2006 Georgia elections

← 2004 November 7, 2006 (2006-11-07) 2008 →

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In the 2006 Georgia elections, Incumbent Governor Sonny Perdue, the first Republican Governor of Georgia since reconstruction, was re-elected over then-Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor (D).

Prior to the elections, though Republicans held the Governor's mansion and majorities in both houses of the Georgia General Assembly, Democrats then-held five of the eight statewide offices. Following the elections, Republicans would pick up two positions, those being Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State, with the victories of Casey Cagle (who became the eleventh overall and first ever Republican elected Lieutenant Governor) and Karen Handel (who became the twenty-sixth overall and first Republican since reconstruction to be Secretary of State) in each of their respective races. Both positions were open after the incumbent office holders chose to seek the governorship of Georgia.

All other state Executive Officers, Attorney General of Georgia Thurbert Baker (D), state Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox (R), Commissioner of Insurance John Oxendine (R), Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin (D), and Commissioner of Labor Mike Thurmond (D), were re-elected. This was the last time Democrats won a statewide election in Georgia until 2020 when Democrat Joe Biden won the state in the presidential election as well as the last time Democrats won statewide office in Georgia until Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock were elected to the Senate in 2021.

In 2006, all thirteen of Georgia's U.S. House seats were up for election. Neither of the Peach state's U.S. Senate seats were up for election that year.

All thirteen of Georgia's incumbent Representatives sought re-election in 2006. Going into the elections, Republicans held seven of Georgia's U.S. House seats and Democrats held six seats.

Despite significant gains by Republicans in Georgia since 2002, such as consecutive Republican victories since in Presidential elections since 1996, gaining both of Georgia's U.S. Senate seats, the election of Sonny Perdue as Georgia's first post-Reconstruction Republican governor in 2002, successful elections of Republicans to other state executive offices, and gaining control of both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly for the first time since Reconstruction, Democrats have succeeded in gaining seats of Georgia's House delegation in recent House elections.

Following gains in both houses of the General Assembly in 2002 and 2004, Republicans enacted a mid-decade redistricting to alter the congressional districts created by the 146th Georgia General Assembly, which Democrats held control of at the time, with the intention of benefiting Republicans. Two Democratic incumbents who were especially targeted were Jim Marshall (GA-8) and John Barrow (GA-12). They were opposed respectively by former Representatives Mac Collins (who previously represented what is now the Third district) and Max Burns. These two races were among the most competitive in the nation, but ultimately resulted in both incumbents being re-elected by razor thin margins of 1 and 0.6 percentage points respectively.

The partisan makeup of Georgia's House delegation did not change, however one Incumbent, Cynthia McKinney (GA-4), was denied renomination by her 59% to 41% defeat in the Democratic Primary runoff to then-Dekalb county Commissioner Hank Johnson.

In the Republican primary, incumbent Sonny Perdue defeated challenger Ray McBerry by a margin of 88 percent to 12 percent. In the Democratic primary, Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor defeated state Secretary of State Cathy Cox, Bill Bolton, and Mac McCarley with 51.7 percent of the vote to Cox's 44 percent, Bolton's 2 percent, and McCarley 2 percent. Libertarian Garrett Michael Hayes faced Perdue Mark Taylor in the general election. Independent John Dashler withdrew from the race, unable to collect the 40,000 signatures required for ballot access.

Perdue was re-elected to a second term, winning 57.9 percent of the vote.

