Georgia gubernatorial election, 2018

Elections in Georgia, 2018

• General election: Nov. 6
• Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9
• Early voting: Oct. 15 - Nov. 2
• Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6

• Online registration: Yes
• Same-day registration: No
• Voter ID: Photo ID required
• Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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On the ballot: U.S. House • Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • Secretary of State • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Special state legislative • Supreme court • Appellate courts • Local judges • State ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • Democratic primaries • Republican primaries

2022 → ← 2014
Governor of Georgia
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 9, 2018
Primary: May 22, 2018 Primary runoff: July 24, 2018 (if needed) General: November 6, 2018 General runoff: December 4, 2018 (if needed) Pre-election incumbent(s): Nathan Deal (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Georgia
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Toss-up Sabato's Crystal Ball: Toss-up Inside Elections: Tilt Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2018 Impact of term limits in 2018 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
Georgia executive elections
Governor Lieutenant governor Attorney general Secretary of state Agriculture commissioner Insurance commissioner Labor commissioner Superintendent of public instruction Public service commissioner

Secretary of State Brian Kemp (R) defeated former state House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams (D) and Ted Metz (L) in the general election on November 6, 2018, for Georgia's governorship.

Heading into the election, Georgia had been a Republican trifecta since 2004 when Republicans won control of the Georgia House of Representatives. Republicans took control of the governorship and the Georgia State Senate in 2002. Prior to 2002, Democrats had won every Georgia gubernatorial race since the Reconstruction era following the Civil War. Georgia maintained its Republican trifecta status in 2018.

The winner of this election stood to influence the state's redistricting process following the 2020 census. Under Georgia state law, the Georgia General Assembly is responsible for drawing new maps for U.S. House and state legislative seats following the completion of the census. The governor has the power to veto these district map proposals. Click here for more information on redistricting procedures.

Kemp replaced term-limited Gov. Nathan Deal (R), who defeated former Gov. Roy Barnes (D) in 2010 by 10 percentage points and defeated state Sen. Jason Carter (D) in 2014 by 7.9 percentage points. Heading into the election, forecasters said the race was a toss-up or slightly favored Republicans. Abrams was the first black woman to secure a major party gubernatorial nomination in U.S. history and the first woman of any race to do so in Georgia history.

With three candidates on the ballot, it was possible that no candidate would receive more than 50 percent of the vote on November 6. The top-two finishers would have competed in a runoff election on December 4, 2018. The last general election runoff for a major statewide Georgia race was the 2008 Senate election where U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R) defeated challenger Jim Martin (D) 58 percent to 42 percent in the runoff. As of 2018, there had never been a runoff election for Georgia governor. As of 2018, Georgia and Louisiana were the only states to hold general election runoffs.

Georgia was one of 36 states that held an election for governor in 2018. Democrats gained seven previously Republican-held seats, and Republicans gained one previously independent-held seat. Heading into the 2018 elections, there were 16 Democratic governors, 33 Republican governors, and one independent governor. In 2018, 26 of the 33 states with a Republican governor held a gubernatorial election, while nine out of the 16 states with a Democratic governor held a gubernatorial election. Seventeen of the 36 seats up for election were open seats (four Democratic, 12 Republican, and one independent), meaning that the sitting governor was not seeking re-election. Click here for more information on other 2018 gubernatorial elections.

For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
For more information about the Republican primary, click here.
For more information about the Republican primary runoff, click here.

Candidates and election results

See also: Statistics on gubernatorial candidates, 2018

General election

General election for Governor of Georgia

Brian Kemp defeated Stacey Abrams and Ted Metz in the general election for Governor of Georgia on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brian Kemp (R)	50.2	1,978,408
		Stacey Abrams (D)	48.8	1,923,685
		Ted Metz (L)	0.9	37,235

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,939,328 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Larry Odom (Independent)

Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for Governor of Georgia

Brian Kemp defeated Casey Cagle in the Republican primary runoff for Governor of Georgia on July 24, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brian Kemp	69.5	406,703
		Casey Cagle	30.5	178,893

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 585,596
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Georgia

Stacey Abrams defeated Stacey Evans in the Democratic primary for Governor of Georgia on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stacey Abrams	76.4	424,305
		Stacey Evans	23.6	130,784

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 555,089
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Georgia

Casey Cagle and Brian Kemp advanced to a runoff. They defeated Hunter Hill, Clay Tippins, and Michael Williams in the Republican primary for Governor of Georgia on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Casey Cagle	39.0	236,987
✔		Brian Kemp	25.5	155,189
		Hunter Hill	18.3	111,464
		Clay Tippins	12.2	74,182
		Michael Williams	4.9	29,619

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 607,441
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Eddie Hayes (R)
• Marc Alan Urbach (R)

Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages

Stacey Abrams, former state House minority leader

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Political office: Georgia House of Representatives (2007-2017), state House minority leader (2011-2017)

Biography: Abrams was born in Gulfport, Mississippi. She received her bachelor's degree from Spelman College, her master's degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and her J.D. from Yale University. She has worked as an attorney.

Key messages

• Abrams said she would build a coalition of black voters and white liberals in Atlanta and other cities in Georgia. “[We] are so close to [racial] parity, and no other state is positioned where we are in terms of the composition of that parity," Abrams said. "We have the voters ... to build a brand-new coalition we haven’t really seen in a Southern state.”

• Abrams said that she grew up in poverty and that the experience allowed her to connect with working families. She said she wanted to improve educational opportunities and diversify the economy to help all Georgians get ahead.

• Abrams highlighted her leadership experience in government as well as business and nonprofits, saying she was a proven problem solver.

• Abrams emphasized her support for Medicaid expansion, saying, “[Y]ou’ll hear me talk about this ad nauseam because it’s the only answer to Georgia’s challenges.”

Brian Kemp, Georgia secretary of state

Party: Republican

Incumbent: No

Political office: Georgia secretary of state (Assumed office: 2010), Georgia State Senate (2003-2007)

Biography: Kemp graduated from the University of Georgia, where he earned a B.S. in agriculture. His professional experience included owning the Athens-based business Kemp Properties. Kemp ran for state agriculture commissioner in 2006 and lost the Republican primary to Gary Black.

Key messages

• Kemp ran on a Georgia First platform modeled off President Trump's America First slogan. He also said he would treat rural Georgia as equal to metro Atlanta.

• Kemp emphasized his background as a small business owner and said he would work to shrink the size of government and decrease regulations to spur more job growth in Georgia.

• Kemp said he would "always put hardworking Georgians first" and highlighted his opposition to people entering the country without legal permission and giving government benefits to persons who are able to work but do not.

• Kemp argued that Abrams was too liberal for Georgia and would make the state more like California. He criticized her voting record in the state House, particularly on criminal justice and sex trafficking legislation, and said she would create more crime in the state.

Ted Metz, activist

Party: Libertarian

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: Metz's professional experience included working in a consumer products research lab and working as an insurance agent. At the time he declared his run for governor, Metz was a retiree and a Libertarian activist involved with groups like VoterGA, Georgia Activists, and the Georgia CARE Project. Metz was the Libertarian nominee for insurance commissioner in 2014. He received 3.4 percent of the vote in the general election, losing to Ralph Hudgens (R).

Key messages

• Metz said Abrams and Kemp were corrupt and that he was the candidate best suited to end corruption in the state capitol.

• Metz said he supported the principles of the Libertarian Party, which he outlined as "Leave Me Alone – Don’t Tell Me What To Do – Don’t Steal My Stuff – Don’t Hurt Others."

• Metz supported legalizing cannabis, allowing Georgians to bring evidence of public corruption directly to a grand jury, and protecting whistleblowers from political retribution.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Georgia Governor election, 2018
Poll	Poll sponsor	Brian Kemp (R)	Stacey Abrams (D)	Ted Metz (L)	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size
20-20 Insights (October 31-November 2, 2018)	Southern Majority	46%	50%	1%	3%	+/-4.0	614
The Trafalgar Group (October 30-November 3, 2018)	N/A	50%	36%	2%	12%	+/-2.1	2,171
Cygnal (October 28-30, 2018)	N/A	49%	47%	4%	0%	+/-4.36	504
University of Georgia (October 28-30, 2018)	Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Channel 2 Action News	47%	47%	2%	5%	+/-3.0	1,091
Opinion Savvy (October 28-30, 2018)	Fox 5 Atlanta	47%	48%	2%	3%	+/-3.9	623
Opinion Savvy (October 21-22, 2018)	N/A	48%	48%	1%	3%	+/-3.4	824
Marist University (October 14-18, 2018)	NBC News	46%	45%	4%	5%	+/-4.8	554
Reuters/Ipsos/University of Virginia Center for Politics (October 4-11, 2018)	N/A	47%	46%	2%	5%	+/-3.4	1,088
University of Georgia (September 30-October 9, 2018)	Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Channel 2 Action News	48%	46%	2%	4%	+/-2.8	1,232
Public Policy Polling (October 5-6, 2018)	Georgia Engaged	46%	46%	0%	7%	+/-4.0	729
SurveyUSA (October 3-8, 2018)	11 Alive News	47%	45%	2%	6%	+/-4.0	655
Landmark Communications September 2018	Landmark Communications	48%	46%	2%	3%	+/-3.2	964
Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group (September 17-20, 2018)	Stacey Abrams for Governor	42%	48%	3%	7%	+/-4.1	603
University of Georgia (August 26 - September 4, 2018)	Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Channel 2 Action News	45%	45%	2%	8%	+/-3.1	1,020
AVERAGES		46.86%	45.93%	2.07%	5.07%	+/-3.58	905.14
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

PredictIt Prices

This section provides the PredictIt market prices for this race during the three months leading up to the election. PredictIt is a site where people make and trade predictions on political and financial events. Market prices reflect the probability, based on PredictIt users' predictions, that a candidate will win a race. For example, a market price of $0.60 for Candidate A is equivalent to a 60 percent probability that Candidate A will win.

Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

• The American Civil Liberties Union launched an $800,000 television ad campaign to support Abrams on October 22.

• The Democratic Governors Association announced that it had spent $4.2 million supporting Abrams on November 1.

• The Democratic Party of Georgia ran ads opposing Brian Kemp. Donor George Soros gave the organization $1 million in June 2018.

• Everytown for Gun Safety said it would spend $8 million to $10 million in four gubernatorial races, including Georgia.

• PowerPAC, under the direction of San Francisco philanthropist Susan Sandler, said it would spend $10 million supporting Stacey Abrams.
  • The group released these anti-Kemp ads in September: We Can't Trust Brian Kemp and Untrustworthy Brian Kemp.

• The Republican Governors Association spent $2 million on ads opposing Stacey Abrams as of September 11.

Race ratings

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from three outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato's Crystal Ball. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.

Race ratings: Georgia gubernatorial election, 2018
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 5, 2018	October 30, 2018	October 23, 2018	October 16, 2018
The Cook Political Report	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Tilt Republican	Tilt Republican	Tilt Republican	Tilt Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites.

• Stacey Abrams
• Brian Kemp, here, here, here, and here

Noteworthy general election endorsements
Endorsement	Abrams (D)	Kemp (R)
Individuals
President Donald Trump (R)		✔
Vice President Mike Pence (R)		✔
Former President Barack Obama (D)	✔
Former Vice President Joe Biden (D)	✔
Former President Jimmy Carter (D)	✔
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)	✔
Hillary Clinton (D)	✔
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)	✔
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)		✔
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)	✔
Oprah Winfrey	✔

Click here to see a list of endorsements in the May 22 Democratic primary

Democratic candidate endorsements Endorsement Date Abrams Evans Federal officials Hillary Clinton May 21, 2018 ✔ U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) May 17, 2018 ✔ U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) May 2, 2018 ✔ Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) August 23, 2017 ✔ Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) July 24, 2017 ✔ Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) Unknown ✔ Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) Unknown ✔ National figures Dr. Joseph Lowery August 21, 2017 ✔ State Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Texas) August 3, 2017 ✔ Former state Sen. Nina Turner (D-Oh.) July 13, 2017 ✔ Former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander June 5, 2017 ✔ Former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) May 2, 2017 ✔ Former Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D-Mich.) May 2, 2017 ✔ State figures Former Sen. Max Cleland (D-Ga.) March 2, 2018 ✔ State Rep. Roger Bruce (D) August 15, 2017 ✔ State Rep. David Dreyer (D) August 15, 2017 ✔ Former state Rep. Virgil Fludd (D) August 15, 2017 ✔ State Rep. Spencer Frye (D) August 15, 2017 ✔ Former state Rep. Ladawn Blackett Jones (D) August 15, 2017 ✔ State Rep. Sheila Jones (D) August 15, 2017 ✔ State Rep. Dar'shun Kendrick (D) August 15, 2017 ✔ Former state Rep. Ronnie Mabra (D) August 15, 2017 ✔ State Sen. Elena Parent (D) August 15, 2017 ✔ State Sen. Michael A. Rhett (D) August 15, 2017 ✔ State Rep. Michael Smith (D) August 15, 2017 ✔ State Rep. Erica Thomas (D) August 15, 2017 ✔ State Rep. Keisha Waites (D) August 15, 2017 ✔ State Rep. Earnest Williams (D) August 15, 2017 ✔ Former Gov. Roy E. Barnes (D) June 26, 2017 ✔ State Rep. Al Williams (D) May 2, 2017 ✔ Local figures Cobb County Commissioner Lisa Cupid October 25, 2017 ✔ DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston June 14, 2017 ✔ Activist Susan Clymer May 2, 2017 ✔ Organizations Georgia Equality April 18, 2018 ✔ Planned Parenthood April 16, 2018 ✔ Georgia Association of Educators March 12, 2018 ✔ People for the American Way February 15, 2018 ✔ Georgia Federation for Teachers January 30, 2018 ✔ Mijente December 12, 2017 ✔ Giffords November 9, 2017 ✔ MoveOn.org November 21, 2017 ✔ Working Families Party November 21, 2017 ✔ Teamsters Local 728 October 30, 2017 ✔ Georgia AFL-CIO October 21, 2017 ✔ The Daily Kos October 4, 2017 ✔ NARAL August 4, 2017 ✔ Let America Vote August 2, 2017 ✔ Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union August 2, 2017 ✔ EMILY's List June 3, 2017 ✔

