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Stories about Georgia

All candidates for Georgia House of Representatives District 97 complete Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey

By Ballotpedia staff
In 2022 elections
September 9, 2022 at 4:26 PM
Image of the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia.

Both of the candidates running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 97 — Ruwa Romman (D) and John Chan (R) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office.

Eighty-eight of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers will hold regularly scheduled elections in 2022. The Republican Party controls both chambers of Georgia’s state legislature. Georgia is one of 23 states with a Republican trifecta government.

Here are excerpts from candidates’ responses to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Romman:

“I’m running on a platform focused on fully funding public education, bridging the economic opportunity gap, expanding access to healthcare, and protecting our fundamental right to vote. Underinvesting in education is one of the biggest threats to our society and a detriment to our community. Here in Georgia, education accounts for 50% of our budget, yet Georgia ranks 38th in the nation and underpays its teachers.”

Chan:

“Crime Reduction. Securing personal liberties. Parental rights in the education of their children & removing CRT. Securing religious freedoms. Working to reduce local taxes & regulations on the tax payers and on businesses. Listening to the people and doing everything I can to be the leader they need, this is not about me, it’s about them and what I can do for them.“

Click on candidates’ profile pages below to read their full responses to this and other questions.

We ask all federal, state, and local candidates with profiles on Ballotpedia to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.

Additional reading:



All candidates for Georgia House of Representatives District 39 complete Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey

By Ballotpedia staff
In 2022 elections
September 8, 2022 at 3:19 PM
Image of the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia.

Both of the candidates running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 39 —Terry Cummings (D) and Olivia Angel (R) —completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office.

Eighty-eight of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers will hold regularly scheduled elections in 2022. The Republican Party controls both chambers of Georgia’s state legislature. Georgia is one of 23 states with a Republican trifecta government.

Here are excerpts from candidates’ responses to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?            

Cummings:           

“As your next state representative, I will work to:

  • Preserve the rights of all Georgian’s regardless of race, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation.
  • Ensure all Georgians have access to affordable housing which includes bringing rent control back to Georgia, and livable wages.
  • Ensure women and men receive appropriate sex education, are provided fertility options and birth control. I will also fight to ensure women retain the right to make decisions concerning their own bodies.”

Angel:           

“I am worried about the future of our community so I jumped in this political race, I want to advance a conservative Republican ideas to keep our community prosperous and to keep our peaceful living. I want to listen my constituents issues in the community and make or vote laws of what resonates in my House District 39 when I get elected. Friends and Family, please allow me to serve you by electing me in this coming election.”

Click on the candidates’ profile pages below to read their full responses to this and other questions.

We ask all federal, state, and local candidates with profiles on Ballotpedia to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.

Additional reading:



All candidates for Georgia House of Representatives District 55 complete Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey

By Ballotpedia staff
In 2022 elections
September 7, 2022 at 5:06 PM
Image of the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia.

Both of the candidates running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Georgia House of Representatives District 55 — Inga Willis (D) and Samuel Lenaeus (R) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office.

Eighty-eight of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers will hold regularly scheduled elections in 2022. The Republican Party controls both chambers of Georgia’s state legislature. Georgia is one of 23 states with a Republican trifecta government.

Here are excerpts from candidates’ responses to the question: Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?            

Willis:               

  • “Ready to Lead. Prepared to Fight.”
  • “Business Executive. Community Leader. Public Servant.”
  • “Expanding Opportunities for All”

Lenaeus:               

  • “I’ll help preserve the Uniqueness of your Neighborhood”
  • “Government of the People”
  • “Safety First”

Click on candidates’ profile pages below to read their full responses to this and other questions.

We ask all federal, state, and local candidates with profiles on Ballotpedia to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.

Additional reading:



Incumbent Raphael Warnock, Herschel Walker, and Chase Oliver are running to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate

By Roneka Matheny
In 2022 elections, Federal
August 15, 2022 at 6:47 PM

Incumbent Raphael Warnock (D), Herschel Walker (R), and Chase Oliver (L) are running to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate. Georgia voters will elect one senator in the general election on November 8, 2022.

After former U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R) resigned for health reasons in 2019, Gov. Brian Kemp (R) appointed Kelly Loeffler (R) to the seat until a special election could be held to replace Isakson. Since no candidate won a majority of the vote in the special election on November 3, 2020, Loeffler and Warnock advanced to a runoff on January 5, 2021. Warnock defeated Loeffler in the runoff election, becoming the first Democrat to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate since 2005.

