In 2020, Representative Buddy Carter beat Joyce Marie Griggs by more than 54,000 votes out of more than 324,000 votes cast in Congressional District 1, 58.4 percent to 41.7 percent. It was Carter’s fourth win after his replacement of Jack Kingston in the first district. In 2018, he won 57-42, in 2018 58-42, 2016 58-42 and, finally, in 2014 61-39.
Joyce Marie Griggs
In short, it’s going