U.S. House, Georgia 2nd Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Georgia's 2nd Congressional District?
Sanford Bishop has the strongest record in Georgia's 2nd Congressional District. Sanford Bishop scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Sanford Bishop's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Matt Day (6 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Sanford Bishop
66 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 69
Republican
Matt Day
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 56
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Sanford Bishop
- On the record2025-01-22
Voted Yea on final passage of the Laken Riley Act on Jan. 22, 2025, while Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted Nay.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 23, 2025
- On the record2024-12-30
The Office of Congressional Ethics referred allegations in 2020 about his use of campaign funds; the House Ethics Committee closed the matter Dec. 30, 2024 with no further action.
Sources: House Committee on Ethics, June 16, 2020, House Committee on Ethics, Dec. 30, 2024
- Credit2024-12-23
Sponsored the Beagle Brigade Act (H.R. 1480); its provisions were enacted in S. 759, signed Dec. 23, 2024.
- Credit2023
Ranked 63rd of 436 House members on the Lugar Center Bipartisan Index for 2023, a top-quarter score.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Matt Day
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Sanford Bishop. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed May 14, 2026. An OCE referral on campaign spending was closed by the House Ethics Committee on Dec. 30, 2024 with no further action. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10077628, House Committee on Ethics, Dec. 30, 2024, FEC administrative fines search
Matt Day. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Sanford Bishop. Voted Yea on final passage of the Laken Riley Act on Jan. 22, 2025, when Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar voted Nay.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 23, 2025
Matt Day. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Sanford Bishop. Held a telephone town hall with constituent questions on Feb. 20, 2025, reported by GPB. No 2026 general election debate or forum with Matt Day found.
Matt Day. Was listed by 41NBC among candidates scheduled to take part in the Sept. 17, 2026 Middle Georgia Decides candidate forum in Macon. No debate with Sanford Bishop found.
Source: 41NBC, Sept. 17, 2026
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Sanford Bishop. In the U.S. House since 1993 after service in the Georgia House and Senate. No censure, reprimand or Ethics Committee finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Sanford Bishop, House Committee on Ethics, Dec. 30, 2024
Matt Day. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Sanford Bishop. Has held sworn office since 1977. Voted Nay on the 2005 Ohio electoral objection and on both January 2021 objections; no misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 7, 2005, House Clerk Roll Call 10, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, 2021
Matt Day. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Sanford Bishop. In the U.S. House since January 1993, seeking an 18th term; earlier served in the Georgia House and Georgia Senate.
Source: Ballotpedia, Sanford Bishop
Matt Day. Founded the construction staffing company Glaziers on Demand in 2013 and later Glazier Nation; has not held public office.
Source: Campaign site, About Matt
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Sanford Bishop. Ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA and Related Agencies. Primary sponsor of 18 enacted bills.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Matt Day. Publishes local, county and national priorities, mostly in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, home page
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Sanford Bishop. Sends a regular email newsletter, hosts live, telephone and online town halls, and publishes issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, Newsletters, Town Halls, & Updates, Ballotpedia, Sanford Bishop
Matt Day. Publishes issue and county plan pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Sanford Bishop. Served Georgia in the state House from 1977 and the state Senate before Congress; his FEC record lists Columbus. FEC by-state totals show about 68 percent of itemized individual contributions from Georgia.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Sanford Bishop, FEC contribution totals by state
Matt Day. No public record found.
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Sanford Bishop. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Matt Day. Says his company employed more than 400 glaziers across 40 states within four years. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC with no administrative fine found.
Sources: Campaign site, About Matt, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Sanford Bishop. Legislative Effectiveness Score 0.247 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.585, below expectations. Raised to 2 under E14: his Beagle Brigade Act was enacted in S. 759, signed Dec. 23, 2024.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 1480 (118th Congress)
Matt Day. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Sanford Bishop. Missed 730 of 21,039 roll call votes, 3.5 percent, from January 1993 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Matt Day. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Sanford Bishop. Runs district offices in Albany, Columbus and Macon, offers help with federal agencies, and holds town hall events and sends a regular newsletter.
Sources: Office site, home page, Office site, Newsletters, Town Halls, & Updates
Matt Day. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Sanford Bishop. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of 0.44120 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 63rd of 436, in the top quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Matt Day. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Sanford Bishop. No public record found.
Matt Day. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Georgia's 2nd Congressional District?
Sanford Bishop has the strongest record in Georgia's 2nd Congressional District. Sanford Bishop scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Sanford Bishop's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Matt Day (6 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Georgia's 2nd Congressional District in 2026?
Sanford Bishop (Democratic, incumbent), Matt Day (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Sanford Bishop a good candidate for Congress?
Sanford Bishop scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 69 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Matt Day a good candidate for Congress?
Matt Day has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Georgia race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Georgia 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.