Insight from the inside: WABE politics reporter recaps Georgia election night watch parties, reactions

Billionaire healthcare CEO Rick Jackson celebrates at a 2026 Georgia midterm election night party. Jackson is running against Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones for the Republican nomination for governor. The pair will head into a June runoff. The winner will face the Democratic nominee, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. (Rahul Bali/WABE)

Georgians woke up to many of the 2026 Midterm Election races heading into a June 16 runoff, and some surprises the morning after Election Day.

Several polls showed a large chunk of undecided Georgia voters could show up on Tuesday and completely change the game.

WABE politics reporter Rahul Bali stayed up all night bouncing between a few watch parties as the results poured in.



That included visiting an election night watch party for billionaire businessman Rick Jackson, who’s heading into a runoff election with Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the race for governor.

Bali sat down with WABE’s “Morning Edition” to offer insight into some of the most-watched races and the grind ahead for many candidates.

Lily Oppenheimer contributed to this report.