Click here to see a list of endorsements in the May 22 Republican primary

Republican candidate endorsements Endorsement Date Cagle Hill Kemp Tippins Williams National figures Former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) May 18, 2018 ✔ Former U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) May 18, 2018 ✔ Former U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) May 17, 2018 ✔ Former U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) May 16, 2018 ✔ U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) May 7, 2018 ✔ Haley Barbour, former Mississippi governor and former RNC chairman March 8, 2018 ✔ Bob Barr, former U.S. representative from GA-07 and 2008 Libertarian presidential candidate August 25, 2017 ✔ State and local figures Former candidate Marc Alan Urbach May 2, 2018 ✔ Cobby County District Attorney Vic Reynolds April 13, 2018 ✔ State Rep. Allen Peake (R) March 8, 2018 ✔ State Rep. Susan Holmes (R) September 27, 2017 ✔ Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens (R) August 25, 2017 ✔ State Rep. Ron Stephens (R) August 1, 2017 ✔ State Sen. Jesse Stone (R) August 1, 2017 ✔ State Sen. Ellis Black (R) August 1, 2017 ✔ State Sen. Jack Hill (R) August 1, 2017 ✔ State Sen. Ben Watson (R) August 1, 2017 ✔ State Rep. Dewayne Hill (R) June 21, 2017 ✔ State Rep. John Deffenbaugh (R) June 21, 2017 ✔ State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R) June 21, 2017 ✔ State Sen. Jeff Mullis (R) June 21, 2017 ✔ State Rep. Sam Teasley Unknown ✔ State Rep. Michael Caldwell Unknown ✔ State Rep. Wes Cantrell Unknown ✔ Organizations Georgia Realtors April 11, 2018 ✔ National Rifle Association April 12, 2018 ✔ Educators First April 10, 2018 ✔ Media figures Barbara Dooley, Athens media figure August 25, 2017 ✔ Roger Stone, former advisor to Donald Trump August 11, 2017 ✔ Duane Chapman AKA Dog the Bounty Hunter July 4, 2017 ✔ Business figures Jim Brady, COO of Grant Thorton September 28, 2017 ✔

Click here to see a list of endorsements in the July 24 Republican primary runoff

Casey Cagle Gov. Nathan Deal State Rep. Allen Peake Lydia Hallmark, former grassroots chairwoman for Hunter Hill's gubernatorial campaign Brandon Phillips, state director of Donald J. Trump for President Inc. Georgia Independent Christian Athletic Association Acworth Mayor Tommy Allegood Smyrna Mayor Max Bacon Marietta Mayor Steve “Thunder” Tumlin Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine Brian Kemp President Donald Trump Vice President Mike Pence Clay Tippins, 2018 gubernatorial candidate who did not advance from May 22 primary Hunter Hill, 2018 gubernatorial candidate who did not advance from May 22 primary Michael Williams, 2018 gubernatorial candidate who did not advance from May 22 primary Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) U.S. Rep. Jody Hice (R) Public Service Commissioner Lauren "Bubba" McDonald State Sen. Bruce Thompson State House Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones State Rep. John Bonner State Rep. John Carson State Rep. Wes Cantrell State Rep. Sam Teasley State Rep. Ed Setzler Talk radio host Erick Erickson

Timeline

• November 4, 2018: President Donald Trump (R) campaigned with Brian Kemp in Macon.
• November 2, 2018: U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross issued an injunction ordering Brian Kemp as Georgia's Secretary of State "to permit eligible voters who registered to vote, but who are inaccurately flagged as non-citizens to vote a regular ballot by furnishing proof of citizenship to poll managers or deputy registrars." The order affects 3,141 individuals who had been identified as non-citizens and were therefore ineligible to vote in the November 6 elections.
• November 2, 2018: Former President Barack Obama (D) held a rally for Abrams.
• November 1, 2018: A University of Georgia poll commissioned by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News showed Abrams and Kemp with 47 percent each and Metz with 2 percent. The margin of error was 3 percentage points.
• November 1, 2018: A Cygnal poll showed Kemp with 49 percent, Abrams with 47 percent, and Metz with 4 percent. The margin of error was 4.36 percentage points.
• November 1, 2018: Vice President Mike Pence (R) campaigned for Kemp in Augusta.
• October 25, 2018: Abrams reported that she had raised more than $22 million and spent more than $18 million since the beginning of the campaign. Kemp reported that he had raised nearly $21 million and spent nearly $17 million.
• October 30, 2018: An Opinion Savvy poll commissioned by Fox 5 Atlanta showed Abrams with 48 percent, Kemp with 47 percent, Metz with 2 percent, and 3 percent undecided. The margin of error was 3.9 percentage points.
• October 24, 2018: An NBC/Marist University poll found Kemp with 46 percent, Abrams with 45 percent, and Metz with 4 percent. The margin of error was 4.8 percentage points.
• October 23, 2018: Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp met in a debate hosted by Georgia Public Broadcasting.
• October 23, 2018: An Opinion Savvy poll showed Abrams and Kemp with 48 percent each and Ted Metz with 1 percent. The margin of error was 3.4 percent.
• October 22, 2018: The American Civil Liberties Union launched an $800,000 television ad campaign to support Abrams.
• October 22, 2018: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) campaigned for Brian Kemp in Cobb County.
• October 21, 2018: U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) campaigned for Stacey Abrams in Atlanta.
• October 17, 2018: A Reuters/Ipsos/University of Virginia Center for Politics poll showed Kemp leading Abrams 47-46. The margin of error was 3.4 percentage points.
• October 11, 2018: A University of Georgia poll commissioned by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News showed Kemp leading Abrams 48-46. The margin of error was 2.8 percentage points.
• October 9, 2018: A SurveyUSA poll commissioned by 11 Alive News showed Kemp leading 47-45. Kemp's lead was within the margin of error.
• October 9, 2018: Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle, the vice chair of America First, held a fundraiser for Kemp.
• October 9, 2018: U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) appeared at Clayton State University with Stacey Abrams.
• October 5, 2018: Brian Kemp reported raising $11.8 million between July and September, bringing his total contributions to $16.9 million and his cash on hand to $6.6 million. Stacey Abrams reported raising $10.2 million between June and September, bringing her total contributions to $16.25 million and her cash on hand to $4.9 million.
• October 1, 2018: A Landmark Communications poll found Kemp with 48 percent, Abrams with 46 percent, and Metz with 2 percent. The margin of error was 3.2 percentage points.
• September 18, 2018: Former President Jimmy Carter (D) campaigned with Stacey Abrams in Plains, Georgia.
• September 13, 2018: Vice President Mike Pence (R) held a fundraiser for Brian Kemp.
• September 6, 2018: A University of Georgia poll commissioned by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News found Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp with 45 percent of the vote each.
• August 1, 2018: Former President Barack Obama (D) endorsed Stacey Abrams.
• July 26, 2018: The Republican Party of Georgia held a unity rally where Casey Cagle, Gov. Nathan Deal, and other Georgia Republicans endorsed Brian Kemp.
• July 24, 2018: Brian Kemp won the Republican primary runoff. He defeated Casey Cagle by a 70 percent to 30 percent margin.
• July 10, 2018: Stacey Abrams released her campaign finance disclosures from April 1 to June 30. They showed that she raised more than $2.7 million during the period, spent more than $2.1 million, and had more than $1.5 million in cash on hand. This brought her total contributions to more than $6 million and her total spending to more than $4.5 million.
• June 20, 2018: Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) endorsed Stacey Abrams.
• May 25, 2018: An internal poll from Stacey Abrams' campaign showed her leading Casey Cagle 48-43 and leading Brian Kemp 49-40.
• May 22, 2018: Stacey Abrams won the Democratic primary. Casey Cagle and Brian Kemp advanced to a Republican primary runoff on July 24.

Policy stances

This section summarizes candidate positions on select policy issues discussed over the course of the election. If you are aware of a significant policy issue in this race, please email us.

Healthcare policy and Medicaid expansion

The state of Georgia did not expand Medicaid under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which would have covered families making up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level. Gov. Nathan Deal said the proposal would be too expensive for the state and that the financial status of the federal government made it unlikely the federal expansion dollars would come in reliably. U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) called Deal's decision “penny wise but pound foolish” and said that expansion would have brought in an extra $36 billion in federal dollars.

Stacey Abrams

Abrams supported Medicaid expansion. A spokeswoman for her campaign said, “expanding Medicaid actually makes our state money, bringing our tax dollars home from Washington, D.C., to keep our rural hospitals open, bring health care to nearly 500,000 Georgians, drive down health care costs for everyone, and create over 50,000 jobs.”

Abrams made her support for Medicaid expansion central to her campaign, saying “you’ll hear me talk about this ad nauseam because it’s the only answer to Georgia’s challenges.”

Brian Kemp

Kemp opposed Medicaid expansion. A spokesman for his campaign said, “Medicaid costs too much and fails to deliver for hardworking Georgians. Taking money away from public safety and education to expand a failed government program will only make things worse.”

Kemp argued for increasing the provider rate to incentivize doctors to take more patients and expanding rural broadband capacity so that telemedicine services could be provided to rural areas.

Confederate monuments

As of 2018, there was a carving of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson and Confederate president Jefferson Davis on Stone Mountain, which is outside of Atlanta.

Stacey Abrams

In August 2017, Abrams tweeted that the carving should be removed. She said, “[T]he visible image of Stone Mountain’s edifice remains a blight on our state and should be removed.”

On August 30, 2018, she was interviewed by the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer and asked about her position on the carving. She said, "[Her original statement] was in the wake of Charlottesville. And in the wake of Charlottesville, as an African-American woman running for governor, I was not going to equivocate about whether I think that a state monument to the Confederacy that was put up, not post-Civil War but post-Reconstruction by the authors of the new KKK in Georgia – my belief is that the state should never fund monuments to domestic terrorism..."

She added, "Where I want to be, is that those things don’t exist. But how we get there – I’ve always worked across the aisles and across communities to figure out solutions. And so I’m open to a conversation about where we go and how we get there. But my fundamental belief is that we cannot celebrate those who celebrated the destruction and terrorism of communities of color – especially African-Americans and Jews in the state of Georgia."

On October 23, 2018, The New York Times reported on a 1992 Atlanta Journal-Constitution article with a picture of Abrams participating in the burning of the Georgia state flag. At the time, the state flag incorporated the Confederate battle flag.

Abrams' campaign released a statement saying, “During Stacey Abrams’ college years, Georgia was at a crossroads, struggling with how to overcome racially divisive issues, including symbols of the Confederacy, the sharpest of which was the inclusion of the Confederate emblem in the Georgia state flag. This conversation was sweeping across Georgia as numerous organizations, prominent leaders, and students engaged in the ultimately successful effort to change the flag.”

Kemp's campaign did not immediately respond to The Times' request for comment.

Brian Kemp

When the Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked Kemp about his position on the Confederate monument in August 2018, he said, “I have the Condoleezza Rice theory. I don’t believe we can run from our history. We need to embrace it and learn from it, and be a better state and a better country.”

Religious exercise legislation

In March 2016, Gov. Nathan Deal (R) vetoed HB 757, a religious exercise bill passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the bill would have allowed faith-based organizations to deny services and terminate employees in situations where their sincerely-held religious beliefs might be compromised and required the government to prove a compelling interest before interfering with the exercise of religion. The bill contained a clause saying it did not allow discrimination already illegal under federal or state law.

Business organizations in the state and LGBTQ groups criticized the bill, saying it would be used as grounds for discrimination against LGBTQ persons. In his veto statement, Deal said, “Our people work side by side without regard to the color of our skin or the religion we adhere to. We are working to make life better for our families and our communities. That is the character of Georgia. I intend to do my part to keep it that way."

