Incumbent
Georgia Republican Attorney General nominee?
$19.4K
MAY 20, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleState Senator
PartyRepublican
Political ideologyConservative Republican
GenderMale
LocationGeorgia
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BackgroundAttorney
EducationPresbyterian College (B.S., Business Administration, 1980)
Notable personal detailsWilliam S. (Bill) Cowsert is a Republican attorney and Georgia state senator from the Athens area, first elected to the Georgia Senate in 2006 and sworn in January 2007. He previously served as Majority Leader of the Georgia Senate (2014–2018) and has chaired Senate committees including Regulated Industries and Utilities. Cowsert is a founding partner of an Athens-based law firm and is a candidate for Georgia Attorney General in 2026.
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Positions
Economy & Taxes
Supports lower taxes and reduced regulation as part of pro-business, conservative fiscal policy while acknowledging fiscal constraints; has expressed support for eliminating state income tax but noted the resulting revenue loss and emphasized the need for balanced budgets and property tax relief. Has also voted for targeted tax increases (e.g., a 2015 transportation revenue measure) while characterizing them as short-term measures toward long-term tax reductions.
Healthcare
Bill Cowsert has generally opposed full Medicaid expansion while supporting targeted regulatory reforms to increase healthcare access in rural areas (certificate-of-need changes) and has favored studying alternatives such as waiver-based approaches. He cast procedural votes that kept broad Medicaid expansion proposals from advancing and advocated for committee study of Medicaid expansion options rather than immediate enrollment expansion. His record reflects preference for incremental or market-oriented changes rather than adopting an ACA-style expansion without modifications.
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Immigration & Border
Bill Cowsert emphasizes a law-and-order, enforcement-first approach to immigration and border issues, calling for aggressive crackdowns on undocumented immigrants, sanctuary cities, and criminal networks tied to trafficking and fentanyl. He pledges to use the Attorney General’s legal powers to prosecute and “slam the door shut” on sanctuary jurisdictions and to prioritize removing criminal noncitizens from Georgia.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Opposes abortion access and has supported restrictive abortion measures, including backing the 2019 “heartbeat” (LIFE Act) restrictions and sponsoring legislation to limit distribution/use of medication abortion. Positions emphasize pro-life policy and limits on abortion access.
Climate & Energy
Bill Cowsert has served as chair of the Georgia Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee and has participated in legislation and committee actions that protect utility contracting practices and limit local restrictions on fossil-fuel infrastructure. His legislative activity includes involvement with bills affecting solar contract terms and measures (such as HB150) that restrict local government limits on natural gas hookups, and he was a member of a state transportation electrification study committee whose recommendations did not advance all pro-EV measures.
Public Safety & Guns
Supports protecting Second Amendment rights and emphasizes law-and-order approaches to public safety, including tougher prosecution of violent crime, gangs, sex trafficking, and drug traffickers. Has a record of voting in favor of expanded gun-carry policies (campus-carry vote) while signaling responsiveness to constituent concerns on specific bills.
News
Bill Cowsert is in the news as one of the Republican candidates running for Georgia attorney general in the 2026 election. The race is still undecided, and he is part of a crowded field that is moving through qualifying, debates, and early voting. Recent coverage has focused on the broader Georgia election calendar and the growing importance of attorney general races, but it does not yet identify a nominee.
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New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Polls
- Endorsements
- Fundraising