The Georgia Democratic Party is running full speed ahead into the 2026 gubernatorial election, releasing a new so-called Peach State Gubernatorial War Room focused on “holding Republican candidates accountable.”
The bullish PR move from state party Chairman Charlie Bailey, reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, comes less than one week before early voting for the state’s primaries begins. Bailey says the staff of the war room will be “calling out the GOP gubernatorial candidates’ extreme positions at every turn and showcasing how they are not fit to lead Georgia” in the publication.
“While the leading Republican candidates spend nearly $100 million telling Georgians just how extreme and out-of-touch they are, Georgia Democrats will continue to focus on kitchen-table issues like lowering costs, creating good-paying jobs, expanding access to health care, and protecting our fundamental freedoms,” Bailey wrote in the war room memo.
The Washington Examiner has reached out to the Georgia GOP for comment.
With term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) heading out the door, Georgia candidates are facing off in open primaries on both sides of the ballot. On the GOP side, the main front-runners are current Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, businessman Rick Jackson, and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
President Donald Trump endorsed Jones, but Jones and Jackson are in a competitive primary race to win over Georgia’s MAGA voters.
Bailey slammed the GOP primary front-runners, saying Jones and Jackson are in a “nearly $100 million race to the bottom between two deeply out-of-touch rich guys.” He pointed out that election forecaster Sabato’s Crystal Ball moved the state to a “toss-up” in an effort to project confidence.
On the Democratic side, the main front-runners are former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former state Sen. Jason Esteves, and former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond. The race is likely to head to a runoff, which would be scheduled for June 16.
The Georgia GOP is also ripping the Democratic candidates for “pushing an agenda that’s completely out of step with Georgia families.”
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In a statement following the Democratic candidate debate this week, Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon bashed Democrats for not supporting the Riley Gaines Act on women’s sports, wanting to expand Medicaid, and advocating to break down cooperation between local police and federal immigration enforcement.
“Georgia Republicans stand for protecting women’s sports and private spaces, defending the Second Amendment, enforcing our laws, and delivering fiscal responsibility and economic growth without massive new government programs,” McKoon said. “Voters will have a clear choice in the months ahead, and we’re confident they’ll reject this out-of-touch agenda.”