Republican legislators criticized Deal's veto. House Speaker David Ralston said, “It is regrettable that the merits of this measure have been ignored in the days since its passage by critics who had not taken the time to read the bill or understand the legal issues involved. I take pride in the leadership role the House played in making Georgia the No. 1 state in which to do business. We all aspire to a Georgia which is welcoming, hospitable and growing. At the same time, we have a duty to the Georgians we serve — the Georgians who live, work, play and worship here — to listen to their concerns.”

Stacey Abrams

Abrams said she would not sign any religious exercise legislation, including a bill that mirrored the federal Religious Freedom and Restoration Act.

Abrams said, “No matter what you hear, there’s no necessity for this legislation in Georgia. And the notion that we can hearken back to 1993 ignores the very strong difference between then and now. We’ve moved forward as a nation, we’ve become more inclusive. And when you pass legislation that legalizes discrimination in any form, you signal that you’re closed for business.”

Brian Kemp

Kemp pledged to sign religious exercise legislation prior to the Republican primary. At a speech in late August, he said would only sign a version of the bill that mirrored the federal Religious Freedom and Restoration Act, which passed in 1993.

Kemp said, “It’s time to do that, put that behind us so we can move on. It’s the same bill Nathan Deal voted on when he was in Congress. That’s all I’m committing to do. Anything else, I’ll veto it.” He added, “That does not discriminate. If you believe that discriminates, you need to talk to Congress.”

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Stacey Abrams

Support

"Brighter" - Georgia Democratic Party ad released October 25, 2018

"Kate" - ACLU ad released October 22, 2018

"Faith" - Georgia Democratic Party ad released October 16, 2018

"Tough and Smart" - Abrams ad released September 26, 2018

"All Sides Agree" - Abrams ad released September 17, 2018

"Hear From Me" - Democratic Party of Georgia ad released August 9, 2018

Although my family worked hard and played by the rules, we often went without health care & struggled to get by. Our story is not unique.

As #GAGov, I’ll fight for every family to have the freedom & opportunity to thrive. Chip in to join the fight: https://t.co/QaOYRTM6gc #gapol pic.twitter.com/LLHHlcQhkM

— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) July 26, 2018

Oppose

"Change" - Kemp campaign ad released October 18, 2018

"Walked Out" - Kemp campaign ad released October 3, 2018

"Drop" - Kemp campaign ad released September 19, 2018

"ABRAMS TOO EXTREME FOR GEORGIA" - Republican Governors Association ad released September 10, 2018

"Truth" - Republican Governors Association ad released August 21, 2018

"She Didn't" - Republican Governors Association ad released August 10, 2018

"Radical Stacey Abrams: Ban. Confiscate. Destroy." - Republican Governors Association ad released August 7, 2018

"Merry" - Republican Governors Association ad released August 7, 2018

"Stacey Abrams: Too Liberal For Georgia" - Republican Governors Association ad released July 24, 2018

Brian Kemp

Support

"Just Like Yours" - Kemp campaign ad released October 21, 2018

"Brian Kemp will keep Georgia moving in the right direction" - Kemp campaign ad released October 21, 2018

"Amy" - Kemp campaign ad released October 12, 2018

"Interview" - Kemp campaign ad released October 8, 2018

"I Know" - Kemp campaign ad released October 3, 2018

"Addy" - Kemp campaign ad released September 24, 2018

"Five" - Kemp campaign ad released September 4, 2018

"Ahead" - Kemp campaign ad released August 24, 2018

Oppose

"Not By A Long Shot" - Georgia Democrat ad released October 17, 2018

"Low" - Georgia Democrat ad released October 2, 2018

"Kemp's Defaulted Loan" - Democratic Party of Georgia ad released September 28, 2018

"Seven Words" - Democratic Party of Georgia ad released September 18, 2018

"Untrustworthy Brian Kemp" - PowerPac ad released September 15, 2018

"Kemp's Quid Pro Quo" - Democratic Party of Georgia ad released September 12, 2018

"Abuser" - Democratic Party of Georgia ad released September 5, 2018

"We Can't Trust Brian Kemp" - PowerPac ad released September 5, 2018

The Georgia Democratic Party began running the following ads opposing Cagle and Kemp during the Republican primary runoff.

"The Truth About Casey Cagle," released June 4, 2018

"The Truth About Brian Kemp," released June 4, 2018

Campaign tactics and strategies

Appealing to independent voters

In late August and early September, media outlets began reporting that Kemp and Abrams were targeting independent voters and moving away from the themes they emphasized in the primaries.

On September 2, the New York Times wrote that "Kemp has been trying to gravitate to the center, attempting at least one strategy for surfing the volatile, polarizing energy that permeates the 2018 election season" and that Abrams was "also hoping to appeal to moderate voters, placing decidedly more emphasis on her plans to create jobs and invest in education than her criticism of some Confederate memorials, which she has modulated recently."

Charles Bullock, a political science professor at the University of Georgia, said, “If Kemp moves too far to the center he risks alienating some of his strong supporters from the primary. They may feel they’ve been betrayed, or lied to, once again.”

The Times wrote that although Abrams "is hoping to ride to the governor’s mansion on a wave of minority and less-than-frequent voters" she would "also need white voters, particularly in the Atlanta suburbs, and her team is convinced that her message will resonate with many of them."

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Abrams and Kemp "have not abandoned their positions on base-pleasing topics that helped them cement their parties’ nomination, but both are now fine-tuning their messages toward broader pitches on education and the economy."

Delta Airlines

On May 30, prominent Georgia Democrats held an event with Delta Airlines they said was supposed to highlight the “incompetence and extremism” of Republican gubernatorial leaders. In February 2018, Casey Cagle blocked a tax break on jet fuel after Delta rescinded a discount program for members of the National Rifle Association in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting. Brian Kemp supported Cagle's decision.

After Gov. Nathan Deal issued an executive order on July 30 suspending the collection of the sales tax on jet fuel, Kemp said, “I support economic incentives that generate a sizable return on investment for Georgia taxpayers and create economic opportunities for communities throughout our state. Based on the information provided, the Governor’s Executive Order aims to do both.”

In response, Georgia Democratic Party Chairman DuBose Porter said, “If Brian Kemp can’t even stay consistent with his own positions, what will he stay consistent on?”

Tax returns

The Republican Party criticized Stacey Abrams after she disclosed that she owed more than $50,000 in taxes to the IRS. In August 2018, The Republican Governors Association released television ads criticizing Abrams for not paying her taxes. See them here and here.

Abrams said the debt came from helping her parents pay medical bills and that she was on a payment plan with the IRS.

Noteworthy events

Oct. 9 Donald Trump Jr. fundraiser

On October 9, Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle, the vice chair of America First, held a fundraiser for Kemp in Athens, Georgia.

Kemp event at Monday Night Brewing

After Brian Kemp held a press conference at the Atlanta-based company Monday Night Brewing, some residents began calling for a boycott of the company on social media, citing their disagreement with Kemp on policy issues.

In response, the brewery's owner apologized for the event and said, “We didn’t really do the homework also of understanding their full policy platforms. Some of those we take issue with.” He added, “I think in retrospect, we would not do it again. Not because he’s a Republican or any of his particular policy platforms, but because of the impact it’s had on the people that we want to serve and be working and living and playing alongside of in the city of Atlanta.”

The Kemp campaign called the boycotters “the radical left" and said, "They will attack innocent business owners, kill jobs and undermine economic opportunity to elect their candidates and advance their extreme agenda. It’s incredibly sad — but telling — that this is happening in Georgia.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that other Atlanta businesses, including the Flying Biscuit Café and the Atlanta Braves baseball franchise, also faced backlash after their owners or management indicated their support for Kemp.

Debates and forums

Nov. 4 WSB TV debate (canceled)

Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp were set to meet in a debate hosted by WSB TV on November 4. Kemp withdrew from the debate to campaign in Macon with President Donald Trump (R). According to his campaign, the Abrams declined to reschedule the debate at another time.

Oct. 23 GPB debate

Stacey Abrams, Brian Kemp, and Ted Metz met in a debate hosted by Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Read roundups of the debate here:

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution
• Atlanta Magazine
• The Hill

"Abrams, Kemp, and Metz Atlanta Press Club debate" - October 23, 2018

Campaign themes

Stacey Abrams

Abrams' campaign website stated the following:

