Bernard Reynolds · October 14, 2026
188,667 Georgians voted in person on day one of early voting. That is a midterm first-day record, 40% above 2022.
Georgia Election Watch, October 14:
EARLY VOTING
Early voting runs through Friday, October 30. Election Day is November 3, and any runoff is December 1. The Secretary of State also reports 10,267 absentee ballots accepted. One day is not a trend, so follow the daily totals on the Election Data Hub. The first statewide Saturday is October 17.
U.S. SENATE
Senator Ossoff and Representative Collins debated twice in six days, on October 8 and October 13. Tariffs, health care, the war in Iran and the Epstein files all came up. The most recent public polls I could verify predate both debates, so I would not draw conclusions yet.
GOVERNOR
Rick Jackson and Keisha Lance Bottoms met once, on October 6. On Monday, Jackson declined the Atlanta Press Club debate and toured the state with Governor Kemp, while Bottoms answered questions beside an empty podium. Every poll I found has the race inside the margin of error.
OTHER STATEWIDE RACES
Lieutenant governor: Dolezal (R) and McLaurin (D). Attorney general: Strickland (R) and Miller (D). Secretary of state: Fleming (R) and Brown Reynolds (D). All 56 state Senate seats and all 180 state House seats are also on the ballot.
FEDERAL
President Trump holds a rally in Dalton on Friday, October 16, with remarks scheduled for 3 p.m. Congress is out until after the election.
PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
Two of five seats are up. If Democrats win both, the commission flips to a 3-2 Democratic majority. Utility bills and data center costs are the central issues.
LOCAL
A community meeting on the Project Pegasus data center is set for Newnan on October 22, 5 to 8 p.m.
The legislature that convenes January 11 is being chosen right now. If your organization has a 2027 issue, now is the time to know who is likely to hold the relevant seats.
Full draft and sources are on the True North Strategies site.
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