U.S. House, Georgia 7th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Georgia's 7th Congressional District?
Rich McCormick has the strongest record in Georgia's 7th Congressional District. Rich McCormick scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Tony Kozycki at 53, as of October 9, 2026. Rich McCormick's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Tony Kozycki's highest marks are communication. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic
Tony Kozycki
53 / 100
Public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 55
- Performance
- NR
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Rich McCormick
61 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 70
- Performance
- 56
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.
Tony Kozycki
- On the record2026-09-09
Held a debate event at Hickory Flat Library with questions from the public after Rep. Rich McCormick did not attend; it was the third of a planned series of county debates across the district.
- On the record2026-10-03
As attorney for deported Army veteran Godfrey Wade, saw the Douglas County Superior Court grant Wade's habeas petition on Oct. 3, 2026, setting aside the misdemeanor conviction behind his deportation.
Sources: Atlanta News First, Oct. 3, 2026, WRDW, Oct. 4, 2026
Rich McCormick
- Mark against2025-09-17
Filed a periodic transaction report Sept. 17, 2025 listing stock purchases dated March 15, 2023, and on April 7, 2026 reported a December 2025 Treasury bill purchase, both past the STOCK Act 45-day deadline.
Sources: House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20030699, House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20033648, NOTUS, April 8, 2026, OpenSecrets News, Sept. 22, 2025, OpenSecrets News, Sept. 30, 2025
- Mark against2023-01-26
The FEC closed administrative fine case AF 4468 against his campaign committee, Friends of McCormick, with a $11,190 fine over 2022 48-hour contribution notices.
Source: FEC administrative fines search
- On the record2026
Voted Yea in 2026 on the ROTOR Act and on a bill requiring temporary protected status for Haiti while the Speaker, Majority Leader and Whip voted Nay.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 72, 2026, House Clerk Roll Call 120, 2026
- On the record2026-09-09
Did not attend a Sept. 9, 2026 debate event in Hickory Flat organized as part of his opponent's planned series of county debates.
- On the record2025-02-20
Held an in-person town hall at Roswell City Hall where hundreds of attendees booed him over the Trump administration agenda; he held another in-person town hall in Alpharetta on May 7, 2026.
Sources: AJC, Feb. 21, 2025, Cherokee Tribune Ledger, April 15, 2026
- On the record2023-05-31
Was one of 71 House Republicans who voted against the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the debt limit deal backed by Speaker McCarthy; it passed 314 to 117.
- On the record2022-05-01
At a May 1, 2022 GOP primary debate said he never conceded the 2020 7th District race and that "No one was hurt by voter fraud more than myself"; GPB reported it among false election claims.
Source: GPB News, May 1, 2022
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Tony Kozycki. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed April 13, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10074600, FEC administrative fines search
Rich McCormick. Reported 2023 stock purchases in his Roth IRA on a periodic transaction report filed Sept. 17, 2025, and a December 2025 Treasury bill purchase on April 7, 2026, past the 45-day STOCK Act deadline, as OpenSecrets and NOTUS reported.
Sources: House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20030699, NOTUS, April 8, 2026, OpenSecrets News, Sept. 22, 2025
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Tony Kozycki. No public record found.
Rich McCormick. Voted against the Fiscal Responsibility Act in 2023 when GOP leaders backed it, and in 2026 voted Yea on the ROTOR Act and on a Haiti temporary protected status bill when the Speaker, Majority Leader and Whip voted Nay.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 243, May 31, 2023, House Clerk Roll Call 72, 2026, House Clerk Roll Call 120, 2026
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Tony Kozycki. Has held public debate events across the district, including a Sept. 2026 event in Hickory Flat where he took questions submitted by the public; his opponent did not attend.
Rich McCormick. Held an in-person town hall at Roswell City Hall in February 2025 and another in Alpharetta on May 7, 2026. Has not attended the 2026 debate events his opponent organized.
