# U.S. House — District 2 — 2026 Candidates — The GA Files > Where the 2026 candidates for Georgia U.S. House — District 2 stand — bio, prior offices, top donors, positions on DEI, LGBTQ+, abortion, and data centers, plus any scandals. Sourced. *Source: https://thegafiles.com/candidates/us-house-02.html · The GA Files (thegafiles.com)* --- [← 2026 Candidates](https://thegafiles.com/candidates.html) # U.S. House — District 2 D ### Sanford Bishop Democratic incumbent A Blue Dog Democrat who has represented southwest Georgia since 1993 — one of the longest-serving members of the delegation. He is a senior member of House Appropriations and its Agriculture subcommittee, a perch he uses to steer farm, nutrition, and military funding to the district. He ran unopposed in the 2026 Democratic primary. #### Previously held - U.S. House, GA-02 (1993–present) - House Appropriations Committee — Agriculture & Defense subcommittees - Georgia House of Representatives (1977–1991) #### Top contributors A senior appropriator funded heavily by agribusiness and corporate PACs tied to the farm economy he helps fund — AFLAC, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, cotton, pecan and peanut groups all max out to him. Filed with the FEC. - $15,000.00 — AFLAC PAC (insurance) - $10,000.00 — National Cattlemen's Beef Assn PAC (agribusiness) - $10,000.00 — Southeast Cotton Committee (agribusiness) - $10,000.00 — National Pecan Federation PAC (agribusiness) - $10,000.00 — National Peanut Buying Points Assn PAC (agribusiness) - $10,000.00 — Troutman Pepper Locke LLP PAC (law/lobby) **$1,004,630** raised · **$454,686** cash on hand — as of **Apr 29, 2026** (FEC latest filing). Source: [FEC — Sanford Bishop](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H2GA02011/) #### Where they stand Federal spending & debt A Blue Dog fiscal moderate and senior appropriator who touts fiscal discipline while securing farm, nutrition and military dollars for southwest Georgia; generally backs bipartisan budget deals to avoid shutdowns. Source: [Ballotpedia — Sanford Bishop](https://ballotpedia.org/Sanford_Bishop_Jr.) · [Bishop — House site](https://bishop.house.gov/) Education Supports public-school and HBCU funding, Pell grants and rural school investment. Source: [Bishop — House site](https://bishop.house.gov/) Healthcare Voted for the Affordable Care Act and backs protecting it, Medicaid, and rural hospitals in his largely rural district. Source: [Ballotpedia — Sanford Bishop](https://ballotpedia.org/Sanford_Bishop_Jr.) Social Security reform Opposes privatizing or cutting Social Security and Medicare, a core message to his older rural constituents. Source: [Bishop — House site](https://bishop.house.gov/) Minimum Wage Supports raising the federal minimum wage, in line with House Democrats. Source: [Ballotpedia — Sanford Bishop](https://ballotpedia.org/Sanford_Bishop_Jr.) Homelessness Backs federal housing and veteran-homelessness programs and uses appropriations to fund them. Source: [Bishop — House site](https://bishop.house.gov/) Veterans Affairs A strong VA and military-base advocate — the district includes Fort Benning-area and other installations — and sits on the Defense appropriations subcommittee. Source: [Bishop — House site](https://bishop.house.gov/) Immigration Takes a moderate line — supports border security paired with a path to legal status, more centrist than most of his caucus. Source: [Ballotpedia — Sanford Bishop](https://ballotpedia.org/Sanford_Bishop_Jr.) Gun Control More gun-friendly than most Democrats given his rural district, though he has supported some background-check measures — a classic Blue Dog split. Source: [Ballotpedia — Sanford Bishop](https://ballotpedia.org/Sanford_Bishop_Jr.) Abortion Generally supports abortion rights but has at times taken more moderate positions than his party's mainstream. Source: [Ballotpedia — Sanford Bishop](https://ballotpedia.org/Sanford_Bishop_Jr.) LGBTQ+ Supports LGBTQ+ protections, voting with his caucus on equality measures. Source: [Ballotpedia — Sanford Bishop](https://ballotpedia.org/Sanford_Bishop_Jr.) DEI A Congressional Black Caucus member who defends diversity and equity programs and civil-rights enforcement. Source: [Bishop — House site](https://bishop.house.gov/) Marijuana Has taken a cautious approach to