2006 Georgia Lieutenant Gubernatorial Election

← 2002 November 7, 2006 2010 →

Nominee Casey Cagle Jim Martin Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,134,517 887,506 Percentage 54.08% 42.31%

County results Cagle:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Martin:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%

Lieutenant Governor before election Mark Taylor Democratic Elected Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle Republican

Democrats

Republicans

Libertarian

• Allen Buckley

2006 Georgia Secretary of State election

← 2002 November 7, 2006 2010 →

Nominee Karen Handel Gail Buckner Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,116,216 862,412 Percentage 54.10% 41.80%

County results Handel:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Buckner:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%

Secretary of State before election Cathy Cox Democratic Elected Secretary of State Karen Handel Republican

Democrats

Republicans

Libertarian

• Kevin Madsen

2006 Georgia Attorney General Election

← 2002 November 7, 2006 2010 →

Nominee Thurbert Baker Perry McGuire Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,185,366 888,288 Percentage 57.16% 42.84%

County results Baker:     50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% McGuire:     50–60%      60–70% Tie:      50%

Attorney General before election Thurbert Baker Democratic Elected Attorney General Thurbert Baker Democratic

2006 Georgia State Superintendent of Schools election

← 2002 November 7, 2006 2010 →

Nominee Kathy Cox Denise Majette Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,257,236 734,702 Percentage 59.92% 35.02%

County results Cox:     40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90% Majette:     40-50%      50-60%      60-70%

Superintendent before election Kathy Cox Republican Elected Superintendent Kathy Cox Republican

Democrats

Republicans

Libertarian

• David Chastain

2006 Georgia Commissioner of Insurance election

← 2002 November 7, 2006 2010 →

Nominee John Oxendine Guy Drexinger Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,349,979 700,837 Percentage 65.47% 34.53%

County results Precinct results Oxendine:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      90% Drexinger:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      90%

Commissioner before election John Oxendine Democratic Elected Commissioner John Oxendine Republican

As of 2023, this is the last time Fulton County, the state's largest county and home to Atlanta, voted Republican in a contested statewide election.

2006 Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Election

← 2002 November 7, 2006 2010 →

Nominee Tommy Irvin Gary Black Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,168,371 846,395 Percentage 56.04% 40.60%

County results Irvin:     40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Black:     40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Commissioner before election Tommy Irvin Democratic Elected Commissioner Tommy Irvin Democratic

Democrats

• Tommy Irvin (incumbent)

Republicans

Libertarian

• Jack Cashin

2006 Georgia Labor Commissioner election

← 2002 November 7, 2006 2010 →

Nominee Mike Thurmond Brent Brown Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,127,182 929,812 Percentage 54.80% 45.20%

County results Thurmond:     50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90% Brown:     50-60%      60-70%      70-80%

Commissioner before election Mike Thurmond Democratic Elected Commissioner Mike Thurmond Democratic

Democrats

• Michael Thurmond (incumbent)

Republicans

This is a statewide race.

2006 Georgia Public Service Commission District 3 election

← 2000 November 7, 2006 (first round) December 5, 2006 (runoff) 2012 →

Candidate Chuck Eaton David Burgess Party Republican Democratic First round 941,748 46.25% 994,619 48.85% Runoff 112,232 52.18% 102,860 47.82%

First round county results Runoff county results Eaton:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Burgess:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Tie:      40–50%      50%

Commissioner before election David Burgess Democratic Elected Commissioner Chuck Eaton Republican

Republicans

Democrats

• David Burgess

Libertarians

• Paul MacGregor

This is a statewide race.

Republicans

Democrats

• Dawn Randolph

Libertarians

• Kevin Cherry

In 2006, four seats on the Supreme Court of Georgia and four on the Georgia Court of Appeals were up for election. All judicial elections in Georgia are officially non-partisan.

Incumbent state Supreme Court Associate Justices George H. Carley, Harold Melton, Hugh P. Thompson, and Carol W. Hunstein were all re-elected with three being unopposed. Only Hunstein received any opposition, which she overcame handily.^[1]

Incumbent Judges John Ellington, M. Yvette Miller, Herbert E. Phipps, and J.D. Smith were re-elected without opposition.^[2]

• Statewide qualifiers
• Primary Election Results Archived 2007-06-01 at the Wayback Machine
• Primary Runoff Results Archived 2006-12-14 at the Wayback Machine
• General Election Results