Upset Brief · GA-08 · Kelly Esti (D) vs. Austin Scott (R), incumbent
A long shot on the math: it takes a 32.5-point national wave.
0%
odds today
0%
odds with the plan
93,636
net votes to find
37
days left; voting starts October 13
Where
- 01+206Lowndes Civic (Lowndes County)Starting line Esti +31. 2.8% split their ticket. About 1,427 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 02+171Rozr (Houston County)Starting line Scott +39. 4.0% split their ticket.
- 03+154Rainwater (Lowndes County)Starting line Scott +28. 3.6% split their ticket.
- 04+147Bms (Houston County)Starting line Scott +35. 4.5% split their ticket.
- 05+141Mott-Litman Gym (Tift County)Starting line Esti +46. 15.1% split their ticket. About 366 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
- 06+130Mt. Calvary Church (Lowndes County)Starting line Esti +41. 5.2% split their ticket. About 806 more ballots in 2024 than in 2022 (estimate).
The top 12 precincts carry 25% of the plan.
How
- P+5,350Persuade5,350 voters who split their ticket in recent elections and lean Scott today.
- M+893MobilizeAt least 7,694 people who voted in 2024 but not in 2022, in precincts where Esti's side wins at least 55 percent.
- C+135ConsolidateVoters who went third party in recent races, in the precincts that lean Esti's way.
Plus a national shift of 32.5 points of margin (87,258 votes) that no campaign controls.
What has to be true
- Esti wins 50 percent of the ticket splitters now leaning Scott.
- In Lowndes Civic (Lowndes County) and Mt. Calvary Church (Lowndes County), 35 percent of the people who voted in 2024 but skipped 2022 come back and vote.
- The national environment moves about 32.5 points toward Esti's side between now and November 3.
- No 2026 public poll exists for this race, so the starting line is a weighted blend of official recent results; the first real poll will move it.
The numbers behind it
- 01Crossover regression225 precincts, R² 0.988, 27 crossover precincts identified
- 02Monte Carlo20,000 seeded simulated elections with a 7-point baseline error. 90% range of the final margin with the plan: -118,735 to -55,937 votes.
- 03Money, FEC candidate totals through June 30Esti $1,688 cash on hand; Scott $1,349,452.
- 04Call program for this list12,957 households, 38,872 dials, about 2,037 live conversations: an estimated $5,460 at published rates.
Independent analysis by The Political Group from official Georgia Secretary of State precinct returns (2022 and 2024), FEC filings and published polls, as of September 26, 2026. Not affiliated with any candidate or party.