“	Bold, Ambitious Children Building a Georgia where every child believes their future should be limitless We are ready to imagine more for our children than simply an adequate education. Georgia must invest in addressing the needs of the whole child from cradle to career – and our investment must extend beyond the walls of a classroom to acknowledge the totality of their needs. Urban, suburban, and rural families all face the challenge of accessing quality education. This begins with high-quality affordable childcare and universal access to pre-kindergarten programs, continues through K-12 and must prepare students for higher education. But too often, a family’s income or zip code determines if their child has a strong beginning or receives an education to power a lifetime of opportunity. We must guarantee an excellent education as the best guarantee for mobility and success. NEW: The Bold Action for a Brighter Future Plan: Georgia has the resources to serve our children – and as Governor, Stacey Abrams will have the vision and will to educate bold and ambitious children as our best legacy. The new Bold Action for a Brighter Future Plan is a proposal to extend access to high-quality child care programs, ensure affordable options for children ages 0-3, increase access to pre-K, improve the livelihoods of teachers and expand statewide access to afterschool programs. Our children will be proof of our investment, and our workforce will be more productive. Read more about the newly released child care plan HERE. High-Quality Day Care: Learning begins at birth, which means we have to start our commitment to education with high-quality, affordable child care. Georgia can afford to offer tax credits and subsidies to our working parents to take care of our youngest citizens. Quality early care has been tied to school readiness, graduation rates, reading proficiency, and college-going rates. Universal Pre-K: As Governor, Stacey is committed to reaffirming the promise of universal pre-K for four-year-olds. Excellent Public Schools: Public education is the beating heart of our state and a fundamental obligation. We must invest in excellent public schools by providing early and regular assessment of students’ capacity to learn: supporting their physical, emotional and mental health rather than simply testing their ability to take tests. As Minority Leader, Stacey advocated for fully-funded quality public education that promotes excellence, demanded comprehensive support for struggling schools and opposed attempts to privatize our public schools. Georgia leaders cannot stand up for public education and simultaneously vote for private vouchers; diversion of funds to private schools undermines our government’s responsibility. Post-Secondary Pathways: Providing Georgians with access to affordable higher education is essential to building a strong workforce in our state. As Minority Leader, Stacey Abrams negotiated the inclusion of a 1% low-interest loan program for higher education and remedial classes for technical college students, and she fought for a need-based aid program in the state. As Governor, she will push for free access to technical college, debt-free four-year college, and need-based aid as a priority in Georgia. Under her leadership, Georgia will expand access to apprenticeships and invest in adult literacy options. A Fair and Diverse Economy A state where the economy works in every county, for every Georgian We must build a Georgia where no one has to work more than one full-time job to make ends meet. A fair economy means investing in diverse businesses, fighting for equality in the workplace, lifting families out of poverty, and ensuring access to affordable healthcare. Fairness is the backbone of an economy that eliminates poverty and fosters prosperity for every family. NEW: Jobs for Georgia Plan – From our port in Savannah and a bustling film industry that strengthens local small businesses to the nation’s busiest airport, Georgia’s economy has become the envy of the South. However, our economy fails too many of our business owners and workers in several ways. Small businesses have trouble accessing capital, finding the skilled labor they need, accessing critical infrastructure like broadband, and fear the chilling effects of divisive rhetoric from politicians. Together, we can build an economy as strong and diverse as our citizens, one that unlocks the entrepreneurial spirit of Georgians across our state and fosters innovation. Read the Jobs for Georgia plan here. The Georgia Economic Mobility Plan – Georgia families deserve a leader who will invest in every person, and who has an economic mobility vision that will increase prosperity, lift families from poverty, reduce income inequality, and ensure a fair and inclusive economy for all Georgians. As Georgia’s next governor, Stacey Abrams will prioritize economic mobility to ensure every hardworking family has the chance to succeed and prosper. The Georgia Economic Mobility Plan will grow the economy for all Georgians. It will focus on earnings, savings, skills, worker protections and inclusion: Read the plan here. Georgia’s Advanced Energy Jobs Plan is the first in a series of economic revitalization proposals to deliver 25,000-45,000 long-term, high wage jobs in Georgia – from construction, coding, sales, and installation to manufacturing and beyond. Georgia must have a bold and comprehensive economic vision to (1) ensure no person has to work more than one full-time job to make ends meet and (2) catalyze the creation of good-paying jobs in all 159 counties, at all skill levels. We must leverage our natural resources and assets, working together across sectors, to build an economy for every worker. Let’s imagine more for our state and create an economy that leads the nation in advanced energy jobs and local innovation. Read the plan here. Investment in Community Businesses: Small businesses employ more Georgians, and they can be started anywhere. As Governor, Stacey Abrams will direct more of our economic development dollars to our hometown businesses: the barbershop that wants to expand, the nurse who wants to launch a home health care company, the entrepreneur who can’t get venture capital in rural Georgia. Funds will be targeted to reach low-income communities and rural counties, and we will help Georgia businesses expand by offering access to capital. Workplace Equality: We must demand that our workplaces never discriminate based on a person’s race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, disability, or immigration status. As Governor, Stacey Abrams will promote policies to ensure pay equity and expand paid sick leave. Georgia should require a living wage in every county. Furthermore, the right to form a union and collectively bargain for fair wages and employment conditions is fundamental to workplace fairness. As Minority Leader, Stacey Abrams has never wavered in her opposition to legislation that would erode the rights of workers to bargain for fair pay and safe workplace conditions. While in the legislature, Stacey Abrams co-sponsored legislation to prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation by amending the Fair Employment Practices Act. As Governor, Stacey Abrams will continue to support a Georgia civil rights bill to protect the LGBTQ+ community, as well as immigrants, people of color, and people of faith, from discrimination in housing, public accommodation, and the workplace; create a body dedicated to enforcing these laws; and put in place protections to all relevant sections of Georgia law. Stacey Abrams supports passage of hate crime legislation to protect LGBTQ+ Georgians and other communities facing discrimination. Lift Families Out of Poverty: Moving from poverty to prosperity must be the mission of our next governor. Economic mobility improves neighborhoods and schools and decreases reliance on welfare programs and incarceration rates. As Minority Leader, Stacey defeated Republican tax plans to increase sales taxes on working families, and she opposed legislation to restore taxes on groceries. As Governor Abrams would improve tackle poverty among our working families by establishing a state Earned Income Tax Credit, bridging transition from welfare to work without immediately eliminating benefits, and expanding access to childcare tax credits and subsidies. She will also continue her fight to protect workers from misclassification as independent contractors and abusive on-call scheduling, providing families with predictable workweeks and predictable paychecks. Access to Affordable Healthcare: Access to affordable healthcare is a right, and guaranteeing quality services improves families, communities and the workplace. As Minority Leader, Stacey worked to sign Georgians up for the Affordable Care Act and she has fought for Medicaid expansion – the only path forward for providing essential health coverage to the working poor and preventing the closure of our rural hospitals and the economic collapse of surrounding communities. Stacey has spearheaded critical legislation combatting the misclassification of workers as independent contractors, which denies them Medicaid benefits they have earned. When elected governor, Stacey will work to expand Medicaid and provide coverage for 500,000 Georgians, create 56,000 jobs, stabilize our rural counties and explore pathways to universal coverage in our state. She will support reproductive freedom and access to treatment for women, regardless of ability to pay. Also, across our state, more than half of our counties lack access to OB/GYNs or pediatricians. Stacey will leverage state and federal programs to incentivize more doctors and medical personnel to locate in under-served areas, and she will work with practitioners to reduce our maternal and infant mortality rates and increase access to care. Innovation and Green Jobs: Growing Georgia’s economy means we must diversify our jobs and support innovation across sectors. With the right policies, Georgia can lead the Southeast in advanced energy jobs. As Governor, Stacey will work with public and private partners to create new jobs in infrastructure, clean energy, biotech and agritech, as well as expand broadband to connect our communities to the Internet. We can train our students in growing fields like energy engineering, sustainability science and build an energy innovation ecosystem across the state. Effective and Engaged Government Creating a Georgia where all of us are active partners in ensuring government serves everyone Georgians must be able to rely on their government to defend their rights, fix systemic problems and protect its residents. Too often, government only works for the wealthy and well-connected. Worse, poor policymaking has a disproportionate impact on people of color, the poor and rural communities. From criminal justice reform to voting rights to environmental justice to supporting seniors or the disabled, we must have an effective and engaged government. NEW: Justice for Georgia: A Plan for Fairness and Community Safety –Criminal justice reform is a central component of Stacey Abrams’ mission to create an effective and engaged government. Together, we will work to build a justice system that serves every Georgian. The Justice for Georgia plan will improve court, jail, and prison systems, lower incarceration rates, reduce recidivism, aid law enforcement, and make our communities safer by building trust throughout Georgia. We cannot return to the tired, dated patterns of “punish and penalize.” In 2018, we must elect leadership with a bold new vision for what Georgia can be. Read the plan here. Defend Our Rights: An effective government must protect civil rights and fight discrimination based on race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, immigration status, disability, or gender identity. Stacey co-sponsored civil rights legislation for Georgia. She opposed the disastrous HB 87, which has harmed our immigrant and refugee communities. As Minority Leader, Stacey fought back voter suppression tactics and introduced legislation to expand access to the ballot. Through the New Georgia Project, Stacey registered more than 200,000 people of color, forced the restoration of 33,000 illegally canceled voter applications, and defeated attempts to intimidate voters. As Governor, she will oppose policies that seek to undermine the rights of Georgians. Fix Systemic Problems: Stacey has championed legislation to protect our natural resources and our communities from the hazardous waste that too often has gone unchecked. She supported greater oversight of petroleum pipelines so communities could know the possible impacts ahead of time. Stacey sponsored legislation to ensure funds for hazardous waste clean-up actually go to that purpose, as well as legislation to require landfills to alert the public in the event of a leak. From clean water to solar energy, Stacey has been a leader on moving Georgia to a more sustainable future for all. Decriminalize Poverty and Support Justice: Justice should not be determined by your paycheck. Stacey Abrams’ policies will lift families out of poverty and also combat the criminalization of poverty. We must end the unequal application of justice for those who can buy their way out of jail versus those who cannot. Stacey will focus on reforming bail policies and eliminating “cash bail,” decriminalizing traffic offenses and possession of small amounts of marijuana, increasing training that recognizes implicit bias, and stopping the shameful practices of private probation companies. We must expand reforms to support community policing and improve POST training to rebuild trust between law enforcement and our most vulnerable communities. However, criminal justice reform cannot focus solely on sentencing and prisons. Reform efforts must also recognize that disparities in school funding, health care access, and job opportunities are inextricably related to combating over-incarceration and prolonged probation sentences. Protect Our Most Vulnerable Residents: Nearly a quarter of Georgia’s children live in poverty and approximately 11,000 children in foster care. More than 100,000 children are in kinship care – being raised by grandparents or other kin. Nearly 10% of seniors are below the poverty line, and thousands of seniors are in need of resources to help them age in place. As a state, we must deliver critical services to those who have physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities as well as mental illness. As Minority Leader, Stacey has co-sponsored legislation to support our most vulnerable residents, from kinship care legislation to expanding legal protections for seniors. As Governor, Stacey will continue to advocate for policies and funds to serve these communities. Justice for Georgia: A Plan for Fairness and Community Safety Dear Fellow Georgians: My younger brother Walter is brilliant, dynamic, and one of the kindest people I’ve ever known, but he suffers from mental health issues that went undiagnosed and untreated because my family lacked health insurance and access to services. Instead of getting help, Walter self-medicated, made bad choices to support his drug habit, and is now serving time in prison. He missed last Christmas with our family, with his daughter. He struggles every day with both his illness and his drug addiction. But Walter’s path could have been different with the right interventions. Too many Georgians know Walter’s story all too well. The old way in Georgia said that mental health treatment wasn’t a smart investment for our state. The old way in Georgia ensured missteps and mistakes followed a person for life, impacting whether they could ever get a job or decent housing. The old way did not see a future in Georgia for men and women like Walter. In the last decade, a bipartisan consensus has emerged that our criminal justice system must head in a new direction. Republicans and Democrats realized Georgia could not continue to afford to be a leader in mass incarceration, which costs too much money and sets people up for permanent failure. Georgia has started on a path to a smarter approach—one the next governor must continue. We cannot return to the tired, dated patterns of “punish and penalize.” In 2018, we must elect leadership with a bold new vision for what Georgia can be. Leaders across the state know my commitment to criminal justice reform, and the Governor of Georgia has trusted me to sit at the table and work for common sense solutions. I served on the Special Joint Committee on Criminal Justice Reform, the Sentencing Subcommittee, Probation Reform Task Force, and the Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform for Georgians. During my tenure, I helped pass changes to reduce sentencing for non-violent offenders, shift Georgia’s policies on private probation, improve our parole system, adopt a new juvenile justice code and obtain eligibility for vocational licenses for ex-offenders. The Governor also appointed me to the Judicial Nominating Committee, where I advocated for true diversity representation in our courts and the appointment of innovative judges who have adopted smart-on-crime policies. I am committed to working collaboratively with the courts, state agencies, law enforcement, community-based partners, and the legislature to continue and expand criminal justice reform. When elected as governor, I look forward to that first call with my brother—a call to share my joy with him and to say a prayer for him as he serves the remainder of his time. Part of what makes this campaign different is that my story is the story of Georgia, and I’m not afraid to tell it—the good and the bad. If we can be candid about the struggles in our families and our communities, then we can find real solutions. The solutions in my Justice for Georgia Plan will decriminalize poverty and provide pathways to restoration for those who have committed crimes but want to do better. Right now, if you have money, you can artfully navigate the criminal justice system and maybe even avoid it altogether. But, if you are poor, you are often overwhelmed by the system. Right now, the majority of Georgians incarcerated in local jails have not been convicted of a crime. Many are simply too poor to pay their bail. The Constitution says that punishment is for the convicted, not the merely arrested, and Georgia must be on the right side of the law. The collateral consequences of our justice system have wide-ranging impacts, including loss of jobs, children sent into foster care, loss of housing and more people shifted from work to the social safety net. The entire community is affected, and everyone becomes less secure. We spend too much money locking people up without proof this makes our communities safer or spends taxpayer dollars wisely. Instead of safety, we get higher unemployment and less community stability. Georgia cannot turn away from our progress, and we have much more to do. The cost to our families and our economy is too great. My vision is a Georgia built on fairness and where poverty is not a life sentence. In addition to working to end money bail for nonviolent offenses, I will focus on decriminalizing certain traffic offenses, limiting the forfeiture of drivers licenses for failure to pay fines, increasing fairness in the assessment and imposition of criminal justice debt, adequately funding indigent defense, improving access to community-based mental health and substance abuse programs and other solutions to ensure that incomes do not determine outcomes in the justice system. My Justice for Georgia Plan addresses five key areas. Tackling each of these areas will improve court, jail, and prison systems, lower incarceration rates, reduce recidivism, aid law enforcement, and make our communities safer by building trust throughout Georgia. Decriminalization of poverty through eliminating money bail, improving pretrial services and supervision, increasing diversion programs and accountability courts (like veterans courts, drug courts, etc.), and providing for civil penalties rather than criminal penalties for certain traffic offenses and marijuana possession. Re-entry and transition program expansion through improving the coordination of services with state agencies like the Department of Corrections and the Department of Community Supervision, developing strong public-private partnerships with employers, housing providers and educational institutions and protecting people from unfair discrimination based on their criminal history. Juvenile justice reform through raising the age of juvenile court jurisdiction to 18, the continuation of the Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant Program and other necessary improvements. Effective community policing through engagement with community members to proactively identify and address issues that impact the quality of life in neighborhoods and to further assist law enforcement in obtaining the resources—including training and data-driven solutions—they need to protect the communities in which they serve. Criminal justice reform is one part of improving the safety and security for all Georgians. We must invest in prevention and early intervention through education, jobs, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and affordable housing. That’s why my campaign has and will continue to release plans for Medicaid expansion, jobs in all 159 counties, 0-4 early childhood programs and K-12 education and training opportunities, and other solutions to move Georgians from survival to success. As governor, I will focus on the barriers facing Georgians who are trying to move ahead and move beyond their past. Our reforms will be data-driven and evidence-based, but also experience-based—we need to learn from the lived experience of families across this state to ensure more of our fellow Georgians can be part of our economy rather than part of our justice system. Criminal justice reform is a central component of my mission to create effective and engaged government. Together, we will work to build a justice system that serves every Georgian—a critical way to make sure government works for everyone. The Bold Action for a Brighter Future Plan Dear Fellow Georgians: In Laurens County, two busy parents drop off their two-year-old at a daycare center, worried about the bill that’s due at the end of the week. A single mom in Gwinnett heads back to work, her newborn in the care of a neighbor, which is all she can afford. Grandparents in Catoosa County, raising their three grandkids – ages 3, 7 and 11 – stay up late trying to figure out how they can stretch their budget for their new family. Regardless of the family, taking care of our children from cradle to career stands as a clear and foundational goal. Quality child care and early learning are critical to fostering school readiness, graduation rates, reading proficiency and college-going rates. Afterschool programs deepen learning and support families where school ends before work does. Employees who have peace of mind about child care arrangements are more stable and productive workers, which in turn makes our state more competitive when attracting business. Workers also benefit by staying employed longer and earning more income. Early learning is profoundly beneficial to our young children, who have higher cognitive and academic achievement scores in their teen years if they spent time in high-quality daycare as young children. From high-quality child care to pre-K, Georgia has long been a leader in early childhood learning, including launching one of the nation’s first universal, full-day pre-K programs for four-year-olds and its Bright from the Start standards. Yet, for families across our state today, quality child care has become expensive or unattainable. Afterschool programs improve academic performance and behavioral outcomes for children. For parents who work, programs can be a crucial support system, but too many communities have limited options. Nearly half a million Georgia children under the age of six have both parents in the labor force, but access to quality child care, especially programs focused on early learning, remains a barrier for too many of our families. The average cost for infant care in Georgia is almost $7,700 annually – more than average in-state public college tuition – and those costs are rising. Child care for two children costs more than average rent in most parts of the state. According to one estimate, 62% of Georgia families pay more than 10% of their income to child care, and not enough families receive the subsidies they need to access quality care. Moreover, for non-traditional families, like grandparents and other relatives raising grandchildren, the state provides limited support for the more than 100,000 children who are in kinship care. Location also has a tremendous impact on access. Thousands of children across the state, particularly in rural communities, live in educational care deserts where their parents are unable to find or afford high-quality child care. Sixty-two counties in Georgia do not have access to the main federal funding streams for afterschool. Child care workers are paid at abysmally low rates, and the barriers to enter the field are often too great for those who wish to do so. This hurts our children’s futures, cuts worker productivity and stifles our state’s growth. Quality educational care grows resilient children, provides stability for employers whose employees know their children are in good hands, and invests in the future workforce, beginning in early childhood. MY VISION FOR GEORGIA: Georgia will educate bold and ambitious children from cradle to career. As Governor, I will extend access to high-quality child care programs, ensure affordable options for children ages 0-3, increase access to pre-K, improve the livelihoods of teachers and expand statewide access to afterschool programs. Our children will be proof of our investment, and our workforce will be more productive. Georgia has the resources to serve our children – and as Governor, I will have the vision and will to educate bold and ambitious children as our best legacy. By eliminating tax loopholes as well as the $58 million tax handout that diverts public dollars to private K-12 schools, we can invest in our youngest Georgians and support the economic health of our families across the state. K-12 Public Education Read Abrams' plan here. Jobs for Georgia Read Abrams' plan here. Higher Education Read Abrams' plan here. LGBTQ+ Rights Read Abrams' plan here. Georgia's Advanced Energy Jobs Plan Dear Fellow Georgians: We deserve an economy that works in every county, for every Georgian, and helps families thrive — not just survive. Parts of