Democrats are feeling bullish about their chances of winning both the Senate and gubernatorial races in Georgia next year after the party won two special elections this week that were viewed as follows. potential bellwether The race beyond 2026.
Democrats picked up two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission on Tuesday, marking the first time in nearly two decades that the party has won a statewide constitutional office.
Republicans are ignoring special election victories and saying local elections ultimately increased Democratic participation. But Democrats believe the election results are giving the party reason to feel optimistic about Senator Jon Ossoff’s (D-Ga.) re-election and a chance to flip the governor’s mansion.
“I think it shows the momentum we’re going to have next year,” Democratic Party of Georgia Chairman Charlie Bailey told reporters Wednesday.
Democratic candidates Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard defeated incumbents Tim Echols and Fitz Johnson on Tuesday for Georgia Public Service Commission seats, two under-the-radar special elections that would normally be considered sleeper races.
But the party framed the campaigns as a referendum on the high cost of living as well as the GOP-controlled commission, where Georgia Power customers saw six rate increases within two years. Affordability was a central theme in Democrats’ campaigns across the country on Tuesday.
The Georgia Public Service Commission and Georgia Power reached an agreement earlier this year to freeze base rates between 2026 and 2028, though some argued that the money approved for fuel and storm damage costs would still include higher utility costs, According to the Georgia Recorder,
“None of those public service commissioners are Georgia Power customers,” Johnson said. Told 11Alive News before his election“On the other hand, I have been a Georgia Power customer for 52 years and so I understand what rate increases mean. I pay the same bills Georgia families are struggling with today.”
Democrats say Tuesday night’s victory emboldens the party as it prepares to defend Ossoff and flip the governor’s seat next year.
“We feel very excited,” Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Ken Martin said during a video call with reporters when asked by The Hill how the party is reading the special election results and what it could mean for the party in Georgia in the top state races next year.
Democratic strategist Fred Hicks said turnout in local races Tuesday exceeded his expectations, adding that the Public Service Commission races encouraged the higher numbers. He also said that voters are not afraid to hold their party accountable when it comes to issues like the economy.
“When you take on something like this, you have to deliver results,” said Democratic strategist Fred Hicks. “If you don’t do that, voters will change their minds, change their direction, whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican.”
Hicks also noted that Republican victories in Civil Service Commission races in the 1990s were some of the first signs of the party coming to power when Democrats controlled the Peach State.
This reached a peak in 2002 when Lauren “Bubba” McDonald, who was initially elected as a Democrat and later re-elected as a Republican, lost her reelection to the commission in addition to fellow Democrat Commissioner Arlene Sizemore. That same year, Republicans Sonny Perdue and Saxby Chambliss won their races for governor and Senate, respectively, defeating two Democratic incumbents.
However, a pair of recent polls are raising questions about whether this could be a sign of a turnaround in Democrats’ fortunes in the state.
The campaigns also see Tuesday night’s polls as a promising sign, saying they are focusing on the same issues around affordability that Johnson and Hubbard were considering Tuesday. The campaigns of Georgia gubernatorial candidates Jason Esteves (D) and Keisha Lance Bottoms both emphasized the affordability issue in statements to The Hill.
It is difficult to compare voter turnout between off-year and midterm elections, especially since more voters typically attend midterm races than off-year ones.
Republicans have largely argued that Democrats had a good night Tuesday as municipal elections showed stronger Democratic turnout than Republicans, rejecting the idea that they are predicting elections for the party next year.
Republican strategist Jay Williams, whose firm has worked on commissioner elections for some time, said, “Republicans didn’t have anything to vote on to combat it, so I personally wouldn’t put too much stock in it.”
Brian Robinson, a Republican strategist who worked in media for Johnson’s campaign and is working on the gubernatorial bid of Attorney General Chris Carr (R), called Tuesday night’s victory a bad environment for Republicans.
“I think one thing that was reiterated to Georgians on Tuesday, a lesson they should have known already, is that in a bad environment, a Democrat can win statewide, and a good Democrat candidate can defeat a bad Republican candidate in a neutral environment,” he said.
Nevertheless, some Republicans expressed disappointment that voter participation was very low on the party’s behalf. Patrick Parsons, former chief of staff to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), said in a video posted on The only reason he knew how to vote this week was because a friend mentioned the elections to him.
He also argued that Republicans need to offer legislative victories to give voters a reason to come out and vote.
“You have to do what you said you would, and that’s to clean up the mess that Joe Biden left this country with. That’s what we expect,” Parsons said in the video.
While some Democrats believe 2026 is shaping up to be much like 2018, where Democrats made inroads across the country to capitalize on anti-Trump sentiment and the health care issue, those victories won’t necessarily translate into wins across the board for the party.
That year, Democrat Stacey Abrams lost her first gubernatorial bid to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R), although by a close margin.
“When you look at them [who] Succeeding in Georgia since 2020 – That’s the difference: Do you speak effectively? Do you communicate effectively about the state and people’s individual economies, or do you focus more on social, cultural issues and national affairs?” Hicks said.
“It’s the difference between winning and losing in Georgia,” he said.
