Georgia Election 2026: Live updates, race calls and early takeaways

A man carrying a blue pouch delivered the final memory card to Fulton County’s election headquarters at 1:40 a.m. 

Elections officials said those results won’t be uploaded until later Wednesday morning, and are calling it a night.

Early results showed a voter turnout of nearly 60% in the state’s most populous county.

Democrats were within striking distance of taking control of the Georgia House of Representatives early Wednesday, though key races were too close to call.

Democrats need a net gain of 10 seats to win control of the chamber for the first time in 22 years. Democratic challengers were leading enough incumbent Republicans to take control. But some of the races were very close.

Democrats also appeared to gain ground in the Georgia Senate, but it was not clear they would net the six seats they need to take control of that chamber.

The Georgia Democratic Party early Wednesday declared it had won the House.

“Tonight, the people of Georgia kicked off a new era for our state by ending 24 years of failed Republican rule under the Gold Dome and electing a Democratic State House majority,” Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Charlie Bailey said.

Republican House Speaker Jon Burns was more circumspect.

"While a few key seats remain within the recount margin, we still have a strong, resilient, and committed caucus," Burns said. "Our dedication to protecting Georgia’s conservative values has not — and will not — change. We will continue showing up for the job we were elected to do each and every day — defending our future, uplifting our neighbors, strengthening opportunity, and keeping Georgia the great state we all know and love."

Shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday, Fulton County officials were still waiting on one memory card to arrive at the elections hub.

A county spokesperson said the memory card from a single polling location, Frederick Douglass High School, was en route and expected to arrive by 1:30 a.m.

The final vote tallies are not expected to change the results of any races, elections officials said.

Democrats were within striking distance of taking control of the Georgia House of Representatives early Wednesday, though key races were too close to call.

Democrats need a net gain of 10 seats to win control of the chamber for the first time in 22 years. Democratic challengers were leading enough incumbent Republicans to take control. But some of the races were very close.

Democrats also appeared to gain ground in the Georgia Senate, but it was not clear they would net the six seats they need to take control of that chamber.

James “Jim” Kingston will follow in his father’s footsteps as the congressman representing coastal Georgia. 

Kingston, a Republican insurance broker who lives in Savannah, narrowly defeated Democrat Amanda Hollowell Tuesday.

With 99% of votes reported, Kingston had about 51% of the vote to Hollowell's 49%.

Kingston is the son of Jack Kingston, who served the district from 1993 to 2015. Jack Kingston gave up his seat to run for U.S. Senate but lost in the Republican primary runoff. 

The seat was then held by U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who also decided to run for Senate instead of seeking another term. 

Lt. Gov.-elect Josh McLaurin praised Democrat Stacey Abrams for helping usher in Tuesday's Democratic wave in Georgia.

"What you have seen tonight is that change is slow until it's fast, and I know people in this room who have been in Georgia politics a lot longer than I have, who have done the work, who have organized," McLaurin said Tuesday night. 

"I mentioned at the rally last week, we owe Stacey Abrams an incredible debt of gratitude for laying the foundation for our victory tonight." 

Abrams twice ran for governor and fell short. Her organizing work for Democrats is credited with boosting the party's turnout.

McLaurin said said he envisions a bipartisan coalition that emerges from the election to expand Medicaid, build affordable housing and reduce property taxes.

"Tomorrow is the first day of seeing our state budget, $40 billion state dollars, $44 billion federal dollars, as a moral document that we can wield to invest in working families, make child care more affordable, and make sure that behavioral health needs are met," he said.

Cobb County elections staff and volunteers let out cheers when the last set of ballots rolled in before 11 p.m. Tuesday night.
Initial numbers show 100, 427 ballots were cast with a turnout of 64% registered voters showing up.
Despite concerns about the Department of Justice sending monitors to polling places in six Georgia counties with Democratic majorities, including Cobb, officials are happy with how it all went down.
Their recap: “It went smoothly,” said Cobb County Elections and  Registration director Leigh Phillips.
They board adjourned at 11:29 p.m. The remaining staffers joked about whether they should celebrate their hard work and long election cycle with a trip to an election night party at Magic City for wings.

Georgia's fourth most-populous county — and one of its bluest — had a smooth election night Tuesday tallying votes.

Keisha Smith, director of the DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections, handed out copies of the final vote tabulation just before 9:50 p.m. to observers, including an AJC reporter. The results have been posted online and provided to the Secretary of State's office.

"We thank DeKalb County voters for their participation and patience as our team continues the important work of processing and verifying all eligible ballots," Smith said in a news release at 11:30 p.m.

"Our focus remains on accuracy, transparency and ensuring every eligible vote is counted," she added.

DeKalb's board of registration and elections will hold a pre-certification meeting Friday at noon. A final certification meeting will take place Monday at noon.

Democrats didn't just win the U.S. Senate and governor's races in Georgia.

They swept every statewide constitutional officeswept every statewide constitutional office from lieutenant governor and attorney general to secretary of state and agriculture commissioner.

With the exception of one Public Service Commission seat, which Democrats picked up in a special election last year, all the posts had been held by Republicans.

It's remarkable turnaround in a state that has been ruled by Republicans for close to two decades.

Democrat Katherine Juhan-Arnold defeated Republican incumbent Tyler Harper in the race for agriculture commissioner.

Harper was first elected to the post four years ago. As he sought reelection he touted bipartisan support, including an endorsement from former Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes.

But he was ultimately unable to withstand the Democratic wave that swept through Georgia.