our state enjoy a strong economy, but too many families and communities are left out of economic success. Despite a reputation for a robust business environment, Georgia is losing middle income households, and it remains one of the top ten states for income inequality and poverty. Nearly a quarter of a million Georgians are unemployed and searching for work their towns cannot produce without partnership from an effective state government. For too long, the solution has been to promote temporary or potentially unstable job creation in a handful of counties through tax incentives for large corporations. These announcements deliver headlines, but these projects do not always deliver consistent, good-paying jobs. Georgia must have a bold and comprehensive economic vision to (1) ensure no person has to work more than one full-time job to make ends meet and (2) catalyze the creation of good-paying jobs in all 159 counties, at all skill levels. As a successful entrepreneur who has worked in infrastructure, capital investment and manufacturing, I understand how critical a diverse and thriving economy is to our families – and how we must leverage our natural resources and assets, working together across sectors, to build an economy for every worker. Our proposal outlines the first in a series of economic development priorities I will spearhead as Georgia’s next governor: Georgia’s Advanced Energy Jobs Plan. Georgia can deliver high-quality employment for our state by creating an economy that leads the nation in advanced energy jobs and local innovation – using our people, our climate and our ingenuity to expand the path to prosperity for Georgians everywhere. Advanced energy has become a stable but under-utilized source of economic growth for Georgia. Our economic future demands bold action. Through our Advanced Energy Jobs Plan, we will lead the South as a state where advanced energy innovation is a core component of our economic expansion. Georgia deserves a leader who sees clean, advanced energy as a stable source of economic development, a public health necessity, and an environmental justice imperative. I will build a fair and thriving economy in every county in Georgia. We will consistently invest in Georgia’s home-grown businesses, fight for equality in the workplace, and promote a healthy workforce as essential components to lifting families out of poverty and strengthening the middle class. Georgia’s transition to an advanced energy economy is a crucial component to achieving that reality. The work to make advanced energy policy a reality that uplifts local communities cannot be fulfilled without first having conversations with Georgians about how it will impact their daily lives. I look forward to traveling the state to share this vision with families and hear more about how we can best work together for our state’s economic future. Economic Development Read Abrams' responses to the Georgia Chamber of Commerce questionaire here. Immigrant Justice Immigrant Justice To Georgia’s Immigrant Communities: You strengthen our state, and you are vital to its future. Your success lifts us all, and I stand with you. I talk every day about my mission to build a Georgia where everyone has the freedom and opportunity to thrive. And I want to be clear: I do mean everyone who resides in our state. Nearly one in ten Georgians migrated here from another country. Together, though, we have one of the nation’s strongest economies and a legacy of civil and human rights. When every person in our state is included in Georgia’s progress, our communities and economy grow stronger. Our mission is to build a state of excellent public schools where we educate children from cradle to career; to expand access to health care; to build a thriving and diverse economy with jobs that create wealth and opportunity; and to support entrepreneurs of all backgrounds to start and grow small businesses. We must do all of this hand in hand with the diverse immigrant communities across our state. My faith demands that I speak up for the voiceless and the vulnerable – that a soul finds rest only by doing the most for the “least of these.” My soul rests with those seeking asylum and refuge, with new Americans, naturalized citizens, and all those on the long, arduous path toward citizenship. I know this journey is not easy – but believing in the promise and potential of America, and seeing yourself as a part of its future, is the first step. My soul rests with those who have made Georgia home – those who took the original promise of the Statue of Liberty, “Mother of Exiles,” to heart – and now fight to hold her promises true for others. Only then can we make Georgia a better place to live and raise a family – for EVERY family. For some time, and particularly in the last few years, you have shown incredible strength in the face of brutal attacks. The anti-immigrant rhetoric and actions of this administration are cruel, inhumane, and must be opposed in the strongest terms. United, we have the power – and the duty – to transform our Georgia for the better. The Georgia Economic Mobility Plan Dear Fellow Georgians: Recently, I was sitting in traffic and heard the wail of sirens. The light changed, and every car stayed put to let the ambulance race through the intersection. In those moments, I felt a sense of pride for those who idled in their cars around me. We each had our own destinations, and we wanted to get there as quickly as possible. Yet, when we hear those sirens, we stop. We wait. We make way for those who need us to carve a path. Across our state, our fellow Georgians are fighting for survival. They have lost access to hospitals and the jobs they’ve relied upon for years, and they struggle with low or stagnant wages that never seem to rise. Too many are grappling with hunger, poverty, and addiction. Millennials are inheriting a state where the economy can seem inaccessible, and folks in every county are trapped by lack of opportunity. While some Georgians are moving forward and ahead, too many are blocked and denied mobility. Let’s be clear: this is not just an issue for the working poor. Middle class families also work harder for less and need pathways to greater economic security and wealth. I am excited about leading Georgia because I know we have the resources, the smarts, and the capacity to make way for more Georgians to thrive. That’s what I’m bringing to the governor’s office—the leadership and experience to do this. Georgia has a strong economy for some, but not all of us. Our state has lagged in equality and shared success — ranking among the top ten states for poverty rates with families struggling to meet their basic needs. Nationally, 70% of children born at the bottom do not reach middle class in their adulthood. As Georgia’s next governor, I will prioritize economic mobility as key to ensuring our state is known as a place for prosperity. Poverty and inequality stand in the way of economic growth for our state through higher social costs, lost earnings, and weakened competitiveness. I grew up in a working poor family, and in addition to the immorality of families working hard and barely scraping by, poverty is economically inefficient. Poverty comes at too high a cost—to families, to communities, and to our state as a whole. We need to harness the hard work and ingenuity of all our workers to advance our state. Moreover, we must support our future workforce by helping parents move out of poverty so their children can succeed in school, because we know poverty is the primary out-of-school impediment to learning and school performance. Georgians who struggle to get ahead rather than just get by face different challenges. Our campaign has already released bold and innovative platforms on jobs and child care, and we will continue to offer solutions to our toughest challenges in education, small business development, mental health care access, criminal justice, and other policy areas to address the many barriers to success. These initiatives are aimed at meeting Georgians where they are, and envisioning a state where success is not only possible, it is expected. To ensure all Georgians thrive, we must promote a fair economy that removes barriers to opportunity and fosters prosperity. This platform addresses roadblocks for families facing low and stagnant wages, highest unemployment, and biggest skills gaps. These initiatives promote fairness in earnings and savings, learning opportunities, and employment options: Earn: Keep more money in the pocketbooks of working families through a Georgia Earned Income Tax Credit. Protect workers from wage theft to ensure wages earned are wages received. Secure equal pay for women through pay history reforms. Save: Create a Cradle to Career Savings Program for families. Encourage savings and credit-building through the Georgia FinLit Initiative: A Financial Literacy and Wellness Partnership. Grow: Bridge the skills gap with a focus on employability skills and adult literacy. Include: Expand employment opportunities for Georgians with disabilities. Protect: End workplace discrimination for all Georgians. Military and Veterans Read Abrams' plan here. Gun Safety Stacey Abrams is the only candidate for governor with a proven track record of voting against legislation that would put guns in the wrong hands, including opposing SB 350 in 2012, and opposing 2017’s NRA omnibus bill, HB 292. Read more about her plan to reduce gun violence in Georgia: Keep Guns Out of the Wrong Hands Support Survivors of Domestic Violence: Call for the immediate creation of a panel of victims, advocates, and lawmakers to determine the best way to ensure that perpetrators of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking aren’t able to access weapons. Such actions may include prohibiting possession and requiring the surrender of firearms or ammunition by domestic abusers. State laws addressing this “relinquishment gap” have lowered fire-arm related intimate partner homicides by 14%.[i] Additionally, we will support service providers to ensure victims in every part of the state have assistance and shelter when facing family violence. Georgia’s domestic violence service providers received more than 53,000 crisis calls in 2016. Shelters turned away more than 1,500 victims due to lack of bed space. The need is great, and we will work to close service gaps for victims. Require Universal Background Checks: Currently, Georgia does not require background checks for private gun sales between individuals (including at gun shows), creating a loophole through which individuals who would not pass background checks can still legally purchase firearms. The data confirms that policies such as universal background checks are effective in lowering suicide and murder rates.[ii] Allow Families to Petition for Extreme Risk Protection Orders: When a loved one has mental health challenges that put them at risk of endangering themselves or others, families and law enforcement should have a path to petition a court to temporarily restrict firearms access. Fix Our Broken Gun Laws Immediate Repeal of 2012’s SB 350: The AJC notes that this legislation “may be the most egregious gun law in Georgia” and “makes guns something close to sacred.” It requires guns used to commit crime be put back onto the street. It is opposed by members of law enforcement and encroaches on home rule. Immediate Repeal of 2017’s HB 280: “Campus Carry” legislation is opposed by Georgia university administrators, educators, and a majority of Georgians. Ensure People Receive the Help They Need Expand Medicaid: Medicaid expansion is critical to expanding mental health care access for Georgians. A report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last year found that people who accessed Medicaid were 30% more likely to receive mental health or substance abuse treatment. They estimated that 159,000 uninsured Georgians who are in the coverage gap suffer from mental illness or substance abuse challenges. Additional studies are finding that Medicaid expansion reduces crime rates due to this link between Medicaid and access to mental health and substance abuse treatment. Support Violence Prevention Efforts, Including Hospital Interventions, Community-Based Strategies, and Research. Hospital intervention programs provide mental health and substance abuse services, job placement, and conflict de-escalation training to interrupt violence. Initial evaluations of The Youth Intervention and Violence Intervention Program in Savannah hospitals show promising results. We will support hospital intervention programs that seek to disrupt cycles of violence. Additionally, we will support local governments and community-based organizations working directly with communities most affected by gun violence. Finally, we will continue the partnerships with academic researchers, such as Emory’s Violence Prevention Task Force, who seek to advance violence prevention through data driven solutions. Small Business 9 Reasons Why Stacey Abrams Has the Vision & Experience to Help Small Businesses Thrive Stacey Abrams has a vision for Georgia: educate bold and ambitious children, build a fair and diverse economy, and lead an effective and engaged government. As an entrepreneur, Abrams understands to achieve this vision Georgia must create opportunities for small businesses to thrive in all 159 counties. Growing small businesses are central to a thriving economy in every county. Approximately 44% of Georgians in the private workforce are employed by a small business, and we are among the highest in the nation for startup success. However, Georgia ranks close to the bottom — 22 out of the 25 largest states — in Main Street Entrepreneurship, or the creation and success of businesses like barbershops, landscaping, manufacturing, and food service. Where you live continues to determine whether you succeed: places where our businesses and workers receive key supports get better, while struggling communities continue to decline. Rural business owners face twin challenges: how to find an educated workforce locally and how to access capital close to home. Business owners across the state face debilitating healthcare costs, which also reduce the productivity of the workforce. Women and people of color who have traditionally been left behind because of limited access to capital continue to lag, while others who have traditionally succeeded in small business ownership are beginning to fall behind. Georgia must support a diverse array of small businesses. From providing and capital for individuals who want to start a small childcare center in a county that lacks affordable options, to helping a barber open a second location or giving a young person in South Georgia the chance to start a technology company without having to leave her hometown, we can and must do more to help entrepreneurs grow and thrive in place. Stacey’s Vision to Support Small Businesses in Georgia: 1. Stacey Abrams is uniquely qualified to lead on this issue. Under Stacey’s leadership, Georgia will pursue bold and comprehensive economic plans to ensure no person has to work more than one full-time job to make ends meet, and catalyze the creation of high wage jobs in all 159 counties, at all skill levels. 2. To build a thriving and diverse economy, Abrams will expand access to capital, support training programs at every level of business, encourage expansion into non-­traditional industries and promote policies to expand entrepreneurial opportunities. Regardless of zip code, Georgia’s economic mission will be to help grow small businesses in rural, urban and suburban communities. 3. Stacey Abrams is the only Georgia gubernatorial candidate to introduce a detailed jobs plan — her first in a series of economic revitalization proposals. Her “Advanced Energy Jobs Plan” will leverage our natural resources and assets, working across sectors to build 25,000 to 45,000 jobs in industries like solar, wind, hydro, and biomass. Small businesses like farms and installation companies in every part of our state, from Tybee Island and Camilla to North Georgia, already benefit from work in advanced energy and have spurred economic growth for small businesses in their communities. Stacey’s Experience as a Small Businesswoman, Entrepreneur & Job Creator 4. Stacey Abrams is an entrepreneur who has started several small businesses, and she understands what helps a company succeed. Early in her career, she learned first‐hand how access to capital can spur a small business and how the lack of funding can kill an entrepreneur’s dream. 5. Stacey received an “A” rating from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the “Friend of Labor” award in the same year. She has been honored by the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Atlanta Business Chronicle for her leadership. 6. Stacey Abrams has started businesses that have succeeded and businesses that failed and she knows what makes the difference. When their manufacturing business could not secure a loan to automate — in order to meet a big order — Abrams and her business partner had to shutter their company. Then they co-founded NOW Corp., a fintech payment system that enables businesses to get paid immediately in a way that feels like taking a credit card, even when one is not offered. NOW Corp. has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to small businesses, helping them grow or retain thousands of jobs in Georgia. 7. Abrams has spearheaded efforts that specialized in the development, investment and consulting for complex infrastructure projects, including transportation, energy, facilities and water. 8. Abrams has also co-­founded The Family Room, Inc., a social communications app that creates a virtual family room where young kids can talk, play, draw, read, do homework and watch videos with adults while on a video or audio call. The Family Room has support from organizations for military families, grandparents, divorced parents, families that may have a loved one who is incarcerated, and immigrant families separated by deportation. 9. Abrams founded Third Sector Development and the New Georgia Project, a nonprofit that has hired thousands of Georgians and engaged them in civil rights work, including voter registration and signing families up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Voting Rights Stacey Abrams has a demonstrated commitment to protecting our right to vote. She founded the nonprofit New Georgia Project, which submitted more than 200,000 voter registration forms from predominantly communities of color between 2014 and 2016. The organization forced the restoration of more than 33,000 illegally canceled voter applications and defeated attempts to intimidate voters. As Minority Leader, Abrams fought back voter suppression tactics and introduced legislation to expand access to the ballot. As governor, Abrams will prioritize voting rights as essential to democracy and an effective government. She will leverage both administrative authority and advocate for legislation to accomplish the following: Georgia will make voter registration easy and convenient by: Providing automatic voter registration when voters interact with state agencies, public colleges, universities, and technical colleges; Exploring ways to allow online voter registration for everyone—not just those with drivers’ licenses or state IDs; Supporting automatic registration; Requiring voter registration applications be processed within 20 days of receipt; Establishing same day voter registration; and Mandating fair allocation of polling places and polling place resources during early voting and on Election Day. Georgia will make voting more accessible by: Allowing sworn affidavits for voters who are unable to obtain a valid voter ID; and Requiring convenience and stability in polling locations. Voters may cast their ballot at any precinct in their county for any election—not just during early voting periods. Precincts must be within 25 miles of every voter and cannot be changed within 90 days of an election. Early voting polling places must be distributed throughout each county. Georgia will ensure every vote counts by: Using secure ballots, including, at a minimum, ensuring a paper trail for votes cast to increase accuracy, integrity, security, and confidence in our elections. Georgia is one of only a few states that does not provide a paper trail for voting. We will explore changes to our voting machine system to ensure there is a voter-verifiable paper audit trail for every vote cast; and Prioritizing the allocation of funds to replace aging voting machines and to ensure security of all voting infrastructure, including voter registration systems. Georgia will stand up for democracy by: Vetoing gerrymandered districts; Supporting the creation of a nonpartisan redistricting commission to create fair districts; and Protecting access to early voting and expanded weekend dates. Ethics and Public Integrity Read Abrams' plan here. Health 9 Ways Stacey Abrams is a Champion for Health Care Stacey Abrams has a vision for Georgia that includes educating bold and ambitious children, creating a fair and diverse economy, and building an effective and engaged government. A critical component of that vision is ensuring our workers and their families have access to quality, affordable health care, and expanding Medicaid will be her first step in achieving this goal. Stacey’s Record: Stacey Abrams has consistently engaged with Georgia’s rural, suburban and urban communities across the state to understand what Georgians are facing in an effort to improve their access to health care. Her experience and deep understanding of the role the private, nonprofit, and government sectors play in improving health care access make her the most qualified candidate to expand access to care for all Georgians. Legislative Leadership: As House Minority Leader, Stacey Abrams introduced legislation to expand Medicaid in our state, and led the House Democratic Caucus in a statewide campaign to raise awareness about the crucial nature of expansion for health care access, rural hospital support, and job creation. She mobilized Democrats to host town halls, engage with the media, provide local communities with toolkits, and ensured constituents in every part of the state were hearing from elected officials on the issue. Legal Experience: Stacey Abrams began her career as a tax attorney and is an expert on health care finance. She understands the vital role that Medicaid expansion plays in supporting not just our rural hospitals, but our safety net hospitals that provide care for the vulnerable. Leading on Reproductive Justice: Stacey Abrams has led the fight to protect reproductive health care access in Georgia. Abrams blocked legislation that attempted to roll back reproductive rights, successfully stopping a eugenics anti-abortion push. She also led the fight to substantially weaken a 20-week abortion ban and has supported legal opposition that has stymied the law’s implementation for 6 years. Under her leadership, no TRAP (Targeted Restrictions on Abortion Providers) legislation has passed Georgia, and she has been recognized as a Living Legend by Planned Parenthood of the Southeast, a recipient of the national Champion for Women’s Health Award from Planned Parenthood Action Fund and received local support from the Feminist Women’s Health Center. In 2014, she was awarded the first Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award and has been endorsed by EMILY’s List, and has been endorsed by NARAL Pro-Choice America. Addressing Maternal Health: More than half of Georgia counties do not have an OB-GYN provider, and our state has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation. This urgent problem demands leaders with real experience who can take swift action. Stacey Abrams understands a holistic approach to increase access to high quality care is needed to provide better outcomes for our mothers and babies. Funding rural hospitals via Medicaid expansion is a crucial first step in addressing this issue. Stacey will also leverage state and federal programs to incentivize more doctors and medical personnel to locate in under-served areas, and she will work with practitioners to reduce our maternal and infant mortality rates and increase access to care. Supporting the Elderly: Stacey Abrams has worked to support health services for the elderly. As governor, she is committed to ensuring that expanding Medicaid would contribute to funding of assisted living centers, which would help elderly Georgians better afford housing and in home health care. Protecting Workers: Stacey has spearheaded critical legislation combatting the misclassification of workers as independent contractors, which denies them access to health insurance through their employer. Leading Activism: Stacey Abrams knows that the federal government and grassroots organizations play a key role in our state’s health care. Through Georgia Resists, a project she launched as House Minority Leader at the onset of the Trump Administration to push back against dangerous legislation at all levels of government, she galvanized activists around the state to engage with their legislators when Congress considered repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Championing the Affordable Care Act: When the Affordable Care Act was first implemented, Stacey Abrams saw that the state was not funding sufficient outreach during open enrollment. She led the members of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus to host their own open enrollment sessions, teaching their constituent members how to enroll. Stacey traveled to Republican-held districts to hold similar sessions. Her nonprofit New Georgia Project also hired canvassers in rural South Georgia communities to answer questions and help enroll Georgians. Addressing Mental Health Services: Mental health care access is a critical component of health care that is too often overlook and unfunded. Stacey Abrams has personal experience navigating the effects of untreated mental illness in her family, and understands how critical access to mental health care services are for our state. Stacey’s family lacked health insurance when she was growing up, and her brother’s undiagnosed bipolar disorder led him to self-medicate with drugs, and eventually contributed towards his incarceration. Medicaid expansion will fund critical mental health services throughout Georgia and especially in rural, often-underserved communities so that individuals will have their needs addressed by the health care system rather than face the criminal justice system. The Arts Read Abrams' plan here. Affordable Housing Read Abrams' plan here.	”
—Stacey Abrams’ campaign website (2018)

