Georgia primary recap: Pinson defeats Barrow, GA-03 heads to runoff, most Gold Domers to return in January
A recap of Georgia's primary election
Georgia’s primary election marked a pivotal moment this campaign season as voters got to choose which Democratic or Republican candidates they would like to see on the ballot in November. Candidates spent the evening watching results and celebrating with their supporters at restaurants and bars in their communities.
Tuesday’s vote saw most current officeholders — with some exceptions — easily fend off challengers, putting them on track for easy victories in the general election against minimal or even no competition from the opposite party.
HIGH COURT: Pinson wins
State Supreme Court Justice Andrew Pinson, owing to a last-minute boost from Gov. Brian Kemp and the Republican’s political network, defeated John Barrow after the former Democratic congressman tried waging a campaign centered around abortion rights.
Barrow, hoping to mirror liberal-leaning court candidates in other states, has been campaigning for a spot on the bench since 2019. But this was his first time being on the ballot for a seat after political maneuvering and legal quirks led to previous court races being canceled.
The 37-year-old Pinson, appointed to the court by Kemp in 2022, will now serve a six-year term on the bench. He and his supporters repeatedly attacked Barrow’s “partisan” campaign and warned of potential consequences for taking stances on issues the court could rule on.
CONGRESS: GA-03 heads to runoff; Scott, McBath win in redrawn districts
Looking at congressional races, Republican voters in the 3rd congressional district will return to the polls next month to decide who will succeed retiring Rep. Drew Ferguson: political operative Brian Jack or former state Sen. Mike Dugan. The Trump-endorsed Jack outpolled Dugan by 15,000 votes but was unable to clear the 50% runoff threshold. The runoff victor will be favored to win this ruby red district in November.
All 13 remaining congressional incumbents won renomination. U.S. Reps. David Scott and Lucy McBath both overcame new political maps and spirited fields of challengers to win redrawn metro Atlanta districts.
Relocating to a different district for the second time, McBath defeated two Democratic elected officials in a new 6th district that takes in parts of four counties south and west of Atlanta. Despite apparent concerns on Capitol Hill about Scott’s health and effectiveness, the 11-term incumbent responded with an easy primary victory in a redrawn 13th district, which is now located in the capital city’s eastern outskirts.
STATE LEGISLATURE: Most incumbents to return; a good night for fresh faces
Under the Gold Dome, most incumbents can expect to return to office in January 2025. But there was a huge divergence between the primaries thought to be competitive and the ones that were.
State Sen. Elena Parent, a top Senate Democrat, easily defeated a Black former state senator who tried accusing the incumbent of “voter suppression” in what is now a majority-Black district. No Republican filed to run for the seat, putting the Atlanta lawmaker on track for a ceremonial general election and quite possibly a promotion to minority leader.
State Sen. Sally Harrell, another Democrat from Atlanta, faced a well-funded challenge from the father of a slain Israeli soldier after abstaining from a vote to combat anti-Semitism. Harrell was projected as the winner of the contest, holding more than 70 percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning.
Not all legislative incumbents survived their primaries, however. State Rep. Saira Draper (D) defeated fellow state Rep. Becky Evans (D) after Republicans placed the two Atlanta lawmakers in the same district.
In Cobb, activist Gabriel Sanchez stunned state Rep. Teri Anulewicz (D-Smyrna) in what the Marietta Daily Journal is calling a “Socialist Stunner.” And state Rep. Lauren Daniel (R-Locust Grove) appears to have lost her Henry County seat to challenger Noelle Kahaian.
In other legislative races, 22-year-old middle school teacher Bryce Berry avoided a runoff in the Democratic primary for the midtown Atlanta seat held by Republican state Rep. Mesha Mainor. Republican Drew Echols won a closely-fought primary for the Hall County Senate seat currently held by his wife, Shelly, who is stepping down after one term. Three Democratic primaries for open state Senate seats are set for June runoffs.
OTHER RACES
In other noteworthy races, both the judge and the prosecutor in former President Donald Trump’s Georgia case are likely to hold onto their jobs: Fulton County superior court Judge Scott McAfee won a nonpartisan race to hold onto his seat, while District Attorney Fani Willis prevailed in the Democratic primary with more than 85 percent of the vote. Sheriff Patrick Labat won renomination without a runoff despite concerns over deteriorating conditions at the county jail.
Elsewhere, the race for DeKalb County CEO will head to a June runoff. Cobb County District Attorney Flynn Broady was defeated in the Democratic primary, while incumbent Savannah DA Shalena Cook Jones routed her former assistant prosecutor.
Results from Georgia’s primary can be viewed here.
