• 2030 Project
  • Posts
  • Know Before You Go: Your May 19th Ballot and the Candidate We're Proud to Back

Know Before You Go: Your May 19th Ballot and the Candidate We're Proud to Back

April 24, 2026

In partnership with

Elections in Georgia

Election season is here! The May 19th primaries are just weeks away, with early voting beginning Monday, April 27th, and running through Friday, May 15th. Find your polling place and sample ballot here.

Below, we break down every statewide primary on the ballot, plus an in-depth look at the incredibly important Georgia Supreme Court general election races. A few things to keep in mind: we've focused on statewide races, so US House, State House, State Senate, and county positions aren't included here. And in any primary with more than two candidates, if nobody clears a majority on May 19th, the top two head to a runoff on June 16th.

Please make a plan to vote and tell everyone you know to do the same!

Georgia Supreme Court Race

As federal courts have increasingly shirked their democratic responsibilities, state courts have become the last line of defense. This May 19th, Georgians will get a direct vote on who shapes our State Supreme Court.

Though Georgia Supreme Court candidates are ostensibly “nonpartisan,” Justices still carry their values into their seats and thus impose them on all of Georgia. Two conservative incumbents, Justice Charlie Bethel and Justice Sarah Hawkins Warren, have progressive challengers in this general election. Miracle Rankins and Jen Jordan, who are both Democrat-backed candidates, are challenging these justices, respectively. 

Justice Bethel was a former Republican Georgia State Senator for District 54. In 2018, he was elected to the Georgia Court of Appeals unopposed and narrowly won a seat on the Georgia Supreme Court in 2020. However, Miracle Rankins has stepped up to the plate to run against Justice Bethel. Rankin believes in standing up against the overwhelming power corporations have over individual persons and voters, and she stands with women in their right to privacy to make their own decisions about abortion.

Incumbent Justice Sarah Hawkins Warren was registered as a Republican until she ran for Georgia Supreme Court in 2020, and is a proud member of the Federalist Society, which is a political group focused on originalism of the Constitution. They supposedly argue for individual rights to private property and limited government, except when it comes to abortion rights or LGBTQ+ civil rights. Her opponent this year, Jen Jordan (pronounced Jer-Dun), was a Georgia State Senator in the 6th District until 2023. She believes in the right to privacy for women’s healthcare as well as protecting citizens from overreaching corporations. In particular, she is concerned about data centers and the possible health concerns for the communities around these ecologically damaging centers. 

Both Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankins stand strong against their conservative counterparts to protect Georgia from further conservative control and to emphasize a way forward guided by liberty, justice, and equality.

Georgia Recorder

May 19th Ballot

The Eighty-Vote Bridge: Returning Farooq Mughal to the Gold Dome

In 1995, Farooq Mughal’s family settled in Lawrenceville with the belief that hard work could build a life in Gwinnett County. But as a young adult, Farooq lived the precarious reality many of his neighbors still face—facing eviction, navigating life without health insurance, and scraping by paycheck to paycheck. He didn't just observe Gwinnett's struggles from a distance; he was forged by them, and he never forgot how that felt.

That lived experience is exactly what he took to the Gold Dome in 2022, when he made history as the first Pakistani-American elected to the Georgia General Assembly. Farooq didn’t get there by giving speeches; he got there by being a mediator who actually knows how to deliver. In a single term, he passed 10 bipartisan bills—protecting hospital workers from workplace violence, funding mental health grants for veterans, and reforming minority contracting so small businesses could actually compete for state opportunities. Ten bills. One term. That is a public servant delivering for Georgians.

In 2024, a Republican gerrymander redrew the map beneath him, leading to a loss by exactly 80 votes. It was the closest loss for Georgia House Democrats in the entire state, and perhaps the most painful. This past Sunday, The 2030 Project—along with State Rep. and Attorney General candidate Tanya Miller, Gwinnett County Commissioner Kirkland Carden, State Rep. Billy Mitchell, and a diverse coalition of grassroots supporters—gathered in Duluth with one item on the agenda:

Send one of Gwinnett County's best champions back to the Gold Dome.

Farooq's story—immigrant family, living paycheck to paycheck, serving his community before ever being elected—is more than a biography: it is the argument for his leadership. The 2030 Project is proud to announce Farooq as one of our supported candidates for the 2026 cycle—because Gwinnett, like all of Georgia, deserves representatives who prioritize results over partisan politics.

Help us close the 80-vote gap – donate to Farooq’s campaign today!

Consider a donation to The 2030 Project!

With year-round organizing, we can support strong candidates, create new Democratic coalitions, and build a better future for all Georgians.

secure.actblue.com/donate/2030project

Until next time,

Fund year-round organizing. Flip the GA State Legislature.

You earned the attention. Here's what to do next.

Most creators spend years building an audience on platforms that own it. The reach is real. The relationship isn't. One algorithm change and the people who chose you stop seeing you.

A newsletter is different. Your list is yours. Every subscriber is earned and stays earned. And on beehiiv, the tools to grow it, monetize it, and own it completely are built in from day one.

30% off your first 3 months with code LIST30. Start building today.