Candidate qualifying ends with surprises
Last minute twists and turns round out qualifying week
Candidate qualifying ended at noon on Friday, which means that both parties now have candidates lined up to run in Georgia’s top races. The week-long qualifying period began with few surprises but ended with plenty of them.
Among the biggest surprises this week was an announcement from State Rep. David Dreyer. The Atlanta Democrat shared on Twitter Friday morning that he will not be qualifying for re-election and will spend more time practicing law and electing Democrats.
State Rep. Erica Thomas (D-Mableton) did not sign up to run for another term, telling reporters that she is ready to move on and focus on her business. On an unrelated note, Thomas is the author of legislation aiming to establish cityhood in Mableton, which overwhelmingly passed the House on Friday.
Looking at statewide races, Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Russell Edwards announced that he would run for a seat on the Georgia Public Service Commission after new GOP county maps left him without a district. He will be challenging Commissioner Tim Echols, a Republican who hails from East Georgia.
“I’m running for public service commissioner to represent the people of Georgia and hold our public utilities accountable,” Edwards says. “The constant rate increases and cost overruns at Plant Vogtle are inexcusable. Meanwhile, Georgia lags the nation in the development of renewable energy. Changes are needed.”
A second Democrat in the PSC race is currently in a legal battle after being drawn out of Echols’ district in redistricting, which would block her from challenging the Republican incumbent.
Stacey Abrams was the only Democrat to qualify for the Georgia Governor race, which essentially guarantees that she will be the Democratic nominee in November. The only statewide Republican candidate that will not be facing a competitive primary is Tyler Harper, a State Senator who is running in the open race for Agriculture Commissioner.
Many of the other statewide primaries are up in the air. For example, a total of 9 Democrats are running for Lieutenant Governor. And almost every Republican incumbent, from Gov. Brian Kemp, to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr, is facing a primary challenge.
In Georgia’s congressional races, both parties will be contesting all 14 congressional districts — even though redistricting significantly reduced the number of competitive districts.
9 Republicans are running in Georgia’s 6th district, which went from being a Democratic stronghold to a conservative bastion in redistricting. Among them are attorney Jake Evans, emergency room physician Dr. Rich McCormick and former state lawmaker Meagan Hanson.
The incumbent, Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath, is challenging fellow Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux in the neighboring 7th, which became more Democratic in last year’s remap. A third candidate, State Rep. Donna McCleod, is also running in the primary.
Democratic Rep. David Scott, who many speculated could retire at the end of his term, is officially running for another term. But he is facing competition in the Democratic primary for his southwest Atlanta district. Former State Sen. Vincent Fort is running to his left. Scott, a Blue Dog Democrat, is the first Black person to chair the House Agriculture Committee. He is been in Congress since 2003.
Controversial GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is also facing challengers in her fight for a second term, both in the Republican primary and in the general election. But many believe that Greene is an overwhelming favorite for re-election in her northwest Georgia district, which is among the most conservative districts in the country.
While there are a lot of candidates running for office in Georgia, there are also a lot of incumbents who were essentially re-elected this week — because no one filed paperwork to run against them.
“About one out of every three legislative seats has already been decided because a sole candidate never drew a challenger from either major party. That includes House Speaker David Ralston, who has faced opposition in every election since 2014.”
Still, both parties will have candidates on the ballot in areas where you might not expect. Democrats prioritized fielding candidates in rural constituencies to try and maximize their turnout operation. 15 Republicans are seeking state legislative seats in Atlanta’s DeKalb County, which is among the bluest counties in the country.
Analyst Eli Spencer Heyman has a running list of qualified candidates. You can view it here.