2026 Midterm Election Results: Augusta, Richmond & Columbia County Winners

On November 3, 2026, voters across the Augusta area delivered a split verdict in Georgia’s midterm elections, reelecting most incumbent Republicans in Columbia County while handing Democrats a notable upset in one county commission race and confirming several uncontested wins in Richmond County, the Augusta Chronicle reported.

The results landed amid unusually high engagement for a midterm cycle, with both Richmond and Columbia counties posting advance voting totals that topped 40,000—Richmond County saw more than 40,356 advance voters and absentee ballots compared to 36,441 in the 2022 midterms, while Columbia County posted 40,262, nearly matching its neighbor. That surge reflected a broader statewide mood of dissatisfaction with consumer prices, the economy, and affordable housing that energized races from the governor’s office down to local school boards.

Richmond County School Board Keeps Most Incumbents

In Richmond County’s nonpartisan Board of Education races, incumbents won some seats while challengers won others. Charlie Hannah retained District 2 with 3,322 votes against RaShaun Holiday’s 2,392. In District 3, Kenyatta Brown led a four-way field with 3,486 votes, followed by Carol J. Yancy with 2,635, Bartley Payne with 2,090, and Janice Ramirez with 689. District 6 produced the night’s closest school board margin: Charles “Chuckie” Williams unseated incumbent Edward Lowery by just 61 votes, 3,595 to 3,534. Lisa Martin ran unopposed in District 7 and won with 6,982 votes, while incumbent Venus Cain cruised to reelection in Super District 9 with 16,172 votes against Thomas Gardiner’s 1,933, Delvin Howard’s 6,847, and Brad Owens’s 2,994.

2026 U.S. Midterm Elections – Special Broadcast

Columbia County Democrats Score One Win in Traditionally Red Territory

Columbia County, long a Republican stronghold, saw Democrats challenge the Board of Commissioners’ chairman seat and two commission seats—contests that have grown more competitive as some traditionally red precincts in the Grovetown area have flipped blue in recent years. Republican Alison Couch held the chairman’s seat with 36,643 votes to Democrat Cambrey Wood’s 30,322, and Republican Alex Griffin won District 1 with 11,414 votes against Michael A. Jordan’s 6,624. But in District 4, Democrat Samantha Rockwood defeated Republican incumbent Al Reeves 7,731 to 7,387, marking the night’s clearest Democratic gain in the county.

Unopposed Democrats and a DA Sail Through

Several Augusta-area officials faced no opposition. Democratic state Sen. Harold V. Jones II and Democratic Reps. Karlton Howard and Brian Prince, representing Districts 129 and 132, ran unopposed, as did Columbia Judicial Circuit District Attorney Natalie Paine.

2026 Midterm Election Results: Augusta, Richmond & Columbia County Winners — Photo: aol.com

Statewide Stakes Behind the Local Numbers

The local results unfolded against a backdrop of high-stakes statewide contests. Republican billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson and Democratic former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms were battling for the governor’s office, while control of the Georgia Public Service Commission carried added weight because its oversight of utilities is expected to shape the controversial development of data centers—projects opponents argue will drive up consumers’ power and water bills. Three state amendments also appeared on ballots: one proposing to double to 4,000 acres the amount of land allowable as conservation property, another allowing nonpartisan elections for probate judges, and a third creating a state fund to digitally upgrade 911 systems.

Polls across Georgia opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 7 p.m. on November 3. With Democrats challenging Republican incumbents for three of the Augusta area’s seven state House seats and two of its three state Senate seats, the full legislative picture remained in focus alongside the county results. Early voting in Richmond County rose roughly 10 percent from 2022 to more than 40,356 advance voters and absentee ballots, while Columbia County posted almost the same number at 40,262.