“Stacey Abrams won’t be on the Georgia ballot in 2026,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

“The two-time Democratic nominee for governor definitively ruled out another run for Georgia’s top job this year, saying Thursday she’ll instead continue her work fighting what she sees as the nation’s lurch toward authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.”

“Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, best known for rejecting Donald Trump’s pressure to overturn Georgia’s 2020 results, entered the governor’s race Wednesday in a bid that will test whether a Republican who crossed the president can still win over his party’s voters,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

AP: “The wealthy engineering entrepreneur might appeal most to business-oriented Republicans who once dominated GOP primaries in Georgia, but he is pledging a strongly conservative campaign even while he remains scorned by Trump and his allies.“

“Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan entered the race for Georgia governor on Tuesday as a Democrat, completing a political transformation that has taken him from a pro-Donald Trump Republican to a contender for the state’s highest office under a new party banner,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

Said Duncan, in an announcement video: “I’ve never wavered in taking on Trump. So Georgia Republicans threw me out of their party. I was leaving anyway. Now I’m running for governor as a proud Democrat.”

“A decade ago, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones became one of the first Georgia politicians to endorse Donald Trump,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

“On Monday, Trump returned the favor and gave Jones’ campaign for governor a major boost.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) “will not run for Georgia governor in 2026, saying Tuesday she intends to stay in Congress and promote President Donald Trump’s agenda rather than compete for Georgia’s top job,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

Said Greene: “One day, I might just run purely out of the blessing of the wonderful people of Georgia, my family and friends, but it won’t be in 2026.”

Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R) told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that he is weighing a run for higher office — but as a Democrat this time.

Said Duncan: “I’m certainly not going to run as a Republican. I’ve given up on them as much as they’ve given up on me.”

He called the “big, beautiful” bill moving through the Senate this week “an abomination of any sort of conservative values.”

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D), who gained national prominence scrapping with President Donald Trump before joining President Joe Biden’s inner circle, entered the race for Georgia governor Tuesday with a vow to bring “battle-tested” leadership to the Capitol, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

Said Bottoms: “Right now, people want somebody who’s fighting for them. People have seen me fight. They know that I’m not afraid of Donald Trump. They know that I know how to deliver in uncertain times.”

“Democrats are throwing cold water on the possibility of Stacey Abrams mounting a third bid for Georgia governor, underscoring how the once-rising star’s image has been tarnished by consecutive losses and recent controversies,” The Hill reports.

“Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) filed paperwork Monday to begin raising money for a run for Georgia governor, with plans to formally launch her campaign within weeks,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

“Bottoms enjoys high name recognition in metro Atlanta, the heart of Georgia’s Democratic electorate, and she won office with overwhelming support from Black women — the party’s most loyal and influential voting bloc.”

“But she had a complicated track record as mayor.”

“Eight years ago, Stacey Abrams delivered a speech at an Atlanta union hall that channeled the liberal outrage over President Donald Trump’s first term in office into her own budding campaign for Georgia’s top job,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

“Now Trump is in his second term, Republicans are ascendant again in Georgia and Abrams is at the center of speculation over whether she will mount a third campaign for governor after back-to-back defeats to Gov. Brian Kemp.”

“Unlike her 2022 rematch against Kemp, however, Georgia Democrats aren’t stepping aside.”

Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) “is stepping back from a run for Georgia governor, saying in an interview Monday that she’s focusing on her husband’s health as he undergoes treatment for complications from a recent cancer diagnosis,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) took the first step towards a gubernatorial run today as she formally filed paperwork to launch an exploratory committee, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) told the Atlanta Journal Constitution she is considering a run to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp, who cannot seek a third term in office.

A new Monmouth poll in Georgia finds more than half of voters will either definitely (44%) or probably (11%) vote to reelect Gov. Brian Kemp in November. His definite support number increased by 10 points since September.

Meanwhile, just over 4 in 10 voters will definitely (35%) or probably (8%) back Abrams, which is basically unchanged from last month.

Key takeaway: Half of the voters polled have definitely ruled out voting for Abrams (50%) compared with only one-third who say the same about Kemp (35%).