Warnock advanced to the 2022 general election after receiving the most votes in the Democratic Party primary on May 24. He serves as the senior pastor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s church (Ebenezer Baptist in Atlanta, GA) while in the U.S. Senate. Warnock co-sponsored the Warnock-Cruz Amendment, which provides support for a bipartisan infrastructure project connecting Georgia and Texas. Warnock explained his decision to work with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), saying, “There is a road that runs through our humanity…that is larger than politics, bigger than partisan bickering, certainly bigger than race…and my job as a legislator, and our job as citizens, is to find our way to that road that connects us to one another…so that every child can have access to a good, quality education, so that everybody can have affordable health care…Our job is to build out that road!” As of July 2022, Warnock’s campaign raised nearly $85 million.

Walker also advanced to the 2022 general election after he received the most votes in the Republican Party primary on May 24. Walker is a Hall of Fame professional football player who attended the University of Georgia, represented the U.S. in the 1992 Olympics, and owned two food-supply businesses. Former President Donald Trump (R) appointed Walker to the Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition in 2018. Walker says he is running to save “our country and the great state of Georgia from President Biden’s disastrous agenda which has led to higher prices, out-of-control crime, dangerous open borders, and ‘America Last’ foreign policy. Weak leaders create bad results — and we are sick and tired of politicians not being held accountable for their actions.” As of July 2022, Walker’s campaign raised more than $20 million.

Oliver is a member of the Libertarian Party with a background in the import shipping industry. He says that he is running for office because he wants to be “a Senator that serves each and every individual, and not a political machine based in Washington DC. I want to represent you and not special interests which thrive on division, gridlock and partisan fighting. I would rather work for results.” As of July 2022, Oliver’s campaign has raised nearly $8,000.

As of July 2022, Warnock led the field in several polls. In Georgia, a general election advances to a runoff between the two top finishers if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote. None of the candidates received this level of support in the July polls. A general runoff election will take place on December 6, 2022, if necessary. Warnock won the 2020 special election by a margin of 1.2 percentage points.

At the start of the 2022 election cycle, Inside Elections rated this state Battleground Democratic.

The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. Senate. Thirty-five of 100 seats are up for election, including one special election. Democrats have an effective majority, with the chamber split 50-50 and Vice President Kamala Harris (D) having the tie-breaking vote. Fourteen seats held by Democrats and 21 seats held by Republicans are up for election in 2022.



Kemp, Abrams, and three other candidates running for Georgia governor on Nov. 8

By Ethan Rice
In 2022 elections
August 10, 2022 at 11:40 AM

Incumbent Brian Kemp (R), Stacey Abrams (D), and three other candidates are running in the general election for governor of Georgia on November 8, 2022.

Kemp and Abrams faced each other in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election, with Kemp defeating Abrams 50-49%. Georgia has had a Republican governor since 2003, and President Joe Biden (D) won the state by less than one percentage point in 2020. Politico‘s Brittany Gibson said Kemp and Abrams are “stuffing their campaign war chests for what is expected to be an expensive rematch,” and that “[t]he razor-thin margins for Georgia elections has made fundraising even more competitive since the last gubernatorial election.”

Abrams was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, representing District 89 from 2007 to 2017. She also served as House minority leader from 2011 to 2017, when she resigned her seat to run for governor. Abrams’ campaign has emphasized her position on abortion policy and gun regulations in campaign ads and statements. On her campaign website, Abrams said she would “[v]eto legislation that would further restrict abortion rights and work to repeal the 6-week abortion ban.” Abrams also said “violence our neighborhoods face is directly tied to guns and their availability and poor oversight in Georgia,” and that Kemp “cares more about protecting dangerous people carrying guns in public than saving jobs and keeping business in Georgia.”

Kemp was elected governor of Georgia in 2018. He was appointed secretary of state by Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) in 2010 and served in the Georgia State Senate from 2003 to 2007. Kemp has emphasized economic issues as a key part of his campaign platform, saying he “put hardworking Georgians first by keeping our state open in the face of a global pandemic, bringing record economic success to communities across Georgia.” Kemp’s campaign said in a statement that Abrams’ policies “will only divide Georgians and hit their pocketbooks, Gov. Kemp will stay focused on helping Georgians fight through 40-year high inflation and the recession brought on by the Biden-Abrams agenda.”

This election has the potential to change Georgia’s state trifecta status. Georgia has had a Republican trifecta—meaning Republicans controlled the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature—since 2005. 

Minor party, independent, and write-in candidates running for governor include Shane Hazel (L) and independent candidates Elbert Bartell and President Boddie.

This is one of 36 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2022. There are currently 28 Republican governors and 22 Democratic governors in the United States.



Walker wins Republican Senate primary election in Georgia

By Ethan Rice
In Federal
May 25, 2022 at 9:32 PM

Herschel Walker defeated five other candidates in Georgia’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate on May 24, 2022. Walker received 68% of the vote, and Gary Black was second with 13%. Before the election, Walker, Black, Kelvin King, and Latham Saddler led in fundraising and media attention. Josh Clark and Jonathan McColumn also ran.

Walker was a professional athlete and Olympian and worked for a number of food-supply businesses. Former President Donald Trump (R) appointed Walker as chair of the Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition in 2018. Walker said his campaign was about “saving our country and the great state of Georgia from President Biden’s disastrous agenda which has led to higher prices, out-of-control crime, dangerous open borders, and ‘America Last’ foreign policy.” Trump endorsed Walker in September of 2021, and Walker also received endorsements from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R), former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R), Fox News host Sean Hannity, and evangelist Franklin Graham.

At the time of the election, Black was Georgia’s Commissioner of Agriculture. Black worked as a cattle rancher and held positions in the Georgia Farm Bureau and Georgia Agribusiness Council. “I’m running for the U.S. Senate to take America back! We need our government to focus on its fundamental responsibility — not the change to the foundations of our country being pushed by Raphael Warnock and Joe Biden,” Black said. Former Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R), U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R), and U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde (R) endorsed Black.

Before the primary, NPR’s Domenico Montanaro said, “Walker, a former Heisman-winning University of Georgia Bulldog who has Trump’s endorsement, may have high name identification in the state, but he’s untested as a candidate. Walker has written about his battle with dissociative identity disorder and is facing allegations of domestic abuse from past relationships and that he exaggerated his post-football business success.”

Black challenged Walker’s electability based on past allegations of domestic abuse, saying, “Folks, he can’t win in November. The baggage is too heavy. It’ll never happen.”

Responding to critics of Walker’s electability, campaign representative Mallory Blount said, “Their only strategy to gain any sort of relevance is to obsess over Herschel. Herschel is solely focused on beating Raphael Warnock.”

At the time of the primary, the Cook Political Report rated the general election a Toss-up, meaning ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage. 



McBath wins Democratic primary in Georgia’s 7th District

By Dave Beaudoin
In Federal
May 25, 2022 at 11:33 AM

U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath defeated U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux and Donna McLeod in the May 24 Democratic primary in Georgia’s 7th Congressional District near Atlanta. McBath received 63% of the vote, Bourdeaux was second with 31%, and McLeod was third with 6%.

Bourdeaux and McBath—who led in fundraising and media mentions—were members of the U.S. House of Representatives facing each other due to redistricting. As of May 2022, six U.S. House races had two incumbents running for the same congressional district in the 2022 elections.

Bourdeaux is the fourth member of the U.S. House, and first Democrat, to lose a primary this cycle.

Emily Wilkins wrote in Bloomberg Government that “The area’s influx of mostly non-White voters over the past decade helped Rep. Lucy McBath flip a Republican-held district in the northern suburbs in 2018 and Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux do the same with a neighboring district to the east two years later…The Republican-controlled legislature redrew the two swing congressional districts, creating instead districts that are solidly red and blue, and ensuring Democrats will have one fewer seat in the delegation after the 2022 midterms.” Data compiled by Bloomberg Government determined that Bourdeaux represented 57% of the residents in the new 7th District and McBath represented 12%.

Wilkins wrote that “The congresswomen have near-identical voting records. In the 117th Congress, both have largely kept to the party line—96% for Bourdeaux and 97% for McBath, according to a Bloomberg Government analysis.”

Garbus wrote in Atlanta magazine that “While both candidates are thoroughgoing Democrats, McBath is further to the left than Bourdeaux, whose centrist stance has alienated some progressives.”

McBath defeated incumbent Karen Handel (R) in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District in 2018, 50.5% to 49.5%. She won the rematch against Handel in 2020, 55% to 45%. Rachel Garbus wrote in Atlanta magazine, “Gun safety and reform has always been McBath’s key platform; her son was a victim of gun violence in 2012, and his death inspired her political career.”

At a recent debate, McBath said, “I’m running in this race because I simply believe that we should not allow Gov. Kemp, the Republican Party or the NRA gun lobby to dictate who represents our communities in Washington.”

Bourdeaux defeated Rich McCormick (R), 51% to 49%, to win an open-seat race in the 7th District in 2020 after she lost to then-incumbent Rob Woodall (R) in 2018 by 433 votes. That margin was the closest U.S. House election in 2018 by number of votes. Bourdeaux highlighted her work for the constituents of the district, saying on her website, “Since being sworn in January of 2021, Congresswoman Bourdeaux has been a leading advocate in Congress for health care, voting rights, racial and social justice, small business, infrastructure, and critical issues of broad importance to Gwinnett County and the 7th district community.”

McBath was endorsed by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), U.S. Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), and the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund. Bourdeaux received endorsements from former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young (D), former U.S. Sen Sam Nunn (D-Geo.) and four incumbent Georgia state representatives.

As of the primary, three race ratings outlets classified the November 8 general election as Solid or Safe Democratic.

Additional reading:



Raffensperger wins primary for Georgia secretary of state

By Joel Williams
In State
May 25, 2022 at 11:23 AM

Incumbent Brad Raffensperger defeated three other candidates in the Republican primary election for Georgia secretary of state on May 24, 2022. Based on unofficial returns, Raffensperger received 52.1% of the vote, and Jody Hice received 33.7%.

Raffensperger was elected secretary of state in 2018. Raffensperger disputed former President Donald Trump’s (R) claims about election fraud in the 2020 election and directly criticized Hice over those claims. During a January 2022 appearance on CBS’ Face The Nation, Raffensperger said, “Congressman Hice, he’s been in Congress for several years. He’s never done a single piece of election reform legislation. Then he certified his own race with those same machines, the same ballots, and yet for President Trump, he said you couldn’t trust that.” Raffensperger’s website highlighted a #1 ranking in election integrity from the Heritage Foundation as proof of his leadership and conservative values.

Former President Trump endorsed Hice on March 22, 2021. Trump said, “Unlike the current Georgia Secretary of State, Jody leads out front with integrity. I have 100% confidence in Jody to fight for Free, Fair, and Secure Elections in Georgia, in line with our beloved U.S. Constitution. Jody will stop the Fraud and get honesty into our Elections!”

Joseph Ax of Reuters wrote that Raffensperger “has been one of Trump’s most frequent targets ever since he refused, emphatically and publicly, to capitulate to the demands of the former president, his fellow Republican, to ‘find’ enough votes to overturn the results in Georgia’s 2020 presidential vote.”

Hice was elected to the U.S. House in 2014. Hice has supported Trump’s election fraud claims. At a May 2022 debate, Hice said, “The ‘big lie’ in all of this is that there were no problems with this past election. This past election was an absolute disaster under the leadership of Brad Raffensperger.” Hice objected to the counting of Georgia’s electoral votes during the joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021. Hice said he would “aggressively pursue voter fraud” and seek to make final election results available on election night.

If no candidate had received a majority of the vote, the top-two finishers would have advanced to a runoff election.

The secretary of state is responsible for a wide range of services and regulatory duties, in addition to being the keeper of the Great Seal of Georgia and the custodian of the state flag and other state symbols. The secretary of state also chairs the Claims Advisory Board, which receives, investigates, and hears civil claims against the state. Responsibilities of the secretary’s office include supervising and monitoring elections and providing campaign finance disclosure, managing and preserving public records, and licensing, monitoring, and registering professionals and businesses.



Incumbent Kemp defeats Perdue and three others in Georgia’s Republican gubernatorial primary

By Douglas Kronaizl
In State
May 25, 2022 at 11:19 AM

Incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp defeated former U.S. Sen. David Perdue and three other candidates—Catherine Davis, Kandiss Taylor, and Tom Williams—in the Republican primary election for governor of Georgia on May 24, 2022. With 57% of precincts reporting, Kemp had 73% of the vote, followed by Perdue with 23%. No other candidate received more than 5% of the vote.

Former Vice President Mike Pence (R) endorsed Kemp. Former President Donald Trump (R) endorsed Perdue.

Kemp was first elected governor in 2018 when he defeated Stacey Abrams (D) 50% to 48%. Kemp served as the Georgia secretary of state from 2010 to 2018 and in the Georgia State Senate from 2003 to 2007. In a debate, Kemp said, “Every day that I’ve been in office, I’ve been putting hardworking Georgians first, ahead of the status quo and the politically correct. And I’m going to continue to do that the rest of my tenure.”

The 2020 election results were a subject of debate in the primary. During an April 24 debate, Perdue said Kemp did not do enough to investigate election fraud claims, saying, “[Kemp] would not stop the consent decree that was signed, he would not give us a special session. And this past year he’s not investigated anything.”

Kemp responded, “The investigative authority per the laws and the constitution of this state in 2020 lies with the secretary of state’s office and the state elections board. Now, we have had things that have been given to our office that we’ve looked into and when we thought they had merit we referred them to the proper authorities to investigate.”

If no candidate had received a majority of the vote, the top-two finishers would have advanced to a runoff election.

Kemp will face Abrams once again in the November general election. As of May 2022, The Cook Political Report and Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball rated the 2022 general election as a Toss-up. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rated the race as Tilt Republican.



U.S. Reps. Bourdeaux, McBath among three Democrats running in Georgia’s 7th Congressional District May 24 primary

By Dave Beaudoin
In Federal
May 20, 2022 at 2:45 PM

Carolyn Bourdeaux, Lucy McBath, and Donna McLeod are running in the Democratic primary in Georgia’s 7th Congressional District near Atlanta on May 24, 2022. Bourdeaux and McBath are current members of the U.S. House of Representatives facing each other due to redistricting. The primary is one of five U.S. House races with two incumbents running for the same congressional district this year.

Emily Wilkins wrote in Bloomberg Government that “The area’s influx of mostly non-White voters over the past decade helped Rep. Lucy McBath flip a Republican-held district in the northern suburbs in 2018 and Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux do the same with a neighboring district to the east two years later…The Republican-controlled legislature redrew the two swing congressional districts, creating instead districts that are solidly red and blue, and ensuring Democrats will have one fewer seat in the delegation after the 2022 midterms.” Bloomberg Government reported that Bourdeaux represents 57% of the residents in the new 7th District and McBath represents 12%.

Bourdeaux defeated Rich McCormick (R), 51% to 49%, to win an open-seat race in the 7th District in 2020 after she lost to then-incumbent Rob Woodall (R) in 2018 by 433 votes. That margin was the closest U.S. House election in 2018 by the number of votes. Bourdeaux has highlighted her work for the constituents of the district, saying on her website, “Since being sworn in January of 2021, Congresswoman Bourdeaux has been a leading advocate in Congress for health care, voting rights, racial and social justice, small business, infrastructure, and critical issues of broad importance to Gwinnett County and the 7th district community.”

McBath defeated incumbent Karen Handel (R) in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District in 2018, 50.5% to 49.5%. She won a rematch against Handel in 2020, 55% to 45%. As Rachel Garbus wrote in Atlanta magazine, “Gun safety and reform has always been McBath’s key platform; her son was a victim of gun violence in 2012, and his death inspired her political career.” At a recent debate, McBath said, “I’m running in this race because I simply believe that we should not allow Gov. Kemp, the Republican Party or the NRA gun lobby to dictate who represents our communities in Washington.”

Wilkins wrote that “The congresswomen have near-identical voting records. In the 117th Congress, both have largely kept to the party line—96% for Bourdeaux and 97% for McBath, according to a Bloomberg Government analysis.” Garbus wrote in Atlanta magazine that “While both candidates are thoroughgoing Democrats, McBath is further to the left than Bourdeaux, whose centrist stance has alienated some progressives.”

Bourdeaux has received endorsements from former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young (D), former U.S. Sen Sam Nunn (D-Geo.), and four incumbent Georgia state representatives. McBath was endorsed by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), U.S. Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), and the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund.

If no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the primary, the top two finishers will meet in a runoff election on June 21. As of May 17, three race ratings outlets classify the general election as Solid or Safe Democratic.

Additional reading: