COLUMBUS, Ga. - Democrats won Georgia's governor's race, retained a U.S. Senate seat and captured every statewide executive office on the ballot in Tuesday's election, according to unofficial results reported Nov. 3 and 4. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson to become Georgia's first woman elected governor, while incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff defeated Republican Mike Collins. Voters also approved all three proposed constitutional amendments, changing rules for farmland tax benefits and probate judge elections while authorizing lawmakers to establish a dedicated emergency 911 fund.

The results mark a change in party control of Georgia's governor's office and several other statewide positions. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp did not seek another term, leaving an open contest that Bottoms won. All results remain unofficial until counties complete certification and the state certifies the election.

Bottoms Wins Governor's Race, Defeats Jackson

The Associated Press called the governor's race for Bottoms at 9:25 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Jackson, the Republican nominee, conceded at approximately 9:31 p.m. and thanked his supporters. Jackson had defeated Burt Jones in the June 16 Republican runoff to secure his party's nomination.

Bottoms, a Democrat and former Atlanta mayor, becomes the first woman elected governor of Georgia and the first Black woman elected governor in the United States. WSB-TV reported that she is the fourth Black governor in U.S. history. Exact statewide vote totals for the governor's race had not been confirmed when this report was written.

In a victory speech in downtown Atlanta, Bottoms said she would govern for the entire state regardless of how residents voted, according to CBS News Atlanta. Her election shifts the governor's office from Republican to Democratic control. President Donald Trump had supported Jackson, who lost the governor's race, and Collins, who lost the U.S. Senate contest, according to WSB-TV.

Ossoff Wins Second Term in U.S. Senate

Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff won reelection over Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, securing a second term in Washington. The Associated Press called the Senate race at 7:56 p.m. Eastern on election night. Ossoff received a majority of the vote, eliminating the need for a December runoff.

The victory keeps Georgia's Senate seat in Democratic hands rather than transferring it to Republicans. Axios described the outcome as an important Democratic hold in a state that Trump narrowly carried in the 2024 presidential election. Ossoff delivered a victory speech in downtown Atlanta following the race call.

A Dec. 1 runoff date had been discussed as a possibility if no candidate received a majority. Because Ossoff won a majority, that additional election will not take place. His reelection is among the major statewide outcomes reported from Tuesday's voting.

Democrats Win Other Statewide Offices

Democrats also won Georgia's other statewide executive contests, according to unofficial results reported by WSB-TV. Josh McLaurin defeated Republican Greg Dolezal for lieutenant governor, with Dolezal conceding the race. Tanya Miller defeated Republican Brian Strickland for attorney general, becoming the first woman and first Black woman elected to that position in Georgia.

Penny Brown Reynolds defeated Republican Tim Fleming for secretary of state. Katherine Juhan-Arnold defeated incumbent Republican Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, while Keisha Sean Waites defeated incumbent Republican Insurance Commissioner John King. Those results move the agriculture and insurance offices from Republican to Democratic control.

Democrat Nikki Porcher defeated incumbent Republican Labor Commissioner Barbara Rivera Holmes. Lydia Powell, also a Democrat, defeated incumbent Republican State School Superintendent Richard Woods. Both positions change party control according to the unofficial election results.

Democrats Peter Hubbard and Shelia Edwards won the two Public Service Commission contests on the ballot. WSB-TV reported that several Republican state leaders seeking reelection were defeated. Together with the governor's race, the results give Democrats every statewide executive position listed in the election reporting, subject to certification.

Georgia's U.S. House Results

Georgia's congressional results included victories by incumbents from both political parties. Democratic U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop won reelection in District 2, while Democratic incumbents Hank Johnson in District 4, Nikema Williams in District 5 and Lucy McBath in District 6 also retained their seats. The results keep those districts represented by their current officeholders.

Republican incumbents also retained several congressional seats. Brian Jack won District 3, Rich McCormick won District 7, Austin Scott won District 8, Andrew Clyde won District 9 and Rick Allen won District 12. Clay Fuller won District 14, securing his first full term after previously winning a special election to fill the seat left by Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Four districts elected new representatives, according to the reported results. Democrat Jasmine Clark won District 13, while Republicans Houston Gaines, John Cowan and James Kingston won Districts 10, 11 and 1, respectively. WSB-TV reported that every incumbent Republican U.S. representative from Georgia retained their seat.

Nationally, ABC News projected Democrats would take control of both chambers of Congress, according to WSB-TV's election coverage. The network projected Democratic control of the U.S. House at 10:17 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday and Democratic control of the U.S. Senate at 11:32 p.m. Those national outcomes were projections reported on election night.

Amendment 1 Expands Farmland Tax Eligibility

Georgia voters approved Amendment 1, increasing the maximum acreage eligible for bona fide conservation use property treatment from 2,000 acres to 4,000 acres. Unofficial results compiled by Ballotpedia showed 1,890,149 votes in favor, or 54%, compared with 1,634,919 votes against, or 46%. The amendment required a simple majority of voters participating in that ballot question.

