Georgia Democrats hope to chip away at large Republican majorities in the state House and Senate.
The state GOP holds a two-thirds supermajority in the Senate with 38 of 56 seats, and is two seats shy of a supermajority in the 180-seat House, with 118 members.
With Democrat Jason Carter given a strong chance to win the governor’s race over GOP incumbent Nathan Deal, the Democrats are especially eager to cut into the Republicans’ edge.
“We’re hoping to pick up seats in both chambers,” said Senate Minority Leader Steve Henson, of the 41st District. “We have several candidates challenging incumbents. We have good candidates and good issues. It’s always a challenge when your party is out of office, making it harder to raise money. But we’ve got some good people, so it will be a pretty good year for Democrats.”
With Democrats’ optimism rising in the governor’s race, the party also hopes to make a good showing in other state elections.
A particularly strong opportunity exists in the state school superintendent’s race, where Democrat Valarie Wilson is running against Republican Richard Woods for an open seat after incumbent John Barge decided to challenge Deal in the GOP primary.
Henson said Democrat attorney general nominee Greg Hecht is gaining traction after reports that incumbent Sam Olens withheld a significant memo in a state ethics commission case involving Deal.
“There’s some questions there in his role, that he was involved in participating in a coverup,” Henson said.
Along with Carter and U.S. Sen. candidate Michelle Nunn, the Democrats also have a candidate with a famous political name in the agriculture commissioner’s race. Chris Irvin, grandson of longtime ag commissioner Tommy Irvin, is running against GOP incumbent Gary Black.
In the state Senate, Democratic hopes rest on a handful of races. A total of 27 Republicans are running unopposed along with 14 Democrats, according to the political web site Ballotpedia. Just 10 GOP candidates have opposition.
Of those districts, only one, the sixth, had a “mildly competitive election” in 2012, when GOP challenger Hunter Hill defeated longtime Democratic incumbent Doug Stoner by six points. Before the election, the district was redrawn to make it majority Republican. In the fall, Hill faces Democratic opponent Antron Johnson.
In Senate District 8, GOP incumbent Tim Golden didn’t seek re-election, setting up a competitive race between Democrat Bikram K. Mohanty and Republican C. Ellis Black. Mohanty lost to Golden by a 24-point margin in 2012.
District 9 also offers a Democrat-Republican battle after GOP incumbent Don Balfour lost in the primary election. Democrat nominee Timothy Swiney and GOP nominee P.K. Martin are vying for the seat.
In the 42nd district, vacated by Carter, Democratic nominee Elena C. Parent battles Republican Greg Williams in a bid to keep the seat in the Democratic column.
In the Georgia House, 94 Republicans are unopposed, along with one independent. Democrat and Republican candidates will battle each other in 33 districts, Ballotpedia reported. Of those, three seats were decided by competitive elections in 2012, with a victory margin of 0 to 5 percent, Ballotpedia found. Two other 2012 elections were mildly competitive, with a 5 to 10 percent victory margin.
The outcome in one of those “competitive” districts could hurt Democratic chances. In District 66, Democratic incumbent Kimberly Alexander battles GOP challenger Bob Snelling, whom she defeated by a 5 percent margin in 2012.
District 105, GOP incumbent Joyce Chandler faces Democrat Renita Hamilton. In 2012 Hamilton lost to Chandler by only 554 votes. In District 138, GOP incumbent Mike Cheokas again faces Kevin Brown after beating Brown by 208 votes, a 1 percent margin, in 2012.
The 132nd District features an open battle between Democrat Bob Trammell Jr. and Gene King after Democrat incumbent Carl Von Epps decided not to seek re-election. Von Epps tallied a 7 percent victory margin over King in 2012.
An interesting battle is shaping up in the 54th District, which House Majority Whip Ed Lindsey left to run unsuccessfully for the 11tth District congressional seat. GOP candidate Beth Beskin, who overwhelmed opponents in the primary, faces independent Bill Bozarth, former Common Cause executive director, and Democrat Bob Gibeling. Bozarth in a press release said he gathered more than 2,200 voter signatures to get on the ballot. While Beskin is favored, Bozarth is well-known in the district’s Buckhead neighborhoods. Gibeling has been running a quiet race.
