Democrat Amanda Hollowell makes final push in Georgia's 1st District race
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
First-time candidate Amanda Hollowell closed her campaign for Georgia's 1st District seat as polls neared closing.
The open Republican-held seat has not gone Democratic since 1990.
Background
Amanda Hollowell is a first-time congressional candidate and, per background coverage, chief of campaigns at Color Of Change, running as the Democrat against Republican Jim Kingston for Georgia's 1st Congressional District. Kingston is the son of former seat holder Jack Kingston. The seat is open and Republican-held: Jack Kingston held it from 1992 until 2015, Rep. Buddy Carter was first elected in 2014 and ran for U.S. Senate this year instead of re-election, and the last Democrat to win it was Lindsey Thomas in 1990. Hollowell's platform centers on workforce development, cost-of-living relief and support for service members, including a 10-point affordability plan.
How it unfolded
- Aug 2025Hollowell began running for the seat; her campaign says it traveled 31,000 miles across the district since then.
- Jan 29, 2026Background coverage describes Hollowell, 47, as an experienced political organizer and Chief of Campaigns at Color Of Change, in the Democratic primary field for District 1 alongside Michael McCord.
- May 2026Hollowell came in second behind Joyce Marie Griggs in the first round of the Democratic primary, trailing by nearly 10 points in an eight-person field.
- Jun 16, 2026Hollowell won the Democratic runoff against Joyce Marie Griggs with 53% of the unofficial vote count, defeating her by 1,403 votes — or 5.9% of the vote.
- Oct 5, 2026Pete Buttigieg endorsed Hollowell; she had also earned endorsements from Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Hank Johnson and Savannah Mayor Van Johnson.
- Oct 28, 2026Hollowell spoke with WTOC ahead of the November 3 election about priorities including investing in higher education, pushing away data centers that don't produce enough jobs, and increasing affordability in the 1st District, which covers Chatham to Charlton counties.
- Nov 2, 2026Hollowell shared an Election Eve message with WSAV.
- Nov 3, 2026Hollowell made a final appeal to voters as polls neared closing, saying her campaign had built a broad coalition focused on affordability and community engagement; she was expected to join supporters at her election night gathering.
- Nov 3, 2026Hollowell's campaign announced an endorsement from Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock.
Who’s saying what
- Party
- Hollowell said her campaign "wasn't about commercials" or social media but about building community and having people call and ask folks personally to show up to vote.
- Support
- Hollowell said she was "deeply honored and grateful" for the support of Rev. Raphael Warnock, calling him "a native son of Savannah."
- Caution
- Hollowell called Kingston's criticism of the Biden-Harris administration's handling of local infrastructure and supply chains "a Republican talking point."
- Official
- President Donald Trump endorsed Kingston in a Truth Social post, calling him a "MAGA warrior" who would cut taxes and regulations, promote American energy and secure the border.
Still unverified
Hollowell's runoff win was based on 53% of the unofficial vote count.