POLITICS

Georgia primaries: spending, turnout shape competitive fall races

PUBLISHED May 18, 2026, 5:22 AM ET

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Media Bias Meter

Sources: 11

Left 9%

Center 91%

Sources: 11

Atlanta. Voters cast ballots in Tuesday's Georgia primary, where record fundraising and heavy Republican spending contrasted with Democrats driving a surge in turnout that exceeded prior cycles; pre-election early voting surpassed one million, giving Democrats a nearly 15 percent turnout advantage over Republicans and pushing many contests toward June 16 runoffs. Sen. Jon Ossoff faces a strengthened defense after Senate Majority PAC announced a $20 million television reservation on Monday to bolster his reelection effort against whomever wins the GOP contest, where contenders Mike Collins, Buddy Carter and Derek Dooley — backed by Gov. Brian Kemp — compete; attention also centers on two Georgia Supreme Court seats after last month's Supreme Court decision.

By Daniel Hayes | JQJO News

Aggregated From:

WWNO FOX 5 Atlanta Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer

Timeline of Events

Last month: Supreme Court issues decision affecting part of the Voting Rights Act, raising attention to state judicial races.
Before Election Day: Over one million Georgians cast early ballots; Democrats held a roughly 15% turnout advantage.
Monday: Senate Majority PAC announced a $20 million television reservation to support Sen. Jon Ossoff.
Tuesday: Georgia held primary elections with divisive Republican contests and record fundraising; several races remained undecided.
16th June 2026: Multiple contests are poised to proceed to runoffs to determine final nominees.

News Intelligence

Georgia's primary elections can impact your rights and services. The surge in Democratic turnout and heavy Republican spending could shape future policies. Keep an eye on the June 16 runoffs. They'll finalize the nominees.

Media Bias

Articles Published:: 11
Right Leaning:: 0
Left Leaning:: 1
Neutral:: 10

Who Benefited

Senate Majority PAC and Sen. Jon Ossoff benefited from an early $20 million television reservation that secures fall airtime to defend his seat and shape messaging before Republicans select a nominee.

Who Impacted

Republican candidates and state party strategists faced intensified scrutiny and resource competition as divisive primaries and strong Democratic turnout complicated unified general-election planning.

Media Bias