Brian Kemp

Kemp’s campaign website stated the following:

“	1. Make Georgia #1 for Small Business Take a chainsaw to burdensome regulations Work with business people – not bureaucrats - to cut red tape and streamline state government Champion common sense workforce development initiatives to meet job demands 2. Reform State Government Cap state spending Deliver real tax reform Audit all tax breaks to protect taxpayers 3. Strengthen Rural Georgia Expand access to High Speed Internet Improve access to healthcare Give rural communities the same opportunities as the rest of the state Promote economic development and investment Support farmers, agri-business, and small town start-ups 4. PUT GEORGIA FIRST Protect Georgia families by crushing street gangs Fully fund public school education, raise teacher pay Stop sanctuary cities Improve literacy with early childhood education Protect our Georgia values Lower healthcare costs	”
—Brian Kemp’s campaign website (2018)

Ted Metz

Metz’s campaign website stated the following:

“	Education WE MUST PROVIDE THE TOOLS TO GET AHEAD! YOUR STATE, GOVERNMENT OR LOCATION SHOULD NOT LIMIT YOUR POTENTIAL! WE MUST ALL BE INDEPENDENT, FREEDOM LOVING LIFELONG LEARNERS! Nurture and expand learning opportunities in all schools including public, private, charter, online or homeschool! Encourage a Volunteer Statewide Mentoring Program that focuses on the 3R’s that include reading,writing and arithmetic! Provide Merit Pay and Raises for Good Teachers! Close Failing Schools tomorrow, retrain teachers! Consolidate School Systems to save on Administration Retrain Adults for the 21st Century workforce Develop a College or Tech School Pathways in every Middle School in Georgia Transportation/Infrastructure REBUILDING GEORGIA FROM THE GROUND UP! Develop Roads and Bridges for the 21st Century Create Outer Loop for Atlanta Transportation Develop Statewide Monorail system Consolidate all the transportation committees Integrate a Spoke System to link communities Institute a interconnected State Park System Healthcare FIX GEORGIA’S HEALTHCARE CRISIS! Re-Open every Rural Hospital as a Family Clinic using free market principles Allow Nurse Practitioners and Physicians Assistants to write prescriptions Emphasize Preventative Screenings for Early Detection Utilize Tele-Medicine for general and specialty services over the internet Implement the Federal waivers in order to block grant Medicaid for qualifying Georgians Enforce the Sherman Act, the Clayton Act and the Robinson-Patman Act to reduce health care costs Enact low cost Catastrophic Health Insurance pool for Georgians Regulation OVER-REGULATION MAKES GOVERNMENT A BIGGER BURDEN ON BUSINESS Overregulation bleeds Georgians Dry Whether you Vote for a Red or Blue Politicians on Election Day expecting a real change, the result is the same corrupt fiscally irresponsible insanity Heaven is Purpose, Principle and People. Purgatory is Paper and Procedure. Hell is Rules and Regulations-Dee Hock If you have ten thousand regulations, you destroy all respect for the law-Winston Churchill All forms of government regulation of business, in fact, penalize efficient competitors and grant monopolistic privileges to the inefficient-Murray Rothbard Immigration IMMIGRATION KEEPS AMERICA STRONG Here is a challenge: Show us where in the Constitution where it grants the Federal Government the Authority to regulate immigration. Taxation TAXES ON PRODUCTIVITY ARE GOVERNMENT ENFORCED THEFT Eliminate State Income Taxes Eliminate Property Taxes Implement a Low and Broad Consumption Tax User Fees like the Gas Tax are Fair State Government Wastes and Spends too much Local Government need to tighten their belts Jobs SUPPORT ALL BUSINESSES FROM MAIN STREET TO WALL STREET Get Governments out of the way of growth Implement 1 year non-tax grace period for businesses Cooperate and develop Economic Mentoring teams Get High Speed Internet to all of Georgia in 2 years Market Georgia Products everywhere worldwide! Encourage Generational Partnerships Money WEALTH AND PROSPERITY THRU THE USE OF SOUND MONEY No More Bankruptcies because of fiat money Issue Wealth Money for Infrastructure Projects No more un payable debt, less taxes No built in Inflation tax on goods and services Sound Money buys more and is worth lots of Prosperity for All Let the Economy grow without government picking winners and losers Spending TRICKED IN 1913, PAYING MUCH MORE FOR IT NOW AND MORE ON LATER GENERATIONS Spending Bad Money makes you Poorer Government needs a Checkup from the Neck up Society never gets out of Fiat Money Debt In a Debt Money System, you Spend More and More while always getting Less and Less Every year we use Fiat Money, the Debt gets Higher and Higher while the Money in your Pocket is worth a lot Less Fiat Money requires a two or three income family just to barely survive these days Debt YOUR MINDSET IS THE BIGGEST DEFICET YOU WILL EVER FACE! Bank enabled Debt Destroys Families Fiat Money makes US, Economic Slaves Big Banks see YOU as a NUMBER The Federal Reserve is Privately Owned and Controlled Investing in Sound Money BENEFITS ALL FAMILIES Fiat Money since 1913 has allowed the Governments to steal from past generations and continue this theft for generations to come Wedge Issues The United States Constitution should not be held hostage by the Deep State Political Establishment using Wedge Issues to divide us into Red or Blue; Tribes, Camps or Sides! It is the Supreme Law of the Land and should be treated that way! The U.S. Constitution is our beacon of light! Abortion – Pro-Life-Choice Death Penalty – Anti-Death Penalty Guns – Pro-Gun Rights & Freedom – 1st Amendment LGBTQ Rights – Equal Rights for All Civil Rights – Pro-Constitutional Rights = All Men Are Created EQUAL + Equal application of the LAW Religious Freedom – Pro-Religious Freedom – 1st Amendment Cannabis Legalize Industrial hemp for use in rope, fabric, plastics, bio-diesel, Hempoline etc… Legalize Medical Cannabis for Autism, PTSD, Seizures and other medical needs Environmentally Best because it revitalizes the soil back to top condition Decriminalize 1 oz. or less of recreational cannabis Strengthens the Rotation of crops because of its short growing season Agriculture is our Number 1 Industry but it can be more successful with legalization of cannabis	”
—Ted Metz's campaign website (2018)

