Qualifying week is Georgia politics at its most theatrical — and most consequential.
For five days, would-be governors, senators and legislative hopefuls stream through the state Capitol to formally stake their claims to power, turning the Statehouse into a political parade.
The ritual begins Monday, setting in motion a filing frenzy that will shape the 2026 midterms and define the next phase of the state’s political fights. Follow us throughout the week.
There are entrances — and then there are entrances.
Former state Sen. Jason Esteves made his filing-day arrival through a phalanx of cheering supporters lining a Capitol staircase, chants echoing as he headed to qualify for governor.
After filing his paperwork, the Democrat wasted little time drawing contrasts with his two best-known rivals, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan.
He said Duncan, a party-switching former Republican, "literally oversaw some of the passage of the worst bills that Georgians have seen in the last decade."
And he accused Bottoms of being absent “at a time when Atlanta was in crisis,” adding that “when she had the opportunity to fix it, decided not to run for re-election.”
Esteves framed his candidacy as a more aggressive response to President Donald Trump.
"Donald Trump is attacking us on a daily basis, destroying our democracy and harming the pocketbooks of people all across the state," said Esteves.
"We can't afford to have folks that will stay silent, nor can we have folks that are going to be absent or quit when the going gets tough."
Shortly after U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff filed to run for reelection, one of his Republican opponents posted a fake image of him online.
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins' campaign posted an image that falsely depicts Ossoff standing in front of MS-13 gang members, saying they "gathered to support his campaign and his promise to keep illegal criminals in Georgia and on our streets."
Ossoff was in fact standing in front of several elected officials, including House Democratic Leader Carolyn Hugley.
Collins' campaign has previously used artificial intelligence to make fake images of Ossoff. Last year, his campaign created a fake video of Ossoff that appeared to show the Democrat voicing disdain for farmers and recipients of federal food assistance.
Here’s how to spot AI in political ads.
Some arrived with speech drafts in hand and entourages poised to blast out polished social media posts the moment the paperwork was stamped. Others slipped in quietly, intent on filing and getting out with little fanfare.
Elizabeth Edmonds, an advocate with Georgia Life Alliance, opted for something far less subtle. Dressed as the Cat in the Hat from Dr. Seuss in honor of a day commemorating the famed author, she wheeled a suitcase packed with baby dolls — a visual appeal to Republicans to stand firm on abortion limits.
There were moments of levity, too. After submitting her paperwork, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms ran into a lesser-known rival in the Democratic governor’s race.
“I’d wish you luck, but I can’t do that,” she told state Rep. Derrick Jackson with a laugh.
Two years ago, Democrat Farooq Mughal faced one of the narrowest losses — just 87 votes — and lost his re-election bid to Buford Republican Sandy Donatucci.
During that campaign, he largely focused on transportation and infrastructure, a consistent concern among voters in the Gwinnett County district that encompasses parts of Lawrenceville, Dacula and Burford.
As he prepared to qualify to run again for House District 105, Mughal said he was again planning to concentrate on those issues. But this time, he was weaving in a message on immigration.
The community is already dealing with heavy traffic, crowded roads and rapid development and adding a federal operation would be completely inappropriate, he said.
"What if an ICE facility blocks your road?" he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Your property value goes down. That matters to people."
Latino, Asian and Black voters, together, make up a majority of the district's population. Mughal is banking on those voters agreeing with his position opposing the construction of new immigration detention centers in the area.
A year ago, state Rep. Esther Panitch was among the most vocal Democratic critics of U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff for his votes to limit certain arms sales to Israel amid its war with Hamas.
On Monday, the Sandy Springs Democrat — the only Jewish member of the Georgia General Assembly — stood behind him after he formally qualified to run for another term.
She was blunt about her stance.
“Notwithstanding our disagreements, we still have to work together for the betterment of Georgia, and that's what adults do," she said. "So we could disagree publicly, privately, but at the end of the day, we're still united in bringing the best we can for the state and for the country.”
She added a sharper jab at Republicans: “None of them have a spine to stand up to Donald Trump. If they did, we’d have a different conversation.”
It was planned as a celebratory campaign kickoff — a filing-day ritual with cheering supporters and a nod to the long race ahead.
Instead, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff opened his remarks on a far heavier note.
“We’re here today in wartime,” he said, moments after formally qualifying for reelection, offering condolences to the families of American service members killed and wounded in the joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran.
The Democrat has emerged as one of Georgia’s most outspoken critics of the attacks that began Saturday, calling them “another regime change war-of-choice.” He is backing a war powers resolution he says would “assert the proper authority over war and peace and rein in the administration.”
“Eight months ago, President Trump lied to the country when he falsely claimed to have obliterated Iran’s nuclear program,” Ossoff said. “Now he says he is taking the United States to war for regime change, without evidence of imminent threat, without having exhausted diplomacy, without clear objectives or a plan for the aftermath and without the consent of Congress.”
He added: “2 a.m. posts on Truth Social just aren’t good enough when you’re sending Americans into combat.”
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter filed to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff. But he mostly talked to reporters about his support for President Donald Trump.
“I supported President Trump, his America First policies. I’ve done it now. I’ll do it in the Senate," he said.
“We need someone in the Senate who’s going to represent Georgia and Georgia values,” Carter said. “We need someone who can win.”
Attorney General Chris Carr had a message as he strode into qualifying: he’s in this race — and he plans to win it.
Carr was among the first major GOP contenders Monday to fill out paperwork and officially enter the governor’s race. For months, he has been part of a three-way contest with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
But the entrance of billionaire Rick Jackson — who has unleashed a barrage of attacks against Jones — has scrambled the dynamic. Carr said it hasn’t altered his approach.
“It doesn’t change the path for me; it’s always about being in the runoff and winning the runoff, and it looks to me like he and the lieutenant governor are going to be duking it out,” Carr said. “Seems like they’re trying to go after the same voter. We’re trying to get everybody in the Republican Party.”
Some candidates turned qualifying into a stagecraft moment, complete with tightly scripted speeches and cheering supporters.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms took a different route. She kept it simple — waiting in line with other Democrats, her husband Derek by her side, until it was her turn to fill out the paperwork.
In an interview as she stood in line, Bottoms cast herself as the strongest contender in the field, arguing she’s best positioned to win both the May primary and the November general election.
The 80-year-old Democrat has drawn several prominent challengers who are calling for generational change amid concerns about Scott’s health.
Scott represents Georgia's 13th Congressional District, which snakes around eastern metro Atlanta from Lawrenceville in the north, south to Stockbridge.
The veteran lawmaker refused to take questions from the AJC as he was escorted out of the Capitol in a wheelchair by several aides, who repeatedly said he was on the phone and couldn't talk.