marijuana, supporting limited medical and research reforms over full legalization. Source: [Ballotpedia — Sanford Bishop](https://ballotpedia.org/Sanford_Bishop_Jr.) Data centers & AI Has not made AI or data centers a focus; his portfolio centers on agriculture, defense and rural development. Source: [Bishop — House site](https://bishop.house.gov/) #### Scandals None documented. [GA Files fact sheet](https://thegafiles.com/SanfordBishop.html) · [Ballotpedia — Sanford Bishop](https://ballotpedia.org/Sanford_Bishop_Jr.) R ### Matt Day Republican nominee A businessman and self-described “commonsense conservative” challenging long-time incumbent Sanford Bishop. He ran unopposed for the GOP nomination and campaigns on fighting “corruption, government waste, and government size” and the “woke, liberal agenda.” The district leans Democratic (Cook D+4). #### Previously held - Businessman - Self-described commonsense conservative #### Top contributors A long-shot challenge in a Democratic-leaning district. FEC filings show about $97,000 raised but only roughly $11,000 from individuals and no PAC money — the balance largely self-funded. No itemized PAC donor base. **$97,452** raised · **$3,009** cash on hand — as of **Apr 29, 2026** (FEC latest filing). Source: [FEC — Matt Day](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H6GA01182/) · [Ballotpedia — Matt Day](https://ballotpedia.org/Matt_Day_(Georgia)) #### Where they stand Federal spending & debt Centers his campaign on cutting government waste and shrinking the size of the federal government. Source: [Matt Day — campaign](https://www.votemattday.com/) · [Ballotpedia — Matt Day](https://ballotpedia.org/Matt_Day_(Georgia)) Education Backs conservative education priorities and parental rights; has not released detailed policy. Source: [Matt Day — campaign](https://www.votemattday.com/) Healthcare Favors market-based, limited-government healthcare; no detailed plan released. Source: [Ballotpedia — Matt Day](https://ballotpedia.org/Matt_Day_(Georgia)) Social Security reform Has not detailed a Social Security position. Source: [Ballotpedia — Matt Day](https://ballotpedia.org/Matt_Day_(Georgia)) Minimum Wage Has not detailed a minimum-wage position; aligns broadly with GOP opposition to mandated increases. Source: [Ballotpedia — Matt Day](https://ballotpedia.org/Matt_Day_(Georgia)) Homelessness Has not addressed homelessness or housing policy. Source: [Ballotpedia — Matt Day](https://ballotpedia.org/Matt_Day_(Georgia)) Veterans Affairs Has not detailed veterans policy. Source: [Ballotpedia — Matt Day](https://ballotpedia.org/Matt_Day_(Georgia)) Immigration Runs as a border hardliner against the “liberal agenda,” in line with the Trump-era GOP. Source: [Matt Day — campaign](https://www.votemattday.com/) Gun Control A Second Amendment supporter who opposes new restrictions. Source: [Matt Day — campaign](https://www.votemattday.com/) Abortion Campaigns on Christian-conservative values and opposes abortion. Source: [Matt Day — campaign](https://www.votemattday.com/) LGBTQ+ Frames his campaign against the “woke” agenda and has not offered LGBTQ+ protections. Source: [Matt Day — campaign](https://www.votemattday.com/) DEI Explicitly opposes “woke” and DEI initiatives as a campaign theme. Source: [Matt Day — campaign](https://www.votemattday.com/) Marijuana Has not staked out a marijuana position. Source: [Ballotpedia — Matt Day](https://ballotpedia.org/Matt_Day_(Georgia)) Data centers & AI Has not addressed AI or data-center policy. Source: [Ballotpedia — Matt Day](https://ballotpedia.org/Matt_Day_(Georgia)) #### Scandals None documented. [⬇ Share image](https://thegafiles.com/share/candidates/us-house-02.png) [⬇ Download for offline](https://thegafiles.com/candidates/us-house-02.offline.html) Every entry is drawn from published reporting, official records, or the candidate's own statements, with sources on each item. Policy summaries are condensed from that reporting and reflect the candidate's stated positions; where a matter is an allegation or unresolved, that is noted, and inclusion is not a finding of guilt. Contributor figures are early/partial where the official itemized filings (Georgia Ethics Commission) are still being compiled. Corrections welcome via the contact link in the footer. Last updated 2026-06-17.