Despite high-profile endorsements and multimillion dollar ad spends, Georgia Republican Supreme Court Justices Charles Bethel and Sarah Warren successfully fended off their Democratic challengers Tuesday.
Bethel and Warren went up against attorney Miracle Rankin and former state Sen. Jen Jordan, both of whom had the endorsement of former President Barack Obama. Other high-profile endorsements included former Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, pro-abortion groups, and the state Democratic Party. (RELATED: Georgia Voters Force Runoffs In High-Stakes GOP Primaries)
“State supreme court justices play a critical role in defending your rights and freedoms, which is why the election happening in Georgia right now is so important,” Obama wrote in a post on X. “Make sure you have a plan to vote for Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin, the only two candidates in the race with strong records of standing up for all Georgians.”
Harris made a similar appeal on social media, calling Rankin and Jordan “extraordinary leaders who will fight to protect your rights and uphold the rule of law.”
Miracle and Jordan were estimated to have spent over $900,000 on TV ads, with another $243,000 from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on radio ads, according to the Brennan Center. Planned Parenthood also put its thumb on the scale, pledging to spend $750,000 on ads for the two candidates. CNN reported that over $4 million went towards advertising in total, split roughly the same between supporting the incumbents and supporting their opponents.
Despite Democratic heavyweights throwing their support behind Rankin and Jordan, both candidates faced a bruising defeat on election night.
State supreme court justices play a critical role in defending your rights and freedoms, which is why the election happening in Georgia right now is so important.
Make sure you have a plan to vote for Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin, the only two candidates in the race with strong… pic.twitter.com/LPYGryQubo
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 7, 2026
Bethel ultimately defeated the Democrat challenger by over 40,000 votes, with the incumbent securing 51.1% and Rankin bringing in 48.9%, according to the New York Times. Warren similarly won by over 358,000 votes at 59.3% while Jordan received just 40.7% of the vote.
The Georgia Supreme Court has steadily maintained its Republican leaning with eight of the nine justices being appointed by GOP governors. Both Bethel and Warren were appointed by former Republican Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal in 2018. (RELATED: Marjorie Taylor Greene All But Set To Be Replaced By Trump-Backed Republican)
Current Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Justice Ben Land in 2025 and he ran unopposed this cycle, securing a six-year term on the bench.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct that the $4 million was not the number spent by Democrats, but rather the reported total spent on ads between the incumbents and their Democratic challengers. The story was also updated with additional information on the Democrat’s spending.
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