not seeking re-election for the 2027-2028 legislative session.

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  • District 62 – Kenn Collier (D)

    • Kenn Collier defeated opponent Kavon Arnold in the District 62 Democratic primary runoff election.

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  • District 68 – Timoria McQueen Saba (D)

    • Timoria McQueen Saba defeated opponent Mark Baker in the District 68 Democratic primary runoff election.

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  • District 109 – Juan Estrada (D)

    • Juan Estrada defeated opponent Nico Parra in the District 109 Democratic primary election.

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  • District 117 – Kim Thomas Smith (D)

    • Kim Thomas Smith defeated incumbent Rep. Mary Ann Santos in the District 117 Democratic primary runoff election.

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  • District 162 – Orlando Scott (D)

    • Rep. Carl Gilliard is not seeking re-election for the 2027-2028 legislative session.

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  • District 165 – MiQuan A. Green (D)

    • MiQuan A. Green defeated opponents Kendra Clark and Jaylen Jay Morris in the District 165 Democratic primary election.

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  • District 177 – Elsie Cason Napier (D)

    • Elsie Cason Napier defeated opponent Alvin Payton in the District 177 Democratic primary runoff election.

The remaining 24 open seats will be decided in the November 3 election. Notably, every race is contested between a Democratic and a Republican candidate.

Guaranteed Returning Members (68)

Sixty-eight incumbents (19 in the Senate and 49 in the House) face no November opponent and will serve in the 2027-2028 session. That includes four members of legislative leadership:

With these chamber leaders already locked in, much of the leadership that will set the agenda is known today – even as the governor’s office, lieutenant governor’s office, and dozens of legislative seats are still up for grabs.

The Bigger Picture: What Primary Results Mean for November – and Beyond

  • A Wide-Open Top of the Ticket Drives Everything Down-Ballot For the first time in eight years, Georgia has no incumbent governor on the ballot – and the lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state races are open, too. With the governor’s race rated a toss-up, expect national attention and high turnout up and down the ballot – exactly the conditions that decide close legislative races in November.
  • Senate Leadership Reset The Senate’s previous President Pro Tem and Majority Leader both stepped down from leadership after launching bids for lieutenant governor, and the Appropriations chair is leaving after his own run. Add a new presiding officer in January (no matter who wins the lieutenant governor’s race), and the Senate will have new chairs, new power dynamics, and new relationships to sort out for the upcoming session.
  • New Faces à Opportunity to Build New Relationships With 2 incumbents losing their primaries and 31 incumbents not seeking re-election, the window to get ahead of the 2027 session is open right now – knowing who the incoming members are before they’re sworn in means advocates and lobbyists can start building relationships today, well before the competition catches up.
  • Races Already Decided à Start Work Early A large share of the 2027-2028 Georgia General Assembly is already set. With 77 seats (20 in the Senate and 57 in the House) carrying no November contest, the roster of members to work with next session is, in large part, already known today. For government affairs professionals, that’s an early map of who to engage – there’s no need to wait until November to start planning around the members who are already set.

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If you want to stay ahead of legislative developments, bill movement, and member changes heading into the 2027 session, Roboro is built for exactly that.

Roboro provides proactive legislative intelligence for advocacy professionals. All information is current as of October 8, 2026.

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