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2006 Georgia gubernatorial election
none
none
Field
Value
election_name
2006 Georgia gubernatorial election
country
Georgia (U.S. state)
type
presidential
ongoing
no
previous_election
2002 Georgia gubernatorial election
previous_year
2002
next_election
2010 Georgia gubernatorial election
next_year
2010
election_date
November 7, 2006
image1
File:Sonny Perdue at rally.jpg
image_size
150x150px
nominee1
**Sonny Perdue**
party1
Republican Party (United States)
popular_vote1
**1,229,724**
percentage1
**57.95%**
image2
File:Marktaylorpic (cropped).jpg
nominee2
Mark Taylor
party2
Democratic Party (United States)
popular_vote2
811,049
percentage2
38.22%
map_image
map_size
240px
map_caption
**Perdue:**
**Taylor:**
**Tie:**
title
Governor
before_election
Sonny Perdue
before_party
Republican Party (United States)
after_election
Sonny Perdue
after_party
Republican Party (United States)
Taylor: Tie:
The 2006 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006. Georgia incumbent Republican governor Sonny Perdue ran for re-election to a second and final term as governor. Governor Perdue was renominated by the Republican Party, defeating a minor opponent in the process, while Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor narrowly emerged victorious from a competitive Democratic primary. In the general election, though Taylor ran a spirited campaign, Perdue was aided by the increasing tendency of the state to vote for Republicans and by his popularity with the public; polling showed his approval ratings above sixty percent. In the end, Perdue was overwhelmingly re-elected as governor, defeating Taylor in a landslide, becoming the first Republican Governor of Georgia to ever be reelected. , this is the last time that Muscogee, Warren, Rockdale, Chatham, and Bibb counties voted for the Republican candidate for governor and the last time that Marion, Telfair, and Wheeler counties voted for the Democratic candidate.
Exit polls showed that Perdue won white voters (68% to 27%) while Taylor won black voters (81% to 17%). As of 2025, Perdue's 17% of the African American vote is the highest showing of any Republican seeking statewide office in Georgia.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Bill Bolton
Cathy Cox, Secretary of State of Georgia
Mac McCarley
Mark Taylor, Lieutenant Governor of Georgia
Results
2006 Georgia Democratic gubernatorial primary. Dark blue indicates Taylor, while light blue indicates Cox.<ref name="Primary election results" />
Republican primary
Candidates
Ray McBerry, businessman
Sonny Perdue, incumbent governor of Georgia
Results
General election
Fundraising
Perdue had more financial resources on hand than Taylor. As of the March 31 filing, Perdue reported that he had over $8.2 million on hand, while Taylor had $4.2 million in reserve. Perdue had the added advantage of facing a weak opponent in Ray McBerry in the primary election, while Cox and Taylor engaged in a bitter struggle for the Democratic nomination. Garrett Hayes, the Libertarian candidate, reported less than $1,000 on hand, though the October 31 Zogby poll showed him attracting a surprising 9.1 percent of polled voters.
Advertisements
A minor controversy developed during the primary campaign over an ad created by Georgians for Truth, a group founded by several prominent Democratic fundraisers. The ad criticized Perdue for allegedly failing to pay his taxes for several years before becoming governor, allegations that had been made in the 2002 campaign as well. Cox and Taylor, for reasons that are not clear, requested that the group not run the ad, prompting the Georgia Democratic Party chairman, Bobby Kahn, to strongly rebuke the group's members.
Predictions
Source
Ranking
As of
The Cook Political Report
November 6, 2006
Sabato's Crystal Ball
November 6, 2006
Rothenberg Political Report
November 2, 2006
Real Clear Politics
November 6, 2006
Campaign issues
Education
The HOPE Scholarship program and its stability and continued solvency are recurring issues in Georgia politics. Citing budget constraints, Perdue signed Republican-sponsored legislation that significantly cut the benefits conferred by the program. Cox and Taylor both severely criticized the governor for these actions, and both pointed to the fact that Perdue voted against the legislation creating the program as a state senator in 1993. Perdue backed an amendment to the state constitution that would have shifted the allocation of the lottery funds that support the program, but the legislation was defeated.
- *College tuition* may also be an issue. During Perdue's first term, Georgia's universities substantially increased tuition fees.
