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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. As of 2024, 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.
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 Perdue: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Taylor: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 40–50% 50% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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Exit polls showed that Perdue won white voters (68% to 27%) while Taylor won black voters (81% to 17%). As of 2024, Perdue's 17% of the African-American vote was the highest showing of any Republican seeking statewide office in Georgia.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mark Taylor | 249,188 | 52.1% | |
| Democratic | Cathy Cox | 211,978 | 44.3% | |
| Democratic | Bill Bolton | 10,552 | 1.7% | |
| Democratic | Mac McCarley | 10,399 | 0.6% | |
| Total votes | 482,117 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Sonny Perdue (incumbent) | 370,756 | 88.4% | |
| Republican | Ray McBerry | 48,498 | 12.6% | |
| Total votes | 419,254 | 100 | ||
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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,[2] while Taylor had $4.2 million in reserve.[3] 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,[4] though the October 31 Zogby poll showed him attracting a surprising 9.1 percent of polled voters.[5]
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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.[6]
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[7] | Lean R | November 6, 2006 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[8] | Safe R | November 6, 2006 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[9] | Safe R | November 2, 2006 |
| Real Clear Politics[10] | Likely R | November 6, 2006 |
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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.[13]
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| Source | Date | Taylor (D) | Perdue (R) | Hayes (L) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategic Vision[15] | Nov. 1, 2006 | 36% | 52% | 5% |
| Strategic Vision[16] | Oct. 25, 2006 | 32% | 51% | 9% |
| Strategic Vision[17] | September 27, 2006 | 39% | 51% | 4% |
| Zogby/WSJ[18] | September 11, 2006 | 34.9% | 47.4% | 8.1% |
| Zogby/WSJ[18] | August 28, 2006 | 40.7% | 51.3% | |
| Strategic Vision[19] | August 23, 2006 | 41% | 54% | |
| Rasmussen[20] | August 4, 2006 | 39% | 53% | |
| Zogby/WSJ[18] | July 24, 2006 | 39.3% | 52.1% | |
| Strategic Vision[21] | June 28, 2006 | 44% | 50% | |
| Zogby/WSJ[18] | June 21, 2006 | 40% | 48.6% | |
| Strategic Vision[22] | May 10, 2006 | 39% | 51% | |
| Rasmussen[23] | May 6, 2006 | 36% | 51% | |
| Rasmussen[24] | March 26, 2006 | 41% | 51% | |
| Strategic Vision[25] | March 8, 2006 | 33% | 57% | |
| Rasmussen[26] | Feb 16, 2006 | 33% | 53% | |
| Strategic Vision[27] | Jan 25, 2006 | 36% | 57% | |
| Strategic Vision[28] | Dec 7, 2005 | 38% | 55% | |
| Strategic Vision[29] | Oct 26, 2005 | 37% | 55% | |
| Strategic Vision[30] | Aug 4, 2005 | 40% | 52% | |
| Strategic Vision[31] | May 13, 2005 | 42% | 50% | |
| Strategic Vision[32] | Feb 11, 2005 | 44% | 50% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Sonny Perdue (incumbent) | 1,229,724 | 57.95% | +6.53% | |
| Democratic | Mark Taylor | 811,049 | 38.22% | −8.03% | |
| Libertarian | Garrett Michael Hayes | 81,412 | 3.83% | +1.50% | |
| Majority | 418,675 | 19.73% | +14.56% | ||
| Turnout | 2,122,185 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
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