Georgia's conservation use program provides a 10-year property tax reduction for qualifying farmland, timberland and green space. Under the program, qualifying property is taxed at 40% of the land's value, according to Ballotpedia. Violating the conservation use covenant can require repayment of tax savings and additional penalties.

The amendment changes the maximum acreage that can qualify under the program rather than eliminating its existing covenant requirements. The new ceiling is 4,000 acres, twice the previous 2,000-acre limit. The unofficial vote totals show the measure receiving majority support statewide.

Amendment 2 Makes Probate Judge Elections Nonpartisan

Amendment 2 passed with the largest percentage of support among the three ballot measures. According to Ballotpedia's unofficial figures, the proposal received 2,405,191 yes votes, or 68%, compared with 1,128,400 no votes, or 32%. The measure establishes nonpartisan elections for all Georgia probate court judges.

Probate court judges handle matters including wills, estates, marriage licenses and firearms licenses. Under the constitutional change, future elections for those judgeships must be conducted without partisan designations. The amendment applies to future elections rather than changing the reported results of Tuesday's contests.

The statewide result establishes a uniform nonpartisan election requirement for probate judges. Approval required a simple majority of those voting on the amendment. The unofficial results show that the proposal exceeded that threshold.

Amendment 3 Authorizes Dedicated 911 Fund

Georgia voters also approved Amendment 3, allowing the General Assembly to dedicate certain existing revenues to a Georgia Next Generation 911 Fund. Ballotpedia reported 2,037,006 yes votes, or 55%, and 1,684,627 no votes, or 45%. The proposed fund would be nonlapsing and restricted to the expansion, maintenance and operation of emergency 911 systems.

The amendment allows lawmakers to dedicate qualifying existing revenues, including revenue reallocated under state law, to the fund. Potential improvements include upgraded cellphone location tracking and capabilities involving text or video communications with 911 systems. The Georgia House voted 162-0 on March 4, 2026, to place the proposal before voters.

Approval of the amendment does not mean the dedicated fund has already been established. The General Assembly must still pass legislation to create and implement the fund. The election result provides constitutional authorization for that legislative action.

Election Turnout and Ballot Processing

More than 4.1 million votes had been cast statewide by 8:04 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Georgia Secretary of State's Office as reported by WSB-TV. That figure included approximately 2.8 million early votes. The figures reflected the reported statewide count at that point in the evening.

Polls closed at 7 p.m., although two voting locations in Gwinnett and Mitchell counties remained open a few minutes longer. Fulton County requested that slightly more than 1,000 early-voting ballots be rescanned following scanner malfunctions at two sites. Those ballot-processing issues were among the election-day developments reported by WSB-TV.

The U.S. Department of Justice also had election monitors in six Georgia counties. Those counties were Bibb, Chatham, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett. The monitoring activity and Fulton County ballot rescanning were reported separately from the unofficial statewide race outcomes.

What the Results Mean for Columbus

For Columbus residents, the statewide outcomes include a new governor, a second Senate term for Ossoff and changes in several state executive offices. Sanford Bishop also won reelection to Georgia's 2nd Congressional District. The three approved constitutional amendments establish statewide changes affecting farmland eligibility, future probate judge elections and legislative authority over dedicated 911 funding.

Columbus is located in Muscogee County, where local election results have not yet been confirmed for this report. The Muscogee County Board of Elections says it will certify results following its Nov. 9 meeting at 3 p.m. Until certification is completed, the statewide and congressional outcomes reported here remain unofficial.

Readers looking for official results can consult the Georgia Secretary of State's election results page. Information from Columbus-Muscogee County government is also available at columbusga.gov. Statewide certification must still occur after the county certification process.

What to Know

The major statewide result is a Democratic sweep of the governor's race and the other executive offices covered in the election reporting. Bottoms defeated Jackson for governor, Ossoff defeated Collins for U.S. Senate, and Democrats won the contests for lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, agriculture commissioner, insurance commissioner, labor commissioner and state school superintendent. Democrats also won both Public Service Commission seats on Tuesday's ballot.

Georgia voters approved all three constitutional amendments, with the farmland acreage limit increasing to 4,000 acres and future probate judge elections becoming nonpartisan. The third amendment authorizes lawmakers to establish a dedicated fund for emergency 911 systems, but further legislation is required to put that fund in place. None of the three measures was defeated, according to Ballotpedia's unofficial results.

The next step is certification of the election results by counties and the state. Muscogee County's board has scheduled its certification action for after the Nov. 9 meeting at 3 p.m., and local race results have not been independently confirmed for this report. The Georgia Secretary of State's results page and columbusga.gov are the identified sources for official election information.