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Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Five of 159 Georgia counties—3.14 percent—are pivot counties. These are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 pivot counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County	Trump margin of victory in 2016	Obama margin of victory in 2012	Obama margin of victory in 2008
Baker County, Georgia	8.68%	0.57%	1.07%
Dooly County, Georgia	2.05%	6.98%	3.53%
Peach County, Georgia	2.91%	7.48%	6.75%
Quitman County, Georgia	10.92%	9.04%	7.90%
Twiggs County, Georgia	1.58%	8.64%	6.97%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Georgia with 50.8 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 45.6 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Georgia voted Democratic 63.33 percent of the time and Republican 36.67 percent of the time. Georgia voted Republican in every presidential election from 2000 to 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Georgia. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 64 out of 180 state House districts in Georgia with an average margin of victory of 45.5 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 74 out of 180 state House districts in Georgia with an average margin of victory of 42.3 points. Clinton won 14 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.

In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 116 out of 180 state House districts in Georgia with an average margin of victory of 36.6 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 106 out of 180 state House districts in Georgia with an average margin of victory of 36.8 points. Trump won four districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.

2016 presidential results by state House district
District	Obama	Romney	2012 Margin	Clinton	Trump	2016 Margin	Party Control
1	24.59%	73.49%	R+48.9	18.33%	78.10%	R+59.8	R
2	22.14%	76.22%	R+54.1	15.51%	81.50%	R+66	R
3	23.05%	75.08%	R+52	18.64%	77.94%	R+59.3	R
4	32.11%	66.73%	R+34.6	33.09%	63.58%	R+30.5	R
5	20.99%	77.56%	R+56.6	17.38%	79.95%	R+62.6	R
6	22.66%	75.78%	R+53.1	19.28%	78.15%	R+58.9	R
7	18.83%	79.93%	R+61.1	16.26%	81.63%	R+65.4	R
8	19.75%	78.79%	R+59	17.01%	80.65%	R+63.6	R
9	15.29%	83.06%	R+67.8	14.76%	81.57%	R+66.8	R
10	16.34%	82.49%	R+66.1	14.77%	82.43%	R+67.7	R
11	17.74%	80.81%	R+63.1	14.12%	83.40%	R+69.3	R
12	25.59%	72.86%	R+47.3	20.35%	77.06%	R+56.7	R
13	35.70%	62.94%	R+27.2	33.39%	63.13%	R+29.7	R
14	20.15%	78.39%	R+58.2	17.29%	79.95%	R+62.7	R
15	26.96%	71.58%	R+44.6	24.54%	72.30%	R+47.8	R
16	23.79%	74.95%	R+51.2	18.10%	79.74%	R+61.6	R
17	23.36%	75.50%	R+52.1	23.02%	73.98%	R+51	R
18	29.93%	68.66%	R+38.7	26.14%	70.83%	R+44.7	R
19	29.46%	69.22%	R+39.8	31.16%	65.71%	R+34.6	R
20	23.09%	75.03%	R+51.9	26.37%	68.76%	R+42.4	R
21	19.48%	78.70%	R+59.2	22.00%	73.27%	R+51.3	R
22	16.80%	81.60%	R+64.8	21.44%	74.42%	R+53	R
23	20.52%	77.66%	R+57.1	22.07%	73.64%	R+51.6	R
24	17.81%	80.67%	R+62.9	21.56%	73.96%	R+52.4	R
25	21.70%	77.05%	R+55.3	32.10%	63.74%	R+31.6	R
26	14.56%	83.89%	R+69.3	18.43%	77.66%	R+59.2	R
27	15.62%	83.00%	R+67.4	16.26%	80.92%	R+64.7	R
28	17.56%	81.23%	R+63.7	15.37%	82.27%	R+66.9	R
29	31.73%	66.98%	R+35.3	32.94%	63.21%	R+30.3	R
30	21.69%	76.74%	R+55	24.56%	71.98%	R+47.4	R
31	16.84%	81.82%	R+65	15.76%	81.14%	R+65.4	R
32	24.07%	74.41%	R+50.3	19.58%	78.30%	R+58.7	R
33	31.40%	67.45%	R+36.1	26.87%	70.96%	R+44.1	R
34	33.92%	64.28%	R+30.4	39.66%	55.82%	R+16.2	R
35	38.10%	60.28%	R+22.2	42.81%	52.42%	R+9.6	R
36	24.38%	74.30%	R+49.9	29.80%	66.20%	R+36.4	R
37	43.83%	54.52%	R+10.7	48.89%	46.46%	D+2.4	R
38	60.41%	38.62%	D+21.8	64.07%	33.08%	D+31	D
39	75.10%	23.95%	D+51.1	78.09%	19.54%	D+58.5	D
40	45.00%	53.24%	R+8.2	54.52%	40.56%	D+14	R
41	62.15%	36.51%	D+25.6	64.86%	31.62%	D+33.2	D
42	68.42%	29.97%	D+38.4	68.61%	26.72%	D+41.9	D
43	38.77%	59.40%	R+20.6	46.47%	48.56%	R+2.1	R
44	33.75%	63.93%	R+30.2	39.79%	54.74%	R+14.9	R
45	30.98%	67.21%	R+36.2	41.50%	53.61%	R+12.1	R
46	27.84%	70.25%	R+42.4	34.24%	60.65%	R+26.4	R
47	28.08%	70.51%	R+42.4	38.02%	57.47%	R+19.4	R
48	37.71%	60.31%	R+22.6	45.85%	48.81%	R+3	R
49	34.61%	63.82%	R+29.2	44.57%	50.58%	R+6	R
50	35.98%	62.65%	R+26.7	47.45%	48.69%	R+1.2	R
51	41.99%	56.48%	R+14.5	50.15%	44.99%	D+5.2	R
52	36.77%	61.94%	R+25.2	49.71%	45.43%	D+4.3	R
53	73.52%	25.53%	D+48	77.16%	18.98%	D+58.2	D
54	40.58%	58.07%	R+17.5	54.55%	40.79%	D+13.8	R
55	83.91%	15.09%	D+68.8	84.84%	11.77%	D+73.1	D
56	87.70%	11.09%	D+76.6	87.74%	8.94%	D+78.8	D
57	82.83%	15.94%	D+66.9	85.62%	11.02%	D+74.6	D
58	87.26%	11.21%	D+76.1	88.49%	7.87%	D+80.6	D
59	87.41%	10.84%	D+76.6	87.27%	9.08%	D+78.2	D
60	88.96%	10.53%	D+78.4	90.79%	7.32%	D+83.5	D
61	82.95%	16.50%	D+66.5	82.57%	15.51%	D+67.1	D
62	81.40%	18.05%	D+63.4	82.69%	15.44%	D+67.3	D
63	71.58%	27.78%	D+43.8	73.97%	24.02%	D+49.9	D
64	69.30%	30.15%	D+39.1	70.36%	27.44%	D+42.9	D
65	80.57%	18.97%	D+61.6	81.08%	17.15%	D+63.9	D
66	53.46%	45.64%	D+7.8	56.72%	40.59%	D+16.1	D
67	31.46%	67.23%	R+35.8	31.50%	65.51%	R+34	R
68	27.70%	71.08%	R+43.4	26.14%	70.90%	R+44.8	R
69	25.45%	73.10%	R+47.7	23.33%	73.96%	R+50.6	R
70	31.26%	67.48%	R+36.2	31.56%	64.90%	R+33.3	R
71	21.50%	77.16%	R+55.7	22.29%	73.84%	R+51.5	R
72	22.11%	76.41%	R+54.3	25.46%	70.56%	R+45.1	R
73	34.83%	64.14%	R+29.3	37.99%	59.21%	R+21.2	R
74	86.99%	12.68%	D+74.3	86.51%	11.95%	D+74.6	D
75	83.95%	15.53%	D+68.4	83.71%	14.28%	D+69.4	D
76	80.47%	19.06%	D+61.4	80.34%	17.67%	D+62.7	D
77	90.59%	9.03%	D+81.6	89.32%	9.13%	D+80.2	D
78	75.77%	23.63%	D+52.1	77.40%	20.70%	D+56.7	D
79	41.91%	56.52%	R+14.6	52.42%	42.92%	D+9.5	R
80	42.54%	55.68%	R+13.1	54.21%	40.41%	D+13.8	R
81	51.71%	46.40%	D+5.3	59.53%	35.29%	D+24.2	D
82	61.00%	37.01%	D+24	71.24%	24.55%	D+46.7	D
83	86.80%	12.13%	D+74.7	88.45%	8.62%	D+79.8	D
84	86.06%	12.96%	D+73.1	88.43%	8.98%	D+79.5	D
85	85.47%	13.30%	D+72.2	86.00%	10.70%	D+75.3	D
86	77.13%	21.82%	D+55.3	79.72%	17.14%	D+62.6	D
87	83.03%	16.15%	D+66.9	83.50%	14.06%	D+69.4	D
88	77.84%	21.44%	D+56.4	79.10%	18.35%	D+60.8	D
89	89.42%	9.07%	D+80.3	90.41%	6.40%	D+84	D
90	76.41%	23.09%	D+53.3	76.26%	22.14%	D+54.1	D
91	71.58%	27.81%	D+43.8	73.80%	24.25%	D+49.5	D
92	81.39%	18.08%	D+63.3	81.15%	16.93%	D+64.2	D
93	76.70%	22.66%	D+54	78.87%	19.09%	D+59.8	D
94	79.72%	19.56%	D+60.2	80.73%	17.01%	D+63.7	D
95	42.53%	55.99%	R+13.5	49.81%	45.53%	D+4.3	R
96	56.53%	41.64%	D+14.9	61.84%	34.14%	D+27.7	D
97	32.15%	66.25%	R+34.1	41.38%	54.28%	R+12.9	R
98	30.33%	68.23%	R+37.9	34.80%	61.14%	R+26.3	R
99	71.34%	27.36%	D+44	74.04%	22.41%	D+51.6	D
100	75.08%	23.78%	D+51.3	76.18%	20.68%	D+55.5	D
101	47.33%	51.24%	R+3.9	54.22%	41.58%	D+12.6	D
102	38.64%	59.59%	R+20.9	45.67%	49.43%	R+3.8	R
103	22.68%	75.95%	R+53.3	26.93%	69.29%	R+42.4	R
104	30.82%	67.93%	R+37.1	40.21%	56.12%	R+15.9	R
105	50.77%	48.36%	D+2.4	52.14%	44.88%	D+7.3	R
106	42.29%	56.44%	R+14.1	49.74%	47.07%	D+2.7	R
107	45.20%	53.22%	R+8	53.78%	42.22%	D+11.6	R
108	38.64%	59.72%	R+21.1	48.10%	47.65%	D+0.5	R
109	38.25%	60.84%	R+22.6	43.64%	53.70%	R+10.1	R
110	38.67%	60.44%	R+21.8	38.94%	58.73%	R+19.8	R
111	49.19%	49.81%	R+0.6	50.02%	47.45%	D+2.6	R
112	30.34%	68.53%	R+38.2	28.46%	69.09%	R+40.6	R
113	70.01%	29.34%	D+40.7	70.93%	27.16%	D+43.8	D
114	24.42%	74.28%	R+49.9	27.08%	69.78%	R+42.7	R
115	25.05%	73.96%	R+48.9	21.86%	75.71%	R+53.8	R
116	22.38%	75.96%	R+53.6	21.50%	74.72%	R+53.2	R
117	43.85%	54.33%	R+10.5	46.06%	49.44%	R+3.4	D
118	70.03%	27.73%	D+42.3	72.30%	23.85%	D+48.4	D
119	39.17%	58.60%	R+19.4	43.90%	51.13%	R+7.2	D
120	37.24%	61.81%	R+24.6	35.23%	62.85%	R+27.6	R
121	34.55%	64.38%	R+29.8	33.78%	63.33%	R+29.6	R
122	25.27%	73.58%	R+48.3	27.39%	68.99%	R+41.6	R
123	30.23%	68.67%	R+38.4	32.20%	64.30%	R+32.1	R
124	68.87%	30.10%	D+38.8	67.16%	29.95%	D+37.2	D
125	64.05%	35.27%	D+28.8	61.49%	36.47%	D+25	D
126	71.14%	28.33%	D+42.8	67.70%	30.69%	D+37	D
127	71.70%	27.73%	D+44	69.62%	28.60%	D+41	D
128	58.68%	40.74%	D+17.9	53.91%	45.01%	D+8.9	D
129	34.82%	64.33%	R+29.5	30.56%	67.28%	R+36.7	R
130	41.36%	57.52%	R+16.2	38.50%	59.23%	R+20.7	R
131	30.10%	69.02%	R+38.9	26.45%	71.84%	R+45.4	R
132	52.31%	46.76%	D+5.5	47.39%	50.36%	R+3	D
133	26.96%	72.09%	R+45.1	26.40%	71.27%	R+44.9	R
134	32.39%	66.58%	R+34.2	33.09%	63.59%	R+30.5	R
135	75.20%	24.15%	D+51.1	71.83%	25.62%	D+46.2	D
136	76.64%	22.90%	D+53.7	74.36%	23.45%	D+50.9	D
137	61.33%	38.05%	D+23.3	57.56%	40.47%	D+17.1	D
138	49.61%	49.57%	D+0	44.79%	53.44%	R+8.7	D
139	62.73%	36.73%	D+26	56.98%	41.79%	D+15.2	D
140	42.66%	56.37%	R+13.7	36.47%	61.24%	R+24.8	R
141	33.52%	65.50%	R+32	35.91%	61.38%	R+25.5	R
142	72.69%	26.82%	D+45.9	69.80%	28.67%	D+41.1	D
143	72.80%	26.38%	D+46.4	72.74%	24.59%	D+48.2	D
144	37.33%	61.88%	R+24.5	33.67%	64.40%	R+30.7	R
145	49.55%	49.52%	D+0	45.42%	52.08%	R+6.7	R
146	33.17%	65.78%	R+32.6	33.28%	63.67%	R+30.4	R
147	42.82%	55.88%	R+13.1	45.91%	50.87%	R+5	R
148	36.88%	62.49%	R+25.6	32.66%	65.69%	R+33	R
149	34.99%	64.01%	R+29	28.75%	69.67%	R+40.9	R
150	38.10%	61.18%	R+23.1	34.09%	64.38%	R+30.3	R
151	56.09%	43.44%	D+12.7	52.05%	46.87%	D+5.2	R
152	27.10%	72.15%	R+45	24.18%	74.01%	R+49.8	R
153	65.09%	34.35%	D+30.7	64.29%	34.03%	D+30.3	D
154	64.12%	35.37%	D+28.7	61.05%	37.84%	D+23.2	D
155	32.85%	66.34%	R+33.5	27.89%	70.48%	R+42.6	R
156	27.90%	71.11%	R+43.2	23.40%	75.08%	R+51.7	R
157	31.00%	68.11%	R+37.1	25.57%	72.59%	R+47	R
158	40.23%	59.08%	R+18.8	34.85%	63.53%	R+28.7	R
159	36.50%	62.45%	R+25.9	31.08%	66.39%	R+35.3	R
160	34.41%	64.13%	R+29.7	30.97%	65.40%	R+34.4	R
161	30.32%	68.49%	R+38.2	31.61%	65.21%	R+33.6	R
162	71.15%	27.88%	D+43.3	69.50%	27.89%	D+41.6	D
163	72.75%	26.10%	D+46.7	73.06%	23.61%	D+49.4	D
164	41.85%	57.06%	R+15.2	41.94%	54.18%	R+12.2	R
165	66.44%	32.76%	D+33.7	68.06%	29.12%	D+38.9	D
166	29.14%	69.78%	R+40.6	31.24%	65.39%	R+34.2	R
167	32.87%	66.15%	R+33.3	30.01%	67.57%	R+37.6	R
168	64.64%	34.46%	D+30.2	59.49%	37.96%	D+21.5	D
169	31.08%	67.86%	R+36.8	25.60%	72.82%	R+47.2	R
170	30.62%	68.45%	R+37.8	26.38%	71.80%	R+45.4	R
171	41.06%	58.25%	R+17.2	36.53%	62.23%	R+25.7	R
172	35.73%	63.65%	R+27.9	31.21%	67.02%	R+35.8	R
173	43.69%	55.72%	R+12	40.54%	57.80%	R+17.3	R
174	30.98%	68.00%	R+37	26.14%	71.93%	R+45.8	R
175	32.86%	66.33%	R+33.5	36.55%	61.37%	R+24.8	R
176	33.55%	65.50%	R+32	29.41%	68.46%	R+39.1	R
177	66.82%	32.35%	D+34.5	51.94%	45.63%	D+6.3	D
178	16.00%	82.80%	R+66.8	12.05%	86.54%	R+74.5	R
179	42.01%	57.11%	R+15.1	39.66%	57.92%	R+18.3	R
180	33.80%	64.90%	R+31.1	30.05%	66.93%	R+36.9	R
Total	45.51%	53.33%	R+7.8	45.89%	51.05%	R+5.2	-
Source: Daily Kos

