Is Georgia a red state?
Yes at the state level. Republicans hold the governor's office, both chambers of the legislature, and most statewide offices, and the large majority of Georgia's 159 counties vote Republican by wide margins. Statewide federal races are closer, and knowing why helps you pick the right county.
Talk to a Georgia agent Explore Georgia →Republican-run, with a competitive metro
Georgia has been governed by Republicans for two decades. Brian Kemp won re-election in 2022 by 7.5 points, Republicans hold both legislative chambers, and Trump carried the state in 2024. Nearly all of Georgia's land area and most of its counties are solidly Republican.
What makes statewide totals close is concentration. The Atlanta metro holds a large share of the state's population and votes heavily Democratic, which pulls narrow statewide results even while the rest of Georgia moves further right.
Where Georgia is firmly Republican
Republicans control the governor's office, the lieutenant governorship, the state House and Senate, and most statewide constitutional offices. That control has held through every cycle this century and shapes tax policy, education policy, and regulation across the state.
Outside the Atlanta metro, the Republican margin is not close. North Georgia, South Georgia, the coastal counties outside Savannah proper, and Middle Georgia all deliver wide Republican majorities. If you are moving to one of those areas, you are moving somewhere that votes much like Tennessee or Alabama.
How the statewide races got close
2016
Trump won Georgia by roughly 5 points, consistent with the state's long Republican pattern.
2020
Biden carried the state by about 12,000 votes, the first Democratic presidential win since 1992.
2022
Kemp won re-election by 7.5 points, running well ahead of the presidential margin.
2024
Trump won Georgia back, 50.7% to 48.5%, a margin of about 115,000 votes.
The driver is Atlanta's growth. Gwinnett, Cobb, and Henry counties were reliably Republican twenty years ago and now vote Democratic. The rest of the state has moved the other direction, which is why statewide margins land within a few points while most individual counties are not close at all.
What to know before you choose
County choice matters more in Georgia than almost anywhere
You can drive an hour out of Atlanta and go from a county that votes 60% Democratic to one that votes 75% Republican. That is unusually wide variation, and it means the statewide label tells you very little about where you would actually live. Pick the county first.
Federal races are genuinely contested
Georgia has an open governor's race this November with Kemp term-limited, and a Senate race that forecasters rate a toss-up. If you want a state where statewide outcomes are not in question, Tennessee, Alabama, or South Carolina are closer to that. If you want Georgia's economy, climate, and cost of living in a strongly conservative community, that is very much available here.
Georgia's most conservative areas
North Georgia mountains
Blue Ridge, Ellijay, Dahlonega, Blairsville. Among the most Republican counties in the state, with strong second-home demand.
Forsyth & Cherokee
Cumming, Canton, Woodstock. Highly rated schools, commutable to Atlanta, consistently Republican.
Coastal Georgia
Brunswick, St. Simons, Richmond Hill, Effingham County. Growing fast with strong margins outside Savannah.
Middle Georgia
Warner Robins, Perry, Houston County. Anchored by Robins Air Force Base and popular with military families.
South Georgia
Valdosta, Tifton, Thomasville. The most affordable part of the state and reliably conservative.
Northwest Georgia
Rome, Calhoun, Dalton. Deep red, low cost of living, within reach of Chattanooga.
Georgia's political makeup, answered
Is Georgia Republican or Democratic?
Republican at the state level. Republicans hold the governorship, both legislative chambers, and most statewide offices, and the majority of Georgia's 159 counties vote Republican by wide margins. Statewide federal races have been close because of population concentration in the Atlanta metro.
Why are Georgia's statewide races so close?
Population density. The Atlanta metro contains a large share of the state's voters and leans heavily Democratic, so it can offset wide Republican margins across the rest of Georgia's geography.
Which Georgia counties vote Republican?
The large majority of them. North Georgia, South Georgia, Middle Georgia, Northwest Georgia, and most coastal counties outside Savannah deliver consistent Republican margins, many of them 70% or higher.
Which Georgia counties vote Democratic?
Mainly the Atlanta metro core and inner suburbs, including Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Gwinnett, Cobb, and Henry, plus Athens-Clarke, Macon-Bibb, Chatham, and Muscogee.
Does Georgia have a state income tax?
Yes, though Republican majorities have cut the rate repeatedly with further reductions planned. It is not a no-income-tax state like Florida or Tennessee, which is worth factoring into a relocation comparison.
Thinking about a move to Georgia?
Georgia is a state where the county you choose matters more than almost anywhere else. We connect you with a vetted local agent who knows those distinctions, on both the selling side and the buying side.
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