Georgia is among a number of key “swing” or “battleground” states being fought for hardest in the run-up to the United States midterm elections next week. The southern state has been so competitive in recent federal election cycles that its three most recent Senate matchups went to runoffs. Both the Republican and the Democratic parties have spent considerable time and resources trying to win the state during the closing stretch of their campaigns.
US President Donald Trump and former US President Barack Obama both held rallies in Georgia this week, as the parties present their closing messages ahead of next week’s vote. Georgia is a major focus for Trump, and he has campaigned twice in Dalton, Georgia, in the past two weeks. The state is a source of personal grievance for the president, primarily because it was where he disputed his preelection loss in 2020.
Trump refused to concede to Joe Biden following his defeat but failed to overturn the results in several states, including Georgia. In January, Trump urged a Georgia official to recalculate the state’s presidential election results in his favour. Trump said “I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have”.
In 2023, Trump and others were charged with attempting to overturn the 2020 US election loss in Georgia. That case was dismissed “in its entirety” after Trump was returned to office. During his re-election campaign in 2024, Trump revived unfounded claims that his loss in 2020 was the result of “massive fraud”, despite audits which upheld Biden’s win.
In 2024, Georgia voted for Trump by a 2.2 percentage point margin. It was the 28th largest margin for Trump among the 50 states, leaving the state as one which could go either way this time, observers say. Georgia will be voting for its Governor, one senator and its House representatives.
For the Senate, incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff has a solid lead of 52.6 percent to Republican Mike Collins’ 42.4 percent, according to MS NOW polling averages. Polls indicate a tight Governor’s race, however. Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms is up against Republican Rick Jackson.
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