Augusta, GA —
The officials who most directly shape daily life in Augusta are not always the ones at the top of the ballot.
County commissioners decide how millions in local tax dollars are spent. School board members govern a district serving thousands of students and families. Judges interpret and apply the law in cases that affect liberty, property, and public safety.
These are the offices that run Augusta.
Yet downballot races — judicial seats, school board districts, commission posts — often receive far less sustained coverage than mayoral or statewide contests. As local newsrooms across the country have contracted over the past decade, reporting on municipal and judicial elections has frequently diminished. The decline in local news coverage is a documented national trend, and its effects are most visible in reduced scrutiny of local government.
That gap is a major reason Garden City Gossip exists.
For the 2026 election cycle, GCG is expanding structured coverage of downballot races — not as a supplement to mayoral reporting, but as a core focus of civic accountability. Because the authority exercised in these roles is immediate and measurable.
In Georgia, most municipal, school board, and judicial races will be decided on May 19, 2026, the General Primary/Nonpartisan Election. If no candidate earns a majority, runoffs follow on June 16. Local power for the next term will largely be determined in May — not November.
To support this coverage, GCG has built and published a structured, color-coded 2026 Augusta Election Tracker, organizing candidates by office and identifying which races are competitive, which incumbents face challengers, and which seats are open.
GCG_2026_Augusta_Election_Tracker
The 2026 election cycle will not be defined only by the race for mayor.
It will be defined by the offices that run Augusta.
Current 2026 Races by Office
(Status reflects currently filed or announced candidates; qualifying closes March 6, 2026.)
Mayor
Contested
-
Garnett Johnson (Incumbent)
-
Eric Gaines
-
Steven Kendrick
Augusta Commission
Contested
-
District 2: Stacy Pulliam (Incumbent), Jeremiah De’Andre Jackson
-
District 6: Antonio Lewis (Incumbent), Tamika Bean
-
District 8 (Open Seat): Michael Anthony Cioffi, Evett Williams, Roger Garvin
Currently Uncontested
-
District 4: Lonnie Wimberly (Incumbent)
Richmond County School Board
Contested
-
District 9: Venus Cain (Incumbent), Sheffie Robinson
Currently Uncontested
-
Other expiring districts pending challengers (as of current filings)
Superior Court – Augusta Judicial Circuit
Contested
-
Ashley Wright (Incumbent)
-
Alexia Davis Payne
State Court – Richmond County
Currently Uncontested (as filed)
-
Ashanti Pounds (Incumbent)
-
Monique Walker (Incumbent – separate seat)
Civil & Magistrate Court
Currently Uncontested
-
Carletta Sims Brown (Incumbent)
GCG will update this list as additional candidates qualify or withdraw prior to the March 2–6 qualifying window closing.
The 2026 election cycle will not be defined only by the race for mayor.
It will be defined by the offices that run Augusta.
Current 2026 Races by Office
(Status reflects currently filed or announced candidates; qualifying closes March 6, 2026.)
Mayor
Contested
-
Garnett Johnson (Incumbent)
-
Eric Gaines
-
Steven Kendrick
Augusta Commission
Contested
-
District 2: Stacy Pulliam (Incumbent), Jeremiah De’Andre Jackson
-
District 6: Antonio Lewis (Incumbent), Tamika Bean
-
District 8 (Open Seat): Michael Anthony Cioffi, Evett Williams, Roger Garvin
Currently Uncontested
-
District 4: Lonnie Wimberly (Incumbent)
Richmond County School Board
Contested
-
District 9: Venus Cain (Incumbent), Sheffie Robinson
Currently Uncontested
-
Other expiring districts pending challengers (as of current filings)
Superior Court – Augusta Judicial Circuit
Contested
-
Ashley Wright (Incumbent)
-
Alexia Davis Payne
State Court – Richmond County
Currently Uncontested (as filed)
-
Ashanti Pounds (Incumbent)
-
Monique Walker (Incumbent – separate seat)
Civil & Magistrate Court
Currently Uncontested
-
Carletta Sims Brown (Incumbent)
GCG will update this list as additional candidates qualify or withdraw prior to the March 2–6 qualifying window closing.
Other Coverage:
Attorney Alexia Davis Payne Challenges Incumbent Judge in Local Judicial Race
Wait—Election Season Is Already Here? Candidates, Please Call Us!
