ATLANTA – Qualifying for Georgia’s 2026 elections ended on Friday. Over two dozen candidates officially qualified for state-level seats that represent parts or all of Newton County.

U.S. Congress (10th and 13th Congressional Districts)

One of the qualifying week surprises came from film executive Ryan Millsap, who announced that he would be running for U.S. Congress in the 10th Congressional District.

Millsap is the former owner of Blackhall Studios (now Shadowbox Studios), which has helped produce a number of notable films and television shows in the last decade. According to the Secretary of State’s website, he is from Social Circle in Newton County and is running as a Republican. 

Millsap will face off against current District 120 Rep. Houston Gaines out of Athens. Gaines, 31, has been in the Georgia House of Representatives since 2019 and was the first Republican to declare for the race.

Joining Millsap and Gaines in the Republican primary is Jeff Baker from Oglethorpe County.

On the Democratic side, Lexy Doherty will make her second run for the seat. She was defeated by incumbent Mike Collins in a decisive vote in 2024. Doherty will face Pam Delancy, a military veteran out of Henry County

The winners of the Republican and Democratic primaries will square off in November in hopes of succeeding Collins, who is running for a U.S. Senate seat.

In the 13th Congressional District race, longtime incumbent David Scott of Fulton County will be in a seven-person race to retain his seat.

Scott, 80, is looking to serve an 11th term in the U.S. House of Representatives. His challengers include Emanuel D. Jones of Henry County; Heavenly Elaine Kimes and Joe Lester of Rockdale County and Everton Blair, Jasmine Clark and Jeffree Fauntleroy of Gwinnett County.

Jonathan Chavez of Rockdale County was the lone Republican to qualify.

Georgia Senate (Districts 42 and 43)

Another qualifying week surprise came in the State Senate District 43 race. Current suspended District 113 State Rep. Sharon Henderson qualified for the state Senate seat, opting not to run for reelection in her current House seat.

Henderson will face  longtime incumbent Tonya Anderson out of Rockdale County. Anderson was first elected to the Senate seat in 2016 and has been reelected five times.

In the race for State Senate District 42, two Newton County residents will face off.

Attorney Bret Dunn of Covington was the lone Republican to qualify, as he first announced his campaign last year. Rev. Eric Lee, pastor of Springfield Baptist Church, was the sole qualifier on the Democratic side of the ballot, setting up a November showdown between the two.

Both are looking to succeed current Senator Brian Strickland, who has entered the race to become Georgia’s next attorney general.

Georgia House of Representatives (Districts 113, 114 and 118)

After Henderson officially opted not to run for reelection, the District 113 House seat is up for grabs.

On the Democratic side, Alana Sanders and Karla Daniels Hooper are officially in the running.

Sanders previously served one term as Newton County District 3 Commissioner from 2021 to 2024. Hooper serves as the executive director for the Diabetes Association of Atlanta, Inc. She ran for the District 113 seat in 2024, but lost to Henderson.

Porterdale resident Don Scarbrough was the lone Republican to qualify for the race.

There will also be a new representative in the District 114 seat, as Republican incumbent Tim Fleming is looking to become Georgia’s next secretary of state.

Wendell McNeal and Brett Mauldin, both of Morgan County, qualified under the Republican banner. 

McNeal ran for the seat in 2022, but lost in the Republican primary to Fleming. 

Mauldin is also no stranger to politics, as he ran for the State Senate District 17 seat in 2022. However, he lost to Strickland in the Republican primary.

Newborn Town Councilman Michael Caw was the lone Democrat to qualify for the District 114 seat. Caw was elected as Newborn’s Post 4 representative in August 2025. Should Caw win, he would have to resign from the Newborn council.

In District 118, Republican incumbent Clint Crowe of Butts County will vie for another term in office. 

On the Democratic side, Jodi Lewis from Covington and Sharonda Wanta Bell from Butts County have qualified for the seat.

Statewide elections

Among Newton County-area elected officials, there were no surprises when it came to qualifying for the statewide races.

Fleming officially qualified as a Republican for the secretary of state position and will look to become the first-ever person from Covington to hold the position.

Strickland officially qualified for the Georgia attorney general race.

Tenth Congressional District Rep. Collins officially qualified for the U.S. Senate race.