- *School funding*: Perdue successfully backed legislation that requires Georgia schools to spend at least 65% of their budgets "in the classroom". Democrats charged that some school programs, such as music classes, do not fit the definition of "in the classroom."
#### Health care
- *PeachCare*, a state program providing medical care for needy children and families, emerged as a point of contention between Perdue and his challengers. Perdue approved a cut in the program during his administration. Taylor, a strong supporter of the program, was particularly vocal in attacking Perdue and advocating significant expansion of the program.
- Perdue made Medicaid reform a priority during his first term. Democrats were critical of the reform proposal that Perdue presented to federal officials.
#### Immigration
The problem presented by illegal immigrants emerged during Georgia's 2006 legislative session as an issue likely to have a large impact on the gubernatorial campaign. Perdue signed legislation restricting the ability of illegal immigrants to access state resources, including health care and public education.
#### Voting
- *Voter identification* legislation signed by Perdue requiring photo identification for voting while expanding absentee voting opportunities had a substantial impact on the campaign. Democrats strongly denounced the legislation as discriminatory against the poor and elderly, while Republicans attempted to alleviate such concerns by providing access to photo identification for those not possessing it.
- *Paper ballots* were a major concern of Taylor supporters, who felt that Cox made a mistake when she brought electronic voting to Georgia as secretary of state.
### Polling
::data[format=table]
| Source | Date | Taylor (D) | Perdue (R) | Hayes (L) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategic Vision | Nov. 1, 2006 | 36% | **52%** | 5% |
| Strategic Vision | Oct. 25, 2006 | 32% | **51%** | 9% |
| Strategic Vision | September 27, 2006 | 39% | **51%** | 4% |
| Zogby/WSJ | September 11, 2006 | 34.9% | **47.4%** | 8.1% |
| Zogby/WSJ | August 28, 2006 | 40.7% | **51.3%** | |
| Strategic Vision | August 23, 2006 | 41% | **54%** | |
| Rasmussen | August 4, 2006 | 39% | **53%** | |
| Zogby/WSJ | July 24, 2006 | 39.3% | **52.1%** | |
| Strategic Vision | June 28, 2006 | 44% | **50%** | |
| Zogby/WSJ | June 21, 2006 | 40% | **48.6%** | |
| Strategic Vision | May 10, 2006 | 39% | **51%** | |
| Rasmussen | May 6, 2006 | 36% | **51%** | |
| Rasmussen | March 26, 2006 | 41% | **51%** | |
| Strategic Vision | March 8, 2006 | 33% | **57%** | |
| Rasmussen | Feb 16, 2006 | 33% | **53%** | |
| Strategic Vision | Jan 25, 2006 | 36% | **57%** | |
| Strategic Vision | Dec 7, 2005 | 38% | **55%** | |
| Strategic Vision | Oct 26, 2005 | 37% | **55%** | |
| Strategic Vision | Aug 4, 2005 | 40% | **52%** | |
| Strategic Vision | May 13, 2005 | 42% | **50%** | |
| Strategic Vision | Feb 11, 2005 | 44% | **50%** | |
::
### Results
#### Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Early (largest city: Blakely)
- McIntosh (largest municipality: Darien)
- Lowndes (largest city: Valdosta)
- Burke (largest municipality: Waynesboro)
- Chatham (largest city: Savannah)
- Washington (largest municipality: Sandersville)
- Sumter (largest city: Americus)
- Jefferson (largest city: Louisville)
- Muscogee (largest city: Columbus)
- Meriwether (largest municipality: Manchester)
- Telfair (largest municipality: McRae-Helena)
- Bibb (largest city: Macon)
- Wheeler (largest city: Alamo)
- Wilkes (largest city: Washington)
- Grady (largest city: Cairo)
- Thomas (largest town: Thomasville)
#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Dooly (largest city: Vienna) (previously tied)
## References
## References
1. ["Georgia Election Results Official Results of the July 18, 2006 Primary Election"](http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/election_results/2006_0718/summary.htm).
2. ["Campaign Reports Search {{!}} Georgia Government Campaign Finance Commission of Georgia"](https://media.ethics.ga.gov/search/Campaign/Campaign_Name.aspx?NameID=293&FilerID=C2006000088&Type=candidate).
