Political observers nationwide often present concern over a relative lack of competitive races. After all, only 7.2% of Congressional districts feature crossover candidates, (districts which voted for a Congressional Rep. of a different party from who they voted for President). On a statewide level the problem is worse – only about 65% of seats in a given election year even have major party opposition.
That problem manifests itself in Georgia in a major way. A staggering 80% of incumbents in the State House of Representatives and State Senate are running unopposed. Part of that reason is just politics – it’s hard to unseat an incumbent with all their built in advantages, so smart challengers bide their time. The other issues though are real problems: A) the way that districts in Georgia have been drawn, and B) the inability of the state’s political parties, (looking at you Democrats) to find and field competitive candidates.
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