| Election Name: | 2006 Georgia elections |
| Country: | Georgia (U.S. state) |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2004 Georgia state elections |
| Previous Year: | 2004 |
| Next Election: | 2008 Georgia state elections |
| Next Year: | 2008 |
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.
See main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia, 2006.
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.
See main article: Georgia gubernatorial election, 2006. 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.
| Election Name: | 2006 Georgia Lieutenant Gubernatorial Election |
| Country: | Georgia (U.S. state) |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2002 Georgia Lieutenant Gubernatorial Election |
| Previous Year: | 2002 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 2006 |
| Next Election: | 2010 Georgia state elections#lieutenantgovernor |
| Next Year: | 2010 |
| Image1: | File:Caglelt.jpg |
| Nominee1: | Casey Cagle |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,134,517 |
| Percentage1: | 54.08% |
| Nominee2: | Jim Martin |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 887,506 |
| Percentage2: | 42.31% |
| Map Size: | 240px |
| Lieutenant Governor | |
| Before Election: | Mark Taylor |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Casey Cagle |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
Democrats
Republicans
Libertarian
| Election Name: | 2006 Georgia Secretary of State election |
| Country: | Georgia (U.S. state) |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2002 Georgia Secretary of State election |
| Previous Year: | 2002 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 2006 |
| Next Election: | 2010 Georgia state elections#Secretaryof State |
| Next Year: | 2010 |
| Seats For Election: | Georgia Secretary of State |
| Image1: | File:United States Representative Karen C. Handel.jpg |
| Nominee1: | Karen Handel |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,116,216 |
| Percentage1: | 54.10% |
| Nominee2: | Gail Buckner |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 862,412 |
| Percentage2: | 41.80% |
| Map Size: | 240px |
| Secretary of State | |
| Before Election: | Cathy Cox |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Karen Handel |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
Democrats
Republicans
Libertarian
| Election Name: | 2006 Georgia Attorney General Election |
| Country: | Georgia (U.S. state) |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2006 Georgia Attorney Genral Election |
| Previous Year: | 2002 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 2006 |
| Next Election: | 2010 Georgia state elections#attorneygeneral |
| Next Year: | 2010 |
| Seats For Election: | Georgia Attorney General |
| Image1: | File:Zell Miller and Thurbert Baker (cropped).jpg |
| Nominee1: | Thurbert Baker |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,185,366 |
| Percentage1: | 57.16% |
| Nominee2: | Perry McGuire |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 888,288 |
| Percentage2: | 42.84% |
| Map Size: | 240px |
| Attorney General | |
| Before Election: | Thurbert Baker |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Thurbert Baker |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Election Name: | 2006 Georgia State Superintendent of Schools election |
| Country: | Georgia (U.S. state) |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2002 Georgia state elections#State Superintendent of Schools |
| Previous Year: | 2002 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 2006 |
| Next Election: | 2010 Georgia state elections#State Superintendent of Schools |
| Next Year: | 2010 |
| Seats For Election: | Georgia State Superintendent of Schools |
| Image1: | Kathy Cox.jpg |
| Nominee1: | Kathy Cox |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,257,236 |
| Percentage1: | 59.92% |
| Nominee2: | Denise Majette |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 734,702 |
| Percentage2: | 35.02% |
| Map Size: | 240px |
| Superintendent | |
| Before Election: | Kathy Cox |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Kathy Cox |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
Democrats
Republicans
Libertarian
| Election Name: | 2006 Georgia Commissioner of Insurance election |
| Country: | Georgia (U.S. state) |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2002 Georgia Commissioner of Insurance |
| Previous Year: | 2002 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 2006 |
| Next Election: | 2010 Georgia Commissioner of Insurance |
| Next Year: | 2010 |
| Seats For Election: | Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner |
| Image1: | File:John Oxendine Headshot.jpg |
| Nominee1: | John Oxendine |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,349,979 |
| Percentage1: | 65.47% |
| Nominee2: | Guy Drexinger |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 700,837 |
| Percentage2: | 34.53% |
| Map Size: | 240px |
| Commissioner | |
| Before Election: | John Oxendine |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | John Oxendine |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
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.
| Election Name: | 2006 Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Election |
| Country: | Georgia (U.S. state) |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2002 Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Election |
| Previous Year: | 2002 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 2006 |
| Next Election: | 2010 Georgia state elections#attorneygeneral |
| Next Year: | 2010 |
| Seats For Election: | Georgia Attorney General |
| Nominee1: | Tommy Irvin |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,168,371 |
| Percentage1: | 56.04% |
| Nominee2: | Gary Black |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 846,395 |
| Percentage2: | 40.60% |
| Map Size: | 240px |
| Commissioner | |
| Before Election: | Tommy Irvin |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Tommy Irvin |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
Democrats
Republicans
Libertarian
| Election Name: | 2006 Georgia Labor Commissioner election |
| Country: | Georgia (U.S. state) |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2002 Georgia state elections#Commissioner of Labor |
| Previous Year: | 2002 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 2006 |
| Next Election: | 2010 Georgia state elections#Commissioner of Labor |
| Next Year: | 2010 |
| Seats For Election: | Georgia Commissioner of Labor |
| Image1: | File:Michael Thurmond.jpg |
| Nominee1: | Mike Thurmond |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,127,182 |
| Percentage1: | 54.80% |
| Nominee2: | Brent Brown |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 929,812 |
| Percentage2: | 45.20% |
| Map Size: | 240px |
| Commissioner | |
| Before Election: | Mike Thurmond |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Mike Thurmond |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
Democrats
Republicans
This is a statewide race.
| Election Name: | 2006 Georgia Public Service Commission District 3 election |
| Country: | Georgia (U.S. state) |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2000 Georgia Public Service Commission District 3 election |
| Previous Year: | 2000 |
| Next Election: | 2012 Georgia Public Service Commission District 3 election |
| Next Year: | 2012 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 2006 (first round) December 5, 2006 (runoff) |
| 1Blank: | First round |
| 2Blank: | Runoff |
| Image1: | File:Chuck Eaton PSC.jpg |
| Candidate1: | Chuck Eaton |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| 1Data1: | 941,748 46.25% |
| 2Data1: | 112,232 52.18% |
| Candidate2: | David Burgess |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| 1Data2: | 994,619 48.85% |
| 2Data2: | 102,860 47.82% |
| Commissioner | |
| Before Election: | David Burgess |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Chuck Eaton |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
Republicans
Democrats
Libertarians
This is a statewide race.
Republicans
Democrats
Libertarians
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]