Georgia’s 11th Congressional District: 2026 Primary After Loudermilk

Georgia’s 11th Congressional District, a Republican-leaning seat covering the northwest Atlanta suburbs, is on track for its first new representative in more than a decade. Six-term Republican Barry Loudermilk announced in February 2026 that he would not run again, and neurosurgeon John Cowan won the June Republican runoff to succeed him. Cowan faces Democrat Chris Harden on November 3, 2026, in a district the Cook Political Report rates Solid R with a partisan lean of R+12.¹

Where the District Is and Who Has Held It

The 11th is anchored by Marietta and Cartersville and stretches across Cobb, Bartow, Cherokee, Gordon, and Pickens counties.¹² Its current boundaries come from SB 3EX, the remedial map Georgia adopted after a federal court struck down the state’s post-2020 congressional plan under the Voting Rights Act. The governor signed the remedial map on December 8, 2023, and the trial court approved it later that month, though the plan remains on appeal.³

The seat has been reliably Republican for years. Loudermilk has held it since January 2015. Phil Gingrey represented the district before him, and John Linder held it from 1997 to 2003 before redistricting moved him elsewhere in the state.⁴ The Republican primary has functioned as the effective general election for most of that stretch.

Barry Loudermilk’s Retirement

Loudermilk, a former Georgia state legislator and Air Force veteran first elected in 2014, announced his retirement on February 4, 2026, at age 62. He said he believed “representing the people in Congress is a service, not a career” and wanted more time with family.⁵ His term runs through January 3, 2027. In the House, he served on the Financial Services Committee and became a senior member of the House Administration Committee.⁶

Loudermilk and January 6

The most closely watched piece of Loudermilk’s record concerns the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, both as a subject of scrutiny and later as an investigator.

In 2022, the House Select Committee investigating the attack released surveillance video from January 5, 2021, showing Loudermilk leading a group of roughly 15 people through the Capitol complex. The committee said the group visited areas “not typically of interest to tourists, including hallways, staircases, and security checkpoints,” and that footage showed participants photographing tunnels and stairwells.⁷ Loudermilk called the allegations a “false narrative” and a “smear campaign,” and noted that none of the locations visited were breached the next day. U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger wrote that there was “no evidence that Representative Loudermilk entered the U.S. Capitol with this group” and that police did not consider the observed activities suspicious. Neither Loudermilk nor members of the tour were accused of wrongdoing.⁸

After Republicans took the House in the 2022 midterms, Loudermilk chaired the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight and led a probe into what he called the “politicization” of the original January 6 Select Committee. His subcommittee published more than 44,000 hours of Capitol security footage and released two interim reports; the December 2024 report recommended that former Representative Liz Cheney be investigated by the FBI over her communications with witness Cassidy Hutchinson.⁹ Cheney called the allegations “a malicious and cowardly assault on the truth.”¹⁰ As of mid-2026, there is no public indication that the FBI or DOJ has acted on the referral.

In September 2025, the House authorized a new select subcommittee under the Judiciary Committee, again chaired by Loudermilk, with full subpoena power. It has five Republicans and three Democrats and is directed to publish a final report by the end of the 119th Congress. Loudermilk has said the panel will focus on delays in deploying the National Guard, the FBI’s use of confidential informants present at the Capitol, and the unsolved pipe bomb incidents. Representatives Jamie Raskin and Jim McGovern have called the effort an attempt to rewrite history and exonerate Donald Trump.¹¹

The 2026 Republican Primary

Seven Republicans took the stage at the Atlanta Press Club debate in April 2026: John Cowan, Rob Adkerson, Lisa Anne Carlquist, John Hobbs, Uloma Kama, Chris Mora, and Tricia Pridemore.¹² The Cook Political Report described the contest as an “overlooked GOP brawl” overshadowed by Georgia’s high-profile races for governor and Senate.¹

The field quickly narrowed to Cowan and Adkerson. Cowan finished 21 points ahead in the May primary but fell short of Georgia’s 50% threshold, forcing a runoff.¹³ In the June 16 runoff, Cowan won by 30 points, taking roughly 65% of the vote to Adkerson’s 35%.¹⁴

John Cowan

Cowan is a board-certified neurosurgeon at the Harbin Clinic in Rome, Georgia. He graduated as valedictorian from Cartersville High School, earned a physics degree with honors from Davidson College, and received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins before completing a neurosurgery residency at the University of Michigan and a postdoctoral fellowship in population health through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He has published more than 50 medical papers and holds patents on five medical devices. He has also founded several small businesses, including an ice cream franchise and an international toy and game company.¹⁵

This was not his first congressional campaign. In 2020, Cowan ran against Marjorie Taylor Greene in the Republican primary for Georgia’s 14th District. Greene received roughly double his vote share in the initial primary and won the runoff.¹⁶

In 2026, Cowan positioned himself as a political outsider and Trump ally, with a campaign centered on healthcare reform, affordability, tax relief, and election security.¹³ His broader platform includes market-based healthcare changes, border security, eliminating the Department of Education, opposing new gun restrictions, and an “all of the above” energy strategy. He describes himself as pro-life with exceptions for the life of the mother, rape, and incest.¹⁷ Cowan largely self-funded, lending his campaign more than $1.65 million and raising about $2.15 million in total through late May 2026.¹⁸

Rob Adkerson

Adkerson had served as Loudermilk’s chief of staff since 2015 and ran with the outgoing congressman’s endorsement and backing from Turning Point USA.¹³ A former small-business owner in the alarm and security industry and a licensed electrician, he campaigned on Second Amendment rights, religious liberty, restrictive immigration policies, and opposition to abortion, and signed a personal pledge to limit himself to 12 years in office.¹² The endorsement and district ties were not enough to close the gap on Cowan’s name recognition and funding.

The November General Election

Cowan will face Democrat Chris Harden on November 3, 2026.¹⁹ Harden is a defense attorney who has spent more than a decade in juvenile courts across North Georgia. He grew up in a North Georgia trailer park, is married, and is the father of triplets. He describes himself as a “moderate Democrat” who is socially liberal but supportive of market-based solutions, and his campaign centers on affordability, ending tariffs, expanding Medicare, protecting Social Security, reproductive rights, and getting money out of politics.²⁰

With the district rated Solid R at R+12, Cowan is a heavy favorite.¹ If he wins, it will be his first elected office.

1
Cook Political Report. GA-11 Race Rating
2
East Cobb News. Democrat Announces 11th Congressional District Candidacy
3
Loyola Law School. Georgia Redistricting
4
Congress.gov. John Linder – Member Profile
5
The Hill. Loudermilk Ends Congressional Career
6
GovTrack. Rep. Barry Loudermilk
7
PBS NewsHour. Jan. 6 Panel Releases Video of Rep. Loudermilk Leading a Capitol Tour Day Before Attack
8
Politico. How House Republicans Plan to Rewrite the History of Jan. 6
9
U.S. House Committee on House Administration. Chairman Loudermilk Releases Second January 6, 2021 Report
10
ABC News. Trump Backs House GOP Accusation Liz Cheney Tampered With Witnesses
11
Roll Call. House Votes to Stand Up Loudermilk-Led Subpanel Investigating Jan. 6
12
PBS. Georgia Congressional District 11 Republicans Atlanta Press Club Debate
13
WABE. Cowan Wins Republican Primary for Barry Loudermilk’s U.S. House Seat in Georgia
14
NPR. Primary Election Results 2026 – Georgia
15
Club for Growth Foundation. John Cowan
16
Capitol Beat. Greene, Cowan Trade Blows in 14th Congressional District Debate
17
iVoterGuide. John Cowan – Candidate Profile
18
Federal Election Commission. John Cowan – FEC Candidate Page
19
Atlanta News First. John Cowan Wins GOP 11th District Runoff, Will Face Democrat Chris Harden This Fall
20
PBS. Georgia Congressional District 11 Democrats Atlanta Press Club Debate