A test of Trump’s political might is on display in the Peach State…
As voting officially gets underway in Georgia’s critical midterm contests, President Donald Trump and his political operation are facing one of their biggest tests of the 2026 cycle in a state that has repeatedly become ground zero for Republican power struggles.
With popular Republican Gov. Brian Kemp term-limited and a crucial Senate seat on the line, Georgia voters are deciding not only candidates but also whether Trump’s influence remains dominant inside the GOP — or whether other Republican power centers can still shape the state’s future.
Georgia has become one of the nation’s most unpredictable battlegrounds in recent years. The state delivered Democrats two Senate seats and helped propel former President Joe Biden to victory in 2020, before swinging back to Trump in 2024.
The fallout from the 2020 election still hangs over the state’s politics.
According to CBS News and ABC News reporting, several central figures from Georgia’s election battles are now competing for higher office. On the Republican side of the governor’s race, Brad Raffensperger — who rejected Trump’s claims of widespread election fraud and resisted efforts to overturn the 2020 results — is seeking the governor’s office. Joining him is Chris Carr, who declined to pursue election fraud claims pushed by Trump after the 2020 election.
They are competing against Burt Jones, a longtime Trump ally who signed onto an alternate-elector effort during the 2020 election dispute and has secured Trump’s endorsement.
But Trump’s support did not clear the field.
Billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson entered the race promising to become Trump’s “favorite governor” and pledged to spend heavily to win. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jackson has already spent more than $83 million on the race.
Advertising spending has exploded. According to AdImpact data cited by CBS News, television spending in the gubernatorial race surpassed $100 million, with Jackson accounting for roughly $56 million and Jones spending approximately $26 million. Anti-Jones groups have also poured millions into the contest.
The crowded Republican field raises the possibility that no candidate reaches Georgia’s required 50% threshold, triggering a runoff and extending an already expensive political fight.
Meanwhile, Trump’s influence is also being tested in Georgia’s Senate race.
Republicans are battling for the chance to challenge incumbent Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff, one of the party’s top targets this year.
ABC News reported that the Republican primary has become increasingly contentious, with candidates openly competing for Trump’s voters and his approval.
Rep. Buddy Carter framed his campaign around advancing Trump’s agenda, saying he wants to be a “warrior” for the president’s America First policies. Rep. Mike Collins similarly argued the Republican Party should continue Trump’s direction.
Yet Trump has notably stayed out of the race.
That vacuum has created an opening for former football coach Derek Dooley, who has earned Kemp’s backing. According to ABC News, Kemp has personally worked donors and deployed political resources to support Dooley.
The outcome could become a measure of Kemp’s own political influence as speculation continues about his future ambitions, including a possible 2028 presidential campaign.
Democrats also enter the cycle seeing opportunities in Georgia.
Former Keisha Lance Bottoms is viewed as the leading Democratic candidate for governor and has earned an endorsement from Joe Biden — his first endorsement since leaving office.
Former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is also seeking the Democrat nomination after breaking publicly with Trump in recent years.
Because Georgia requires candidates to receive at least 50% of the vote, crowded fields on both sides make runoffs increasingly likely.
For Team Trump, that means Georgia may provide an early answer to a larger question hanging over the 2026 cycle: Is Trump still the singular force driving the Republican political machine?
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