Congressional incumbents, candidates qualify for 2022
Challengers line up to take on congressional incumbents
Georgia’s congressional incumbents had to briefly fly back to Atlanta on Monday morning to kick off qualifying week at the Gold Dome. Many of their challengers qualified for the May primary as well.
Among the first to qualify was Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who is staring down yet another competitive and expensive battle for the Senate seat that he wrested from Republicans last year. “I can’t wait to get back to work,” he told reporters shortly after qualifying.
His leading Republican opponent, former UGA football star Herschel Walker, visited the Georgia Capitol for qualifying on Monday and appeared to suggest that he will not be debating any of his Republican rivals ahead of the May primary election. “I’m going to debate Raphael Warnock, because I’m going to win this primary and I’m going to win the general,” he told the press.
All but one of Georgia’s 14 members of Congress qualified on Monday, according to the Secretary of State’s office. Rep. Sanford Bishop, an Albany Democrat and the dean of the state’s congressional delegation, qualified for re-election on Monday. National Republicans recently placed Bishop on their list of targets in their fight for control of the House.
Rep. David Scott (D-Atlanta) also qualified for re-election, ending any speculation that the 76-year-old House Agriculture Committee chairman could leave Washington at the end of his term. However, he is set to face a primary challenge from Vincent Fort, a longtime state senator who unsuccessfully ran for Mayor of Atlanta.
Perhaps the most interesting congressional race unfolding is the Democratic primary in the Gwinnett-based 7th District, where Rep. Lucy McBath is waging a challenge to fellow Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux after state lawmakers redrew her increasingly Democratic northern Atlanta suburban district to encompass more conservative territory. Adding to the intrigue is the presence of a third candidate: State Rep. Donna McCleod.
Lighting rod Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene qualified to run for a second term on Monday and is set to face a host of candidates in both the Republican primary and the general election for her Northwest Georgia district, which now stretches into heavily-Black communities in Southwest Cobb County.
The only congressional incumbent that did not qualify for re-election is Rep. Jody Hice, a far-right Republican who is challenging Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger with the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.
You can follow candidate qualifying here.
Very interesting, good job 👏🏾