Georgia voters head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 3, to pick a new governor in one of the country's closest statewide contests.

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, faces Republican Rick Jackson, a billionaire healthcare executive, according to WABE's voter guide. Both are competing to replace Gov. Brian Kemp, who has served since 2019 and is term-limited.

For Sandy Springs residents, the ballot also carries a familiar name. State Sen. Josh McLaurin, a Sandy Springs attorney who represents a north Fulton County district, won the Democratic runoff for lieutenant governor in June, CBS News reported.

What's at stake

A Democratic win Would deliver Democrats their first gubernatorial victory since 1998 and break the GOP's 24-year hold on the office, according to WABE. Bottoms could become Georgia's first Black governor, first woman governor and the nation's first Black woman governor.

No Libertarian candidate will appear on the ballot for the first time since 1994. The party lost ballot access in 2024 and could not regain it, WABE reported.

The candidates

Bottoms served one term as Atlanta's 60th mayor from 2018 to 2022 and later worked as a senior adviser in the Biden administration, WABE reported. She won the Democratic primary outright in May with more than 56% of the vote. Her platform includes a property tax relief package, cutting the gas tax, allowing local governments to waive sales taxes on groceries and expanding Medicaid.

Former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden endorsed Bottoms. She has also campaigned alongside U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is running for reelection.

Jackson, 71, is the founder of Jackson Healthcare. He says he grew up in Georgia's foster care system and built a path to business ownership after he could not afford college. He calls himself a conservative outsider. This is his first run for office, and he has spent nearly $200 million of his own money on the campaign, according to WABE.

Jackson beat Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in a June Republican runoff by about five percentage points. Both Kemp and President Donald Trump endorsed Jackson after the runoff. Jackson's platform centers on cutting the state income tax in half, reducing property and sales taxes and what he has called "intelligent" Medicaid expansion, though he has offered few specifics.

Debates

The candidates shared a stage once, in a televised debate on Atlanta News First/WANF in early October. Jackson turned down several other debates, including the Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young Debate Series. A general-election gubernatorial candidate had not skipped that event since 1994. Bottoms appeared alone, and Jackson was represented by an empty podium.

When polls close and where to find results

Georgia polls close at 7 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, according to NPR's election night guide. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told local news outlets that new laws require counties to report results within an hour of polls closing, NPR reported.

Official results will be posted on the Georgia Secretary of State's election results page.