Sources: AJC, Feb. 21, 2025, Cherokee Tribune Ledger, April 15, 2026, AJC photo caption, Oct. 8, 2026, Cherokee Tribune Ledger, Sept. 10, 2026
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Tony Kozycki. Served as a Navy officer from 2004 to 2017 and has since practiced law. No formal conduct finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Tony Kozycki
Rich McCormick. More than 25 years in the Marine Corps and Navy, an emergency physician, and in Congress since 2023. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter naming him found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Rich McCormick, House Committee on Ethics site search for McCormick (results concern another member)
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Tony Kozycki. Served as a commissioned Navy officer from 2004 to 2017 after graduating from the Naval Academy in 2008. No official finding of misconduct found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Tony Kozycki
Rich McCormick. Served in the Marine Corps and Navy and has held sworn office since January 2023, after the January 2021 electoral count; not on the Texas v. Pennsylvania House amicus list. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Rich McCormick, GovTrack, Rich McCormick
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Tony Kozycki. Navy F/A-18 pilot with three combat deployments, then an immigration attorney after a 2021 law degree. Has not held public office.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Tony Kozycki, Campaign site, AJC, race preview, updated June 23, 2026
Rich McCormick. In the U.S. House since January 2023 (6th District, then 7th since 2025), seeking a third term; earlier a Marine helicopter pilot, Navy medical officer and emergency physician.
Sources: GovTrack, Rich McCormick, Ballotpedia, Rich McCormick
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Tony Kozycki. Publishes positions on affordability, government trust, childcare, health care, retirement, housing, immigration, national security, veterans and a stock trading ban, mostly in general terms.
Source: Campaign site
Rich McCormick. Chairs the Science, Space, and Technology Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee and also sits on Armed Services and Oversight.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Tony Kozycki. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey, publishes issue pages and has held public debate events.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Tony Kozycki, Campaign site, Cherokee Tribune Ledger, Sept. 10, 2026
Rich McCormick. Offers an e-newsletter, publishes issue pages and has held in-person town halls. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: House office site, home page, Ballotpedia, Rich McCormick
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Tony Kozycki. Lives in Alpharetta, where the district office of the seat is located; raised in LaGrange, outside the district. FEC by-state totals show about 91 percent of itemized individual contributions from Georgia.
Sources: AJC, race preview, updated June 23, 2026, House office site, office locations, FEC contribution totals by state
Rich McCormick. His FEC candidate record lists a Cumming address, in Forsyth County; the AJC calls him a Suwanee resident. A 2010 Morehouse School of Medicine graduate. About 47 percent of itemized individual contributions are from Georgia.
Sources: FEC contribution totals by state, AJC, race preview, updated June 23, 2026
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Tony Kozycki. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found. The committee reported $316,702 in debts, all candidate loans.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Rich McCormick. The FEC fined his campaign committee $11,190 in an administrative fine case over 2022 48-hour contribution notices, closed Jan. 26, 2023. Reports are otherwise on file through June 30, 2026.
Sources: FEC administrative fines search, FEC candidate page
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Tony Kozycki. No public record found.
Rich McCormick. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.631 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.190, meets expectations. GovTrack lists no enacted bill he sponsored.
Source: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Tony Kozycki. No public record found.
Rich McCormick. Missed 22 of 1,917 roll call votes, 1.1 percent, from January 2023 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Tony Kozycki. No public record found.
Rich McCormick. Lists one district office, in Alpharetta, and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: House office site, office locations, House office site, home page
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Tony Kozycki. No public record found.
Rich McCormick. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.85069 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 301 of 436, negative but above the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Tony Kozycki. No public record found.
Rich McCormick. 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 7th Congressional District?
Rich McCormick has the strongest record in Georgia's 7th Congressional District. Rich McCormick scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Tony Kozycki at 53, as of October 9, 2026. Rich McCormick's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Tony Kozycki's highest marks are communication. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Georgia's 7th Congressional District in 2026?
Tony Kozycki (Democratic), Rich McCormick (Republican, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Tony Kozycki a good candidate for Congress?
Tony Kozycki scores 53 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 55 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Rich McCormick a good candidate for Congress?
Rich McCormick scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 70 of 100, performance 56 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
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.