U.S. House, Georgia 9th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Georgia's 9th Congressional District?
Andrew Clyde has the strongest record in Georgia's 9th Congressional District. Andrew Clyde scores 65 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Andrew Clyde's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Caitlyn Gegen (5 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.
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Andrew Clyde
65 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- 69
Democratic
Caitlyn Gegen
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 5 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 44
- 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.
Andrew Clyde
- Unresolved2023-08-30
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics alleging he sponsored and advocated gun measures that could benefit his Clyde Armory stores.
Where it stands: No Office of Congressional Conduct referral or House Ethics Committee statement on the complaint found as of Oct. 9, 2026.
Sources: CREW complaint announcement, Aug. 30, 2023, AJC, Aug. 30, 2023
- On the record2025-05-16
Joined a group of conservative Republicans on the House Budget Committee who voted down the GOP tax and budget package 21 to 16; the bill later passed.
Source: AJC, May 16, 2025
- On the record2023-01-03
Voted against GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy in the opening rounds of the January 2023 speaker election before switching to support him.
Source: AJC, Jan. 3, 2023
- On the record2022-08-02
Was fined repeatedly under House security and mask rules adopted after Jan. 6, 2021; a federal judge dismissed his 2021 lawsuit challenging the metal detector fines.
Sources: House Committee on Ethics site search for Clyde, AJC, Aug. 2, 2022
- On the record2021-01-06
Voted Yea on the House objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021; both objections failed.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
- On the record2021-05-12
At a May 2021 House Oversight hearing said there was no insurrection on Jan. 6 and that footage looked like a normal tourist visit; he also said he helped barricade the chamber door that day.
Sources: AJC, May 13, 2021, NBC News, May 2021, PolitiFact, May 13, 2021
- Credit2019-06-22
After the IRS seized about $940,000 from his business in 2013 and found no crime, he pressed for reform; the Clyde-Hirsch-Sowers RESPECT Act, named in part for him, passed Congress unanimously in 2019.
Source: Online-Athens, June 22, 2019
Caitlyn Gegen
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.
Andrew Clyde. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk, filed Aug. 13, 2026; the Clerk index lists no periodic transaction reports for him. No House Ethics Committee conduct finding or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk annual financial disclosure, Filing ID 10077683, FEC administrative fines search
Caitlyn Gegen. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed April 17, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10074562, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Andrew Clyde. Voted against Kevin McCarthy in the first January 2023 speaker ballots, against the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act and 2024 Ukraine aid backed by GOP leaders, and in May 2025 helped defeat the GOP budget bill in committee.
Sources: AJC, Jan. 3, 2023, House Clerk Roll Call 243, May 31, 2023, House Clerk Roll Call 151, April 20, 2024, AJC, May 16, 2025
Caitlyn Gegen. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Andrew Clyde. No public record found.
Caitlyn Gegen. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Andrew Clyde. Served 28 years as a Navy officer and in Congress since 2021. Fined under the House mask and metal detector rules, which E22 treats as notable, not conduct findings. No censure, reprimand or ethics finding found.
Sources: House office site, About, House Committee on Ethics site search for Clyde
Caitlyn Gegen. 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.
Andrew Clyde. Voted Yea on the House objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021. Served 28 years as a Navy officer.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
Caitlyn Gegen. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Andrew Clyde. In the U.S. House since January 2021, seeking a fourth term; 28 years as a Navy officer; founded the Clyde Armory firearms business in 1991.
Caitlyn Gegen. Describes herself as a community organizer on women's rights and criminal justice reform, with University of Georgia and London School of Economics degrees. No specific leadership post or public office is documented.
Sources: AJC, race preview, updated June 19, 2026, Ballotpedia, Caitlyn Gegen
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Andrew Clyde. Serves on the Appropriations Committee (Commerce, Justice, Science and Labor, Health and Human Services subcommittees) and the Budget Committee. Holds no chair or ranking post.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Ballotpedia, Andrew Clyde
Caitlyn Gegen. States general positions on human rights, the minimum wage, monopolies and universal health care in her Ballotpedia survey.
Source: Ballotpedia, Caitlyn Gegen
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Andrew Clyde. Offers an e-newsletter with a public archive and publishes issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: House office site, home page, Ballotpedia, Andrew Clyde
Caitlyn Gegen. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Her campaign site shows no issue pages.
Source: Ballotpedia, Caitlyn Gegen
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Andrew Clyde. Made his home in Athens after Navy service, founded Clyde Armory there in 1991, and now lives in Jackson County. FEC by-state totals show about 66 percent of itemized individual contributions from Georgia.
Sources: House office site, About, FEC contribution totals by state
Caitlyn Gegen. No public record found.
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Andrew Clyde. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found. The committee reported $1.3 million in debts.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Caitlyn Gegen. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Andrew Clyde. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 2.362 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.194, exceeds expectations. Sponsored two enacted joint resolutions, including H.J.Res. 26 in the 118th Congress.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation
Caitlyn Gegen. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Andrew Clyde. Missed 65 of 2,915 roll call votes, 2.2 percent, from January 2021 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Caitlyn Gegen. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Andrew Clyde. Publishes casework totals (5,887 constituent cases resolved, 1,331 veterans served) and lists a Gainesville district office.
Source: House office site, home page
Caitlyn Gegen. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Andrew Clyde. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -2.01849 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 431 of 436, in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Caitlyn Gegen. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Andrew Clyde. No public record found.
Caitlyn Gegen. 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 9th Congressional District?
Andrew Clyde has the strongest record in Georgia's 9th Congressional District. Andrew Clyde scores 65 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Andrew Clyde's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Caitlyn Gegen (5 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 9th Congressional District in 2026?
Andrew Clyde (Republican, incumbent), Caitlyn Gegen (Democratic). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Andrew Clyde a good candidate for Congress?
Andrew Clyde scores 65 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 69 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Caitlyn Gegen a good candidate for Congress?
Caitlyn Gegen has public evidence on 5 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.