Are Democrats leading in Georgia? Polls show Senate, governor split

The midterm elections are just a few months away, and the races in Georgia may be some of the most consequential in the United States. The state will soon have a new governor and senator, but many voters may be submitting split tickets.

On the national level, incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff is hoping to keep the MAGA base at bay and defeat Trump-endorsed Rep. Mike Collins for six more years in Congress. Ossoff ran unopposed in the Democratic primary while Collins had to compete not only in the initial Republican primary but an additional runoff race in June, ultimately coming out on top against former college football coach Derek Dooley.

The governor's mansion is also being vacated this year as two-term Republican Governor Brian Kemp is term limited and passing the torch to a new leader. Kemp gave a last-minute endorsement to his Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the days before a runoff race against healthcare CEO Rick Jackson, but Jackson prevailed in June and will be taking on former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Early polling for both races show results may come down to the wire, but one race is a little more clear-cut than the other.

Two polls show Ossoff leading Collins in tight Senate race

In recent polling from Fox News and Wick collected from voters at the end of June, Ossoff is leading Collins by a noticeable margin.

Ossoff is leading by 13%, according to Fox News data published July 1; 56% against Collins' 43%. Even with the poll's margin of error, 3%, Ossoff still has a clear lead following the results of the Republican runoff.

The results are similar, albeit closer, in the Wick poll published this week. Ossoff is leading 46.7% to Collins' 42.9%, a 3.8 point margin with notably only 10.4% of voters still undecided.

Ossoff has had lots of face time on social media and television as he ramps up his campaign and shoots down rumors of a 2028 presidential bid. He accuses Collins of corruption, being pro-war and points to the fact that Collins continues to say Trump won the 2020 election in Georgia as recently as June, despite investigations proving unfruitful and Department of Justice subpoenas being quashed in Fulton County.

Collins, on the other hand, has the Trump endorsement and has gotten support from other Republicans in the state. He paints Ossoff as a radical Leftist and focuses on issues like trans athletes and immigration. But, he has to contend with a House ethics investigation and lowering support for the Trump Administration, with which he is closely aligned.

Bottoms, Jackson split lead in recent polling

The governor's race is a bit more complicated.

Jackson, who only entered the political sphere earlier this year and who won the Republican nomination in his first campaign ever, surprised many Georgia conservatives in June. He was going against the Trump-endorsed and Kemp-endorsed candidate, and someone who had a lengthy legislative history to point to when campaigning. But, his outsider, businessman position elevated him to the top of the ticket.

He is going against someone with widespread name recognition. Bottoms served as mayor of Atlanta from 2018 to 2022, seeing the city through major events like the Black Lives Matter protests and the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bottoms is running against her own record after deciding to not seek a second mayoral term and instead serve in the Biden Administration.

In the Fox News poll, Bottoms was leading at the end of June with 52% support to Jackson's 47% support. With a 3% margin of error, the actual breakdown could be even closer.

In the Wick data which polled voters during the same time period, Jackson was beating Bottoms 43.2% to 42.7%, with just more than 14% of voters saying they were still undecided. This is a much closer margin than the Fox News poll and also the Senate race polls.

When is the midterm election?

The Georgia midterm general election will be held on Nov. 3. The last day to register to vote in the general election is Oct. 5.

Early voting will run across the state on Oct. 13 to 30. If a runoff election is needed it will be held on Dec. 1, with early voting in the week prior.

Irene Wright covers Georgia politics and elections as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA TODAY's Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Are Democrats leading in Georgia? Polls show Senate, governor split

Reporting by Irene Wright, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 12:33 PM.