We are in unusual times. The country is in the midst of a global pandemic causing public health concerns arguably not seen since the 1918 Spanish Flu. These concerns necessitated considerable election administration adjustments to the June 2020 primary, including absentee ballot applications being sent to every voter, polling locations being consolidated, and many poll workers not working on election day. Georgia also adopted a new electronic voting system that was rolled out for the first time on a large scale in the June 2020 primary.
With this highly unique context, it is hard to know how much can be gleaned from the 2020 primary election results. But trends and certainly the winning candidates are visible.
The most watched races were the Democratic U.S. Senate Primary, and many of the U.S. Congressional primaries. One of the relative surprises was Jon Ossoff winning the Senate Democratic primary without a runoff. Joined in the race by six other candidates, Jon Ossoff, a former candidate for the nationally followed 2017 Sixth District special election, loaned his campaign $450,000 just weeks before the June 12th election day and entered election day with a commanding lead. Uncertainty remained on whether Ossoff could win without a runoff, which would allow him to focus on the general election, save campaign funds, and avoid potentially alienating voters in a primary runoff.
With Ossoff’s victory, all eyes turn to the general election. Ossoff faces David Perdue, the incumbent businessman and proclaimed D.C. outsider. There is a sharp contrast between the two candidates. Senator Perdue is 70 and has been CEO of multiple large companies, including Dollar General, Pillowtex, and Reebok, while Ossoff is 33 with career accolades that include running an investigatory documentary company. Senator Perdue has unquestionably tied his campaign to President Trump, making it likely Senator Perdue’s success will be tied to President Trump’s success in the general election. Much is left to be seen, but this race, with two contrasting candidates, will be an interesting one to watch.
All U.S. Congressional seats are on the ballot this year. Seventh District incumbent Congressman Rob Woodall’s unexpected announcement that he would not seek reelection after a 400 vote victory in 2018 created a free fall in both the Democratic and Republican primaries. Seven candidates entered the Seventh Congressional Republican primary, and six candidates ran on the Democratic side. Surprisingly there was no runoff in either race — Rich McCormick won the Republican nomination with 55% of the vote and Carolyn Bourdeaux (who came within 400 votes of unseating Congressman Woodall in 2018) won with 51%. This race also creates a sharp contrast between Rich McCormick, who is a former Marine and campaigned on strong traditional conservative values and has sought to align himself with President Trump, with Caroyln Bourdeaux, a college professor that campaigns on progressive liberals ideals. In a demographically changing Seventh District, the results of this election will tell where the Seventh District stands politically.
The North Georgia Congressional Republican primaries had tight margins, and both resulted in runoffs. In the 14th District, a Republican stronghold, nine candidates ran in the Republican primary. Marjorie Greene, a former candidate in the Sixth Congressional District race, took 40% of the vote. Greene will be joined in a runoff by John Cowan. Kevin Ausdal ran unopposed on the Democratic side, but the 14th District votes Republican at double digit margins creating a virtual guarantee that the seat goes to the Republican nominee.
In the neighboring and politically similar Ninth District, nine candidates ran in the Republican primary. With no candidate garnering more than 21% of the vote, this race was the closest U.S. House race. Matt Gurtler, a sitting State House member, took 21% of the vote. He will be joined in a runoff by Andrew Clyde, a relative political newcomer and gun store owner, who took 18% of the vote. Like the 14th District, the winner of the Republican primary will almost assuredly take the seat.
2020 is a huge election year in Georgia. Both U.S. Senate seats, all U.S. Congress seats, all State Senate and House seats, and the U.S. Presidency will be on the ballot in November. In many of the major races, including those outlined above and the U.S. Presidential primaries, more Democratic votes were cast than Republican votes. This difference is explained partly by the contested Democratic Presidential nomination and U.S. Senate nomination that drove up interest in the Democratic races as compared to races with incumbents on the Republican side. These numbers, nevertheless, point to what will be competitive and nationally watched elections across the state in November. Stay tuned, and stay engaged.
