Officially, Election Day in Georgia is November 3, but more than 1 million Georgians have already voted early. Here is where marquee statewide races and both Public Service Commission contests stand as of October 21.
U.S. Senate: Senator Jon Ossoff (D) vs. Congressman Mike Collins (R)
This race looks on paper less competitive than the others down ballot. A Quantus Insights poll from October 15–17 found Ossoff ahead 51.8% to 44.9%, and that poll’s write-up put public polling averages around Ossoff +9. Newsweek recently noted Senator Ossoff has led every public poll since this summer.
Collins won the GOP nomination in a June runoff after a late Trump endorsement, defeating Brian Kemp-backed Derek Dooley. The campaign rhetoric has featured sharp attacks both ways. Collins accuses Ossoff of using the Senate as a launchpad for a 2028 presidential run, which Ossoff denies, and tries to link him to the Democratic Socialists of America. Ossoff often accuses Collins of backing tariffs and votes that raised health premiums. Collins has been criticized over controversies involving his son-in-law’s online videos and texts from a former chief of staff.
Energy Angle: Obviously, United States Senators cannot set Georgia Power’s rates. But they can influence and direct federal tax credits, tariffs, and fuel policy to shape energy costs. Collins argues Trump’s tax cuts, deregulation and energy policies are the route to lower prices. Ossoff criticizes the rollback of federal policies supporting the green energy industry and has opened an investigation into whether data center growth is contributing to higher electricity bills. The pair also goes back and forth on gas prices, with Ossoff tying them to the war and tariffs. Ultimately, the winner will be impactful in ushering in (or not) the final two years of the Trump administration’s energy policies.
Governor: Former Mayor of Atlanta Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) vs. Healthcare CEO Rick Jackson (R)
The battle for the Governor’s Mansion remains the closest major race on the ballot. Popular Governor Brian Kemp is term-limited, and the most recent Atlanta Journal/UGA poll has Jackson at 46% and Bottoms at 45%, with 8% undecided. Independents lean Bottoms 43–38, but 18% of them are still undecided. An InsiderAdvantage poll from mid-October also showed a slim Jackson lead inside its margin of error.
Jackson, a healthcare CEO who announced his campaign in February has run a very aggressive TV campaign, with self-funding that set the record for a Georgia gubernatorial primary. He tied himself to Trump during the primary, but has begun to take on a more moderate tone throughout the general election. Bottoms, a former Atlanta mayor, with a complicated record, would become the nation’s first Black female governor if elected. Jackson and Bottoms have only met once for a debate, and there is not one scheduled between now and Nov. 3rd. Jackson has been bolstered as of late due to Governor Brian Kemp’s endorsement (Kemp’s approval rating in the AJC poll was nearly 70%, so his lean in this race matters). President Obama, and a litany of democratic 2028 hopefuls are set to campaign for Bottoms and Ossoff in metro Atlanta over the next few weeks.
Energy Angle: The governor signs or vetoes energy legislation and has, in the past, appointed PSC members (Kemp appointed Fitz Johnson in 2021). The candidates have split on data centers. Bottoms wants an immediate statewide freeze on new projects. Bottoms also co-signed PSC Commissioner Hubbard’s proposals requiring data centers to run on clean energy, pay for their infrastructure, operate without nondisclosure agreements and protect communities. Jackson rejects a blanket ban. He says he wouldn’t approve new construction without local approval, environmental standards and a commitment that local power bills would fall, and he prefers that local governments keep making the decisions.
Lieutenant Governor: State Sen. Greg Dolezal (R) vs. State Sen. Josh McLaurin (D)
Both candidates for Lt. Governor are current state senators. McLaurin has run as a foil to Trump loyalists and appeal as a legislator who can work across party lines, while Dolezal has run as an ardent Trump supporter. Dolezal has drawn controversy throughout this year due to his use of incendiary AI animated ads, but still remains the more favored candidate of the business community.
Polling is tight. A recent Quantus poll has the race inside the margin of error, with Dolezal ahead among independents 48–43. It also found McLaurin and Bottoms running well behind Ossoff, a pattern worth watching on election night. A previous July poll had McLaurin up 48–44.
Energy Angle: The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate, and serves as the Senate President which can serve as the gatekeeper for legislation reaching the floor. Sen. Dolezal, the Republican nominee, signed a bill to stop new sales-tax exemptions for data centers, and he has criticized the $1.5 billion annual giveaway to data centers. McLaurin has been less specific on his positions specifically on utility regulation, but remains consumer affordability focused.
Attorney General: State Sen. Brian Strickland (R) vs. State Rep. Tanya Miller (D)
Incumbent Attorney General Chris Carr left to run for governor, so this seat is open. Democrats haven’t won it since 2006. Miller, a state representative and former prosecutor, chairs the House Democratic Caucus and has pledged to crack down on fraud and predatory lending. Strickland, a Republican state senator, serves as the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman and has years of institutional knowledge serving two terms in the House before being elected to the State Senate in 2018. Strickland's central message has been focused on public safety, law enforcement cooperation, consumer fraud enforcement, and protecting Georgia's interests. He has also emphasized holding technology companies accountable and addressing crimes involving emerging technologies. There is not much public polling on this race compared to the top of the ticket, so we will continue to monitor.
Energy Angle: The AG doesn’t regulate utilities, but it is a part of the consumer-advocacy debate. A bill that stalled in 2025 would have revived the Consumers’ Utility Counsel, housed under the Attorney General’s office. Neither candidate has been very vocal on direct energy issues; however, Rep. Miller has attempted to brand Sen. Strickland as pro-data center as his family land was prospected years ago for a data center. Those attacks have fallen short a bit as Strickland emphasized that although they were contacted about their land, there was never serious consideration and they never shopped it.
Public Service Commission: Two Seats, Partisan Control at Stake
Public Service Commission races are statewide even though candidates run by district. The commission partisan breakdown is currently 3–2 Republican, last year, Democrats Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson won the party’s first seats since 2006 in what became a referendum on power bills. If Democrats win both seats this year, they would take a 3–2 majority.
District 3: Commissioner Peter Hubbard (D-Incumbent) vs. Former Commissioner Fitz Johnson (R)
This is a rematch. Hubbard won the 2025 special election with nearly 63% and took office in January. Hubbard is a clean-energy consultant who argues data centers should pay the costs of their own power demand rather than shifting them to residential customers. Hubbard has articulated a data center plan focused on four main priorities: Make data centers pay their own way, prioritize clean energy, increase transparency. Protect communities and workers. Johnson, a Kemp appointee and Army veteran who served until December 2025, emphasizes reliability and affordability and defends the commission’s existing rules for large users. He also survived an eligibility challenge when a judge ruled his legal domicile was in District 3.
District 5 (open): Shelia Edwards (D) vs. Josh Tolbert
Republican Tricia Pridemore chose to run for Congress instead of seeking re-election. Tolbert is a mechanical engineer who says technical expertise should carry more weight in reviewing utility proposals, and he supports customer access to solar. Edwards is a community advocate and journalist who wants data centers to pay their fair share and supports expanding net metering. Many news outlets have framed these contests as a test of whether pocketbook issues and data-center concerns can cut across party lines. Currently, there is limited public polling on both PSC races, but we expect the outcome to look similar to races towards the top of the ticket.