Republican winning streak

See also: Winning streaks in 2018 gubernatorial elections

Kemp's victory in the general election was the fifth in a series beginning with Sonny Perdue's (R) victory in 2002, continuing a record-long Republican winning streak in Georgia gubernatorial elections. The longest Democratic winning streak in state history was 52 elections, occurring between 1871 and 1998.

State election history

2014

See also: Georgia gubernatorial election, 2014

Governor of Georgia, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Nathan Deal Incumbent	52.7%	1,345,237
	Democratic	Jason Carter	44.9%	1,144,794
	Libertarian	Andrew Hunt	2.4%	60,185
Total Votes				2,550,216
Election results via Georgia Secretary of State

2010

See also: Georgia gubernatorial election, 2010

Governor of Georgia, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Roy E. Barnes	43%	1,107,011
	Republican	Nathan Deal	53%	1,365,832
	Libertarian	John H. Monds	4%	103,194
	NA	Write-in	0%	124
Total Votes				2,576,161

Wave election analysis

See also: Wave elections (1918-2016)

The term wave election is frequently used to describe an election cycle in which one party makes significant electoral gains. How many seats would Republicans have had to lose for the 2018 midterm election to be considered a wave election?

Ballotpedia examined the results of the 50 election cycles that occurred between 1918 and 2016—spanning from President Woodrow Wilson's (D) second midterm in 1918 to Donald Trump's (R) first presidential election in 2016. We define wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in that period resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party.

Applying this definition to gubernatorial elections, we found that Republicans needed to lose seven seats for 2018 to qualify as a wave election.

The chart below shows the number of seats the president's party lost in the 11 gubernatorial waves from 1918 to 2016. Click here to read the full report.

Gubernatorial wave elections
Year	President	Party	Election type	Gubernatorial seats change	Elections analyzed
1970	Nixon	R	First midterm	-12	35
1922	Harding	R	First midterm	-11	33
1932	Hoover	R	Presidential	-10	35
1920	Wilson	D	Presidential	-10	36
1994	Clinton	D	First midterm	-10	36
1930	Hoover	R	First midterm	-9	33
1938	Roosevelt	D	Second midterm	-9	33
1966	Johnson	D	First midterm	-9	35
1954	Eisenhower	R	First midterm	-8	33
1982	Reagan	R	First midterm	-7	36
2010	Obama	D	First midterm	-7	33

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Georgia heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

• Following the 2016 elections, Republicans held both U.S. Senate seats in Georgia.
• Republicans held 10 of 14 U.S. House seats in Georgia.

State executives

• As of September 2018, Republicans held 12 of 15 state executive positions, while three positions were held by nonpartisan officials.
• The governor of Georgia was Republican Nathan Deal. The state held an election for governor on November 6, 2018.

State legislature

• Republicans controlled both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly. They had a 114-64 majority in the state House and a 37-19 majority in the state Senate.

Trifecta status

• Georgia was a Republican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party controlled the state government. Nathan Deal (R) served as governor and Republicans controlled the state legislature.

2018 elections

See also: Georgia elections, 2018

Georgia held elections for the following positions in 2018:

• 14 U.S. House seats
• Governor
• Nine lower state executive positions
• 56 state Senate seats
• 180 state House seats
• Municipal elections in DeKalb and Fulton Counties

Demographics

Demographic data for Georgia
	Georgia	U.S.
Total population:	10,199,398	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	57,513	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	60.2%	73.6%
Black/African American:	30.9%	12.6%
Asian:	3.6%	5.1%
Native American:	0.3%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.1%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	9.1%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	85.4%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	28.8%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$49,620	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	21.1%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Georgia. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

As of July 2017, Georgia's three largest cities were Atlanta (pop. est. 470,000), Columbus (pop. est. 200,000), and Augusta (pop. est. 200,000).

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Georgia from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Georgia Secretary of State.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Georgia every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), Georgia 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2016	Donald Trump	51.1%	Hillary Clinton	45.9%	5.2%
2012	Mitt Romney	53.3%	Barack Obama	45.5%	7.8%
2008	John McCain	52.2%	Barack Obama	47.0%	5.2%
2004	George Bush	58.0%	John Kerry	41.4%	16.6%
2000	George Bush	55.0%	Al Gore	43.2%	11.8%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Georgia from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), Georgia 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2016	Johnny Isakson	54.8%	Jim Barksdale	41.0%	13.8%
2014	David Perdue	52.9%	Michelle Nunn	45.2%	7.7%
2010	Johnny Isakson	58.3%	Mike Thurmond	39.0%	19.3%
2008	Saxby Chambliss	49.8%	Jim Martin	46.8%	3.0%
2004	Johnny Isakson	57.9%	Denise Majette	40.0%	17.9%
2002	Saxby Chambliss	52.8%	Max Cleland	45.9%	6.9%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Georgia.

Election results (Governor), Georgia 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2014	Nathan Deal	52.8%	Jason Carter	44.9%	7.9%
2010	Nathan Deal	53.0%	Roy Barnes	43.0%	10.0%
2006	Sonny Perdue	57.9%	Mark Taylor	38.2%	19.7%
2002	Sonny Perdue	51.4%	Roy Barnes	46.3%	5.1%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Georgia in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, Georgia 2000-2016
Year	Republicans	Republicans (%)	Democrats	Democrats (%)	Balance of power
2016	10	71.4%	4	28.6%	R+6
2014	10	71.4%	4	28.6%	R+6
2012	9	64.3%	5	35.7%	R+4
2010	8	61.5%	5	38.5%	R+3
2008	7	53.8%	6	46.2%	R+1
2006	7	53.8%	6	46.2%	R+1
2004	7	53.8%	6	46.2%	R+1
2002	8	61.5%	5	38.5%	R+3
2000	8	72.7%	3	27.3%	R+5

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

Georgia Party Control: 1992-2024
Eleven years of Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

See also

Georgia government:

• Georgia state executive offices
• Georgia State Legislature
• Georgia courts

Elections:

• Georgia state executive official elections, 2018
• Gubernatorial elections, 2018
• Lieutenant gubernatorial elections, 2018
• Attorney General elections, 2018
• Secretary of State elections, 2018
• State executive official elections, 2018, 2017, 2016

Ballotpedia exclusives:

• State executives compensation
• State of the state addresses
• Trifecta control of state government

External links

Suggest a link

• Governor of Georgia official website