3. ["Campaign Reports Search {{!}} Georgia Government Campaign Finance Commission of Georgia"](https://media.ethics.ga.gov/search/Campaign/Campaign_ReportOptions.aspx?NameID=291&FilerID=C2006000087&CDRID=4217).
4. ["Campaign Reports Search {{!}} Georgia Government Campaign Finance Commission of Georgia"](https://media.ethics.ga.gov/search/Campaign/Campaign_Name.aspx?NameID=295&FilerID=C2006000089&Type=candidate).
5. Doherty, Brian. (2006-11-08). ["And the Georgia Gubernatorial Race and the Libertarian Party?"](https://reason.com/2006/11/07/and-the-georgia-gubernatorial/).
6. Staff Writer. ["Flagger runs in GOP primary against Perdue"](https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/2006/04/19/flagger-runs-in-gop-primary/13753070007/).
7. ["2006 Governor Race Ratings for November 6, 2006"](https://cookpolitical.com/races/report_pdfs/2006_gov_ratings_nov6.pdf).
8. ["Election Eve 2006: The Final Predictions"](https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/ljs2006110601/).
9. ["2006 Gubernatorial Ratings"](https://www.insideelections.com/ratings/governor/2006-gubernatorial-ratings). *The Rothenberg Political Report*.
10. ["Election 2006"](https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/writeup/election_2006-21.html). *Real Clear Politics*.
11. Larrabee, Brandon. ["Restrictions up fees for HOPE scholars"](https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/2006/08/16/restrictions-fees-hope-scholars/13829762007/).
12. Jones, Walter C.. ["Perdue, Taylor see health care differently"](https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/2006/09/18/perdue-taylor-see-health-care-differently/13826599007/).
13. Staff Writer. ["Perdue signs controversial bill"](https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/news/2006/04/18/met-77913-shtml/14770221007/).
14. Gross, Doug. ["Governor signs voter ID measure"](https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/news/2006/01/27/met-49863-shtml/14777315007/).
15. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070215023550/http://strategicvision.biz/political/georgia_poll_110106.htm Strategic Vision]
16. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070627012009/http://strategicvision.biz/political/georgia_poll_102506.htm Strategic Vision]
17. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070705213953/http://www.strategicvision.biz/political/georgia_poll_092706.htm Strategic Vision]
18. ["Zogby/WSJ"](https://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-flash06.html?project=elections06-ft&h=495&w=778&hasAd=1&mod=blogs).
19. [https://web.archive.org/web/20060902190823/http://www.strategicvision.biz/political/georgia_poll_082306.htm Strategic Vision]
20. ["Rasmussen"](http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/July%202006/GeorgiaGovernor.htm).
21. [https://web.archive.org/web/20060923001211/http://strategicvision.biz/political/georgia_poll_062806.htm Strategic Vision]
22. [https://web.archive.org/web/20060602182417/http://www.strategicvision.biz/political/georgia_poll_051006.htm Strategic Vision]
23. [https://web.archive.org/web/20060518052514/http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/April%202006/Georgia%20Governor%20April.htm Rasmussen]
24. ["Rasmussen"](http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/March%202006/Georgia%20Governor%20March.htm).
25. [https://web.archive.org/web/20060316111557/http://strategicvision.biz/political/georgia_poll_030806.htm Strategic Vision]
26. [https://web.archive.org/web/20060308082753/http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/February%202006/Georgia%20Governor%20February.htm Rasmussen]
27. [https://web.archive.org/web/20060208200059/http://www.strategicvision.biz/political/georgia_poll_012506.htm Strategic Vision]
28. [https://web.archive.org/web/20051210022149/http://www.strategicvision.biz/political/georgia_poll_1207.htm Strategic Vision]
29. [https://web.archive.org/web/20060112003132/http://www.strategicvision.biz/political/georgia_poll_1026.htm Strategic Vision]
30. [https://web.archive.org/web/20051212013430/http://www.strategicvision.biz/political/georgia_poll_0804.htm Strategic Vision]
31. [https://web.archive.org/web/20051202014024/http://www.strategicvision.biz/political/georgia_poll_0517.htm Strategic Vision]
32. [https://web.archive.org/web/20051202014000/http://www.strategicvision.biz/political/georgia_poll_0215.htm Strategic Vision]
33. ["Georgia Election Results Official Results of the Tuesday, November 07, 2006 General Election"](http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/election_results/2006_1107/swall.htm).
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::
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