U.S. House · Georgia's 11th District

Northwest Atlanta suburbs and exurbs, including Cartersville, Woodstock, and parts of Cherokee and Bartow counties.

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

✓ Fact-checked 2026-09-25: 20 claims re-checked against their sources · 1 corrected · 0 removed

A second, independent research pass re-opened every cited source for this race and corrected or removed anything the source didn’t support.

  • Removed the unsourced claim that John Cowan 'previously ran in the 2020 Republican primary for this seat, losing a runoff to Marjorie Taylor Greene' — his cited Ballotpedia bio has no mention of this, and it also misstates geography (Greene's 2020 primary race was in Georgia's 14th District, not the 11th). Summary now states only his verified neurosurgeon/small-business background.
  • Verified Cowan's 65.0% runoff win against Rob Adkerson, and all biographical facts/quotes for Cowan, Harden, Richoz, and James (write-in) against the cited Ballotpedia district page; ballot slate matches (Harden D, Cowan R, Richoz IND, James IND write-in). No other corrections needed.

On the ballot · 4 candidates

Where they stand — side by side

Only positions documented in a cited source are shown. Where an officeholder’s recorded votes speak to an issue, the votes set the position (marked “votes”). A dash means we found no clear public position — not that the candidate has none.

ISSUEJohn Cowan
R
Chris Harden
D
Natalie Richoz
IND
Amanda James
IND
Expand public health coverageOpposes[2]Supports[3]Supports[5]Supports[6]

The candidates, in full

John Cowan

R

Won the June 16 Republican primary runoff over Rob Adkerson, 65.0%

John Cowan is a neurosurgeon and small-business owner running for Georgia's 11th Congressional District. He has practiced medicine for over 20 years.[2]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Positions on the issues

  • OpposesExpand public health coverage

    Says he wants to put "patients — not politicians — back in charge of their own medical care," opposing expanded government control of healthcare decisions.[2]

In their words — priorities

  • Supports term limits for members of Congress and a total ban on congressional stock trading.[2]
  • Says he will work to "rein in reckless federal spending, lower the cost of living for American families... secure our border and elections, and put patients — not politicians — back in charge of their own medical care."[2]

Background

  • Works as a neurosurgeon and describes having practiced for over 20 years; also describes himself as a small-business owner who has "built businesses creating jobs" in Georgia's 11th District.[2]

Campaign money

Raised $2.3M · spent $2.3M · $18K cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Chris Harden

D

Chris Harden is an attorney from Cherokee County running for Georgia's 11th Congressional District. He co-owns an estate-planning and probate law firm with his wife and has spent 13 years as a contract attorney for Georgia county juvenile courts handling child-dependency cases.[3]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsExpand public health coverage

    Wants to lower healthcare and prescription drug costs and expand access to coverage, especially in rural areas.[3]

In their words — priorities

  • Says government should pursue "practical, balanced solutions — not partisan fights."[3]
  • Supports strengthening public education, including retaining teachers and ensuring students have needed resources.[3]
  • Wants to lower healthcare and prescription drug costs and expand coverage access, especially in rural and underserved communities.[3]

Background

  • Grew up in Rossville, Georgia; graduated from Ridgeland High School, Georgia State University (Political Science/Pre-Law), and John Marshall Law School; admitted to the bar in 2012.[3]
  • Co-owns the Harden Law Firm, LLC, an estate-planning and probate practice in Woodstock, with his wife.[3]
  • Has worked for 13 years as a contract attorney for multiple Georgia counties, representing parents or children in juvenile-court dependency cases.[3]

Campaign money

Raised $76K · spent $64K · $2,237 cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Natalie Richoz

IND

Natalie Richoz is a registered nurse and independent candidate for Georgia's 11th Congressional District, a brain-tumor survivor who campaigns on healthcare reform and protecting Social Security, veterans' benefits, and Medicare/Medicaid.[4]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsExpand public health coverage

    Says healthcare reform and patient advocacy are her driving priorities, and that Medicare and Medicaid should be protected from cuts.[5]

    “I now intimately understand the need for healthcare reform in the United States.”

In their words — priorities

  • Says Social Security, veterans' benefits, and Medicare/Medicaid should not be placed "onto the chopping block of Congress," and that the district's lower-income households face increasing difficulty finding affordable housing.[5]
  • Says healthcare is her "driving force" and that patients, not Big Pharma or insurers, should be the highest priority.[5]
  • Supports term limits, saying there should be no "life appointments" in Congress.[5]

Background

  • Has lived in north Georgia's District 11 for more than 50 years; is a registered nurse (RN).[5]
  • Is now disabled after surviving a brain tumor, requiring surgery and radiation treatment; says the experience gave her a first-hand view of healthcare from both the provider and patient perspectives.[5]

Amanda James

IND

Write-in candidate

Amanda Carter James is a Cartersville native and 35-year employee of Shaw Industries running as a write-in independent candidate for Georgia's 11th Congressional District. She is legally blind in one eye and has served as a registered mediator for 12 years.[6]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

Positions on the issues

  • SupportsExpand public health coverage

    Says she would introduce legislation to expand healthcare marketplace tax credits and increase competition to lower prescription drug and insurance costs.[6]

In their words — priorities

  • Says rising food and housing costs are "causing financial strain on families in District 11" and pledges to work to lower those costs.[6]
  • Says healthcare and prescription drug costs are "bankrupting American families."[6]
  • Says she wants to focus on mental health, calling for increased insurance coverage of mental health care and more school counselors and resources.[6]

Background

  • Graduated from Cartersville High School (1985); attended Florida A&M University and earned a B.S. in Political Science with a concentration in Public Service and Policy from Kennesaw State University.[6]
  • Has worked 35 years for Shaw Industries, currently as a Senior Fabrication Manager for Hard Surface in Product Development, and has been a registered mediator for 12 years.[6]

Research notes & limits

Basic-tier research from Ballotpedia. Open seat; Barry Loudermilk did not seek re-election.

Sources · 6

Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.

  1. 1.Georgia's 11th Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
  2. 2.Georgia's 11th Congressional District election, 2026 (Candidate Connection survey responses) · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey Candidate's own words
  3. 3.Georgia's 11th Congressional District election, 2026 (Candidate Connection survey responses) · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey Candidate's own words
  4. 4.Natalie Richoz · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  5. 5.Natalie Richoz (Candidate Connection survey responses) · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2025-10-01 Candidate's own words
  6. 6.Amanda James · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference