PRIME-ARY PERSPECTIVE: RUNOFF

PRIME-ARY Perspectives is a series that will give you an overview of the most noteworthy results from each state's primary election, focusing on congressional districts that are likely to be most competitive in November, as well as those that will have new representation in 2019 because of retirements.

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GEORGIA

Last night's runoff sets the stage for November, with voters choosing the Republican gubernatorial nominee and the Democratic candidates who will take on the sitting Republican Congressmen in the 6th and 7th Districts.

Georgia is one of the states that Democratic strategists and party leaders have had their eyes on for the past several election cycles. This year's election might present the party with its first opportunity to win the Governor's office since 2002, when current Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue became the first Republican to win the office since Reconstruction. Although there are no open House seats this cycle, there are two competitive races where Democrats have the opportunity to secure victory, with GA-06 being the more competitive of the two races. GUBERNATORIAL

In May, 52.3% of the votes were cast in the Republican primary, with the remainder in Democratic primary, a significant shift from 2014 when 65% of primary votes were cast in the Republican race.

Lt. Gov. was seen as the favorite heading into the runoff (he was the highest vote-getter in the primary with 39% to Kemp's 26%). Cagle also secured the endorsement of current Georgia Governor . However, he was beset by a number of problems, including a recording that had him saying the Republican Primary was about "who had the biggest gun, who had the biggest truck and who could be the craziest." Kemp seized on that recording, as well as several others, and was able to win endorsements last week from both President Trump and Vice President Pence. However, in many ways, the runoff was an effort by both candidates to "out conservative" each other, which may make it more difficult for Kemp to track back to the middle for an ever-diversifying electorate.

The Gubernatorial election was considered "Safe Republican" before the primary and runoff elections. However, this morning the Cook Political Report moved the race to "Lean Republican" with the warning that it could soon become a "Tossup."

It has generated considerable buzz in Democratic circles, as being a possible pickup should the "Blue Wave" come to fruition and the results from last night solidify that feeling. Additionally, Stacey Abrams (the current Democratic nominee and former Majority Leader of the Georgia House) has had two months to establish herself while the Republicans were fighting amongst themselves.

Brian Kemp (R) Current Georgia Secretary of State secured the Republican nomination, crushing Lt. Gov. Cagle by winning 69% of the vote. Kemp ran an extremely conservative campaign and proudly called himself a "politically incorrect conservative." Kemp ran on his support for so-called "religious liberty" legislation that opponents say is simply a way to discriminate against the LGBT community, and which was vetoed by the current governor. Additionally, Kemp espoused very conservative immigration positions and in one of his ads featured him saying that he owns a truck "in case I need to round by criminal illegals."

GA-06

The 6th District was home to last year's most contentious primary election, which also happened to be one of the most expensive House races in history. This metro Atlanta district has a history of electing conservative Republican candidates. The district is rated as R+8, though President Trump only won by 2% in 2016.

Last year's special election winner, (R) managed to secure 51.8% to Democrat Jon Ossoff's 48.2%. The District is rated as "Leans Republican," though it is considered to be the most competitive in Georgia.

Lucy McBath (D) McBath beat out Kevin Abel, a business consultant who sits on the Board of Directors for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, winning 53.7% of the vote. McBath is a gun reform advocate whose political action began after her son was killed in Florida by a stranger who objected to how loud his music was playing. She previously worked as a flight attendant for Delta Airlines before serving as the national spokeswoman for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Everytown for Gun Safety.

GA-07

In a normal political year, Georgia's 7th District would not be considered competitive. It has a rating of R+9, and has been represented by such conservative stalwarts as Bob Barr and John Linder. However, the District's changing demographics, as well as its relatively high percentage of college educated voters, make this a possible pick-up for Democrats, though they will need to overcome significant hurdles. Rep. Rob Woodall, a former Chief of Staff for Rep. John Linder, was first elected in 2010.

Carolyn Bourdeaux (D) Bourdeaux defeated David Kim, the founder and former CEO of C2 Education Centers to win the Democratic nomination. In the runoff she secured 52% of the vote. Bourdeaux previously served as the director of Georgia's Senate Budget and Evaluation Office and currently works as a professor at Georgia State University. She also also worked as a congressional aide for Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Prepared by Casie Daugherty

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