2016 United States Senate election in Georgia
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Nominee Johnny Isakson Jim Barksdale
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 2,135,806 1,599,726
Percentage 54.80% 41.04%
Isakson:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Barksdale:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Tie:      40–50%      50%
     No data
U.S. senator before election

Johnny Isakson
Republican

Elected U.S. senator

Johnny Isakson
Republican

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The 2016 United States Senate election in Georgia was held November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Georgia, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The primary election for the Republican and Democratic parties took place on May 24, 2016.[1]

Incumbent Senator Johnny Isakson won re-election to a third term in office by a wide margin.[2] He later resigned from the Senate on December 31, 2019 due to health issues. As of 2024, this remains the last time Republicans won a Senate election in Georgia, as well as the last time that suburban Gwinnett and Henry counties have voted Republican in a statewide election. It also remains the last time that any statewide candidate has won an election in Georgia by double digits, and the last time that any U.S. Senate candidate in Georgia has won without a runoff. This is the most recent and the last United States Senate election in Georgia in which the winning candidate won a majority of Georgia's counties.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Withdrawn

Declined

Endorsements

Johnny Isakson
Governors
U.S. Representatives
State senators
State representatives
Statewide officials
Individuals

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin of
error 		Johnny
Isakson 		Another
candidate 		Undecided
InsiderAdvantage June 11–14, 2015 492 ± 4.4% 50% 26% 24%

Results

Results by county:
Map legend
  •   Isakson—80–90%
  •   Isakson—70–80%
  •   Isakson—60–70%
  •   Isakson—50–60%
Republican primary results[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Johnny Isakson (incumbent) 447,661 77.50%
Republican Derrick Grayson 69,101 11.96%
Republican Mary Kay Bacallao 60,898 10.54%
Total votes 577,660 100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

Withdrawn

Declined

Results

Results by county:
Map legend
  •   Barksdale—80–90%
  •   Barksdale—60–70%
  •   Barksdale—50–60%
  •   Barksdale—40–50%
  •   Copeland—40–50%
  •   Copeland—50–60%
  •   Copeland—60–70%
  •   Copeland—70–80%
Democratic primary results[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jim Barksdale 166,627 53.74%
Democratic Cheryl Copeland 130,822 42.19%
Democratic John Coyne 12,604 4.07%
Total votes 310,053 100.00%

Libertarian nomination

Candidates

Declared

Allen Buckley won the nomination at the March 5, 2016, nominating convention in Marietta.[39]

General election

Debates

Dates Location Isakson Barksdale Buckley Link
October 21, 2016 Atlanta, Georgia Participant Participant Participant Full debate - C-SPAN

Polling

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin of
error 		Johnny
Isakson (R) 		Jim
Barksdale (D) 		Allen
Buckley (L) 		Other Undecided
SurveyMonkey November 1–7, 2016 2,419 ± 4.6% 47% 41% 8% — 4%
WSB-TV/Landmark November 6, 2016 1,200 ± 2.8% 52% 41% 4% — 3%
SurveyMonkey October 31–November 6, 2016 2,348 ± 4.6% 47% 41% 8% — 4%
CBS News/YouGov November 3–5, 2016 995 ± 4.6% 48% 41% — 6% 5%
WSB-TV/Landmark November 2–3, 2016 1,000 ± 3.1% 50% 40% 5% — 6%
FOX 5 Atlanta/Opinion Savvy November 2–3, 2016 538 ± 4.2% 50% 39% 8% — 3%
SurveyMonkey October 28–November 3, 2016 2,872 ± 4.6% 47% 42% 8% — 3%
SurveyMonkey October 27–November 2, 2016 2,722 ± 4.6% 47% 42% 7% — 4%
NBC/WSJ/Marist October 30–November 1, 2016 707 LV ± 3.7% 48% 37% 7% 3% 5%
937 RV ± 3.2% 46% 36% 8% 4% 7%
SurveyMonkey October 26–November 1, 2016 2,678 ± 4.6% 48% 41% 6% — 5%
Emerson College October 29–31, 2016 650 ± 3.8% 48% 40% — 5% 7%
SurveyMonkey October 25–31, 2016 2,665 ± 4.6% 50% 41% 5% — 4%
WXIA-TV Atlanta/SurveyUSA October 25–27, 2016 594 ± 4.1% 50% 38% 5% — 8%
Quinnipiac University Archived July 30, 2019, at the Wayback Machine October 20–26, 2016 707 ± 3.7% 54% 40% — — 6%
FOX 5 Atlanta/Opinion Savvy October 20, 2016 570 ± 4.1% 51% 42% 3% — 4%
Google Consumer Surveys October 18–20, 2016 439 ± 4.2% 58% 36% — — 6%
Atlanta Journal Constitution October 17–20, 2016 839 ± 4.3% 47% 32% 11% — 7%
The Times-Picayune/Lucid October 17–18, 2016 807 ± 3.0% 49% 39% — — 13%
Washington Post/SurveyMonkey Archived October 19, 2016, at the Wayback Machine October 8–16, 2016 886 ± 0.5% 50% 46% — — 4%
WSB-TV/Landmark October 11–12, 2016 1,400 ± 2.7% 50% 37% 5% — 8%
JMC Analytics (R) September 20–22, 2016 600 ± 4.0% 41% 28% 4% — 27%
Quinnipiac University Archived September 24, 2016, at the Wayback Machine September 13–21, 2016 638 ± 3.9% 55% 34% — — 10%
Monmouth University September 15–18, 2016 401 ± 4.9% 50% 34% 5% — 10%
FOX 5 Atlanta/Opinion Savvy September 14, 2016 568 ± 4.1% 47% 34% 6% — 13%
Emerson College September 9–13, 2016 600 ± 3.6% 48% 32% — — 10%
NBC/WSJ/Marist September 6–8, 2016 649 ± 3.8% 53% 38% — — 9%
JMC Analytics (R) August 6–7, 2016 615 ± 4.0% 39% 30% 4% — 27%
Atlanta Journal Constitution August 1–4, 2016 847 ± 4.0% 44% 38% 6% — 12%
48% 42% — — 10%
WSB-TV/Landmark Archived August 10, 2016, at the Wayback Machine July 31, 2016 787 ± 4.0% 46% 41% 5% — 8%
WXIA-TV Atlanta/SurveyUSA July 29–31, 2016 570 ± 4.2% 48% 39% 5% — 8%
Public Policy Polling May 27–30, 2016 724 ± 3.6% 47% 35% — — 18%

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report[40] Likely R November 2, 2016
Sabato's Crystal Ball[41] Safe R November 7, 2016
Rothenberg Political Report[42] Safe R November 3, 2016
Daily Kos[43] Safe R November 8, 2016
Real Clear Politics[44] Likely R November 7, 2016

Results

United States Senate election in Georgia, 2016 [45]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Johnny Isakson (incumbent) 2,135,806 54.80% -3.51%
Democratic Jim Barksdale 1,599,726 41.04% +2.04%
Libertarian Allen Buckley 162,260 4.16% +1.47%
Total votes 3,897,792 100.00% N/A
Republican hold

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

References

  1. ^ "Georgia | GA Elections". Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "Johnny Isakson to announce he will seek a third term". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. November 11, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  3. ^ "Qualifying for Georgia's May primaries ends". WSB-TV. March 11, 2016. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  4. ^ Malloy, Daniel (January 9, 2015). "It looks like Johnny Isakson has his first challenger". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on January 17, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Tea Party Talk". Fetch Your News. June 16, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  6. ^ Lennon, Abbigail (March 13, 2016). "Columbia County incumbents faces opposition after qualifying ends". Columbia County News-Times. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  7. ^ Wirth, Michelle (November 17, 2014). "Sen. Isakson Announces Re-Election Bid". WABE. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  8. ^ Bluestein, Greg (March 9, 2016). "Barry Loudermilk, Doug Collins attract two new primary challengers". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  9. ^ a b Wilson, Reid (November 12, 2014). "READ IN: Back To School Edition". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  10. ^ Wilson, Reid (November 18, 2014). "READ IN: Keystone's Klose Edition". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  11. ^ Bluestein, Greg (November 11, 2014). "Georgia's Isakson readies run for third Senate term — and seeks GOP unity". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on November 26, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  12. ^ a b Bluestein, Greg (May 5, 2015). "House speaker: 'You're going to hear more discussion' about horse racing". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  13. ^ Gould Sheinin, Aaron (March 7, 2016). "Qualifying opens for Georgia's 2016 elections". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Richards, Jon (November 17, 2014). "Johnny Isakson Announces Re-Election Bid". Peach Pundit. Archived from the original on November 21, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  15. ^ Joseph, Cameron (November 20, 2014). "Senator watching his back in reelection bid". The Hill. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  16. ^ @CarlyFiorina (October 14, 2016). "I'm proud to endorse @SenatorIsakson..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ^ a b "Official Results". Georgia Secretary of State. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  18. ^ a b Bluestein, Greg (March 10, 2016). "Party-backed Georgia Democrat qualifies for U.S. Senate seat". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  19. ^ "Southwest Georgia's congressional delegation qualifies for re-election". The Albany Herald. March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  20. ^ a b c Bluestein, Greg (March 6, 2016). "More Democrats come out of woodwork for Georgia Senate race". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  21. ^ Hankerson, Jazmyne (April 18, 2016). "Candidate changes affects May primary ballot". WFXL. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  22. ^ a b c d e Cahn, Emily. "Republicans Line Up for Open Seats in Georgia | Farm Team". Roll Call. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  23. ^ a b c d e Bluestein, Greg (October 2, 2015). "Pastor of MLK's church will not run for Georgia Senate seat". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on July 6, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g Bluestein, Greg; Malloy, Daniel (April 28, 2015). "Georgia Democrats still searching for a 2016 Senate contender". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on June 14, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  25. ^ "John Barrow to teach at University of Georgia, signaling he's out for 2016". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. July 22, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  26. ^ a b Schultheis, Emily (November 12, 2014). "Losing Democrats Already Being Touted for 2016 Comebacks". National Journal. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  27. ^ Bluestein, Greg (August 25, 2015). "Scouted for Senate run, Stacey Evans decides to stay in Georgia House". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  28. ^ a b Leslie, Katie (December 2, 2015). "Democrats vetting Reed ally for Senate race against Isakson". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  29. ^ a b Henry, Scott (March 3, 2016). "Johnny Isakson appears to scare off all potential challengers". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  30. ^ Bluestein, Greg; Malloy, Daniel (April 11, 2015). "Get ready for three open-seat House races in Atlanta". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  31. ^ Galloway, Jim (May 9, 2013). "Kasim Reed rules out a 2016 run for U.S. Senate". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  32. ^ Leslie, Katie (December 18, 2015). "Search for Democratic challenger to Isakson continues". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  33. ^ "Former state senator to run for Smyrna City Council". Marietta Daily Journal. July 6, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  34. ^ Bluestein, Greg (January 16, 2016). "Democrat Ed Tarver eyes a potential Senate bid". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  35. ^ Galloway, Jim (November 20, 2014). "DuBose Porter announces re-election bid as chairman of Georgia Democrats". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  36. ^ Bluestein, Greg; Malloy, Daniel (August 6, 2015). "Exclusive: Pastor of historic Ebenezer Baptist Church considers U.S. Senate run". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  37. ^ Bluestein, Greg; Malloy, Daniel (October 7, 2015). "Johnny Isakson draws a Libertarian challenger as he raises another $1 million". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  38. ^ Bluestein, Greg; Malloy, Daniel (November 19, 2015). "Johnny Isakson gets an opponent — a Libertarian one". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  39. ^ "Libertarian Nomination". politics.blog.ajc.com. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  40. ^ "2016 Senate Race Ratings for November 2, 2016". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  41. ^ "2016 Senate". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  42. ^ "2016 Senate Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  43. ^ "Daily Kos Election 2016 forecast: The final version". Daily Kos. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  44. ^ "Battle for the Senate 2016". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  45. ^ "General Election November 8, 2016". Georgia Secretary of State. Retrieved December 19, 2016.

External links

Official campaign websites
(2015 ←)   2016 United States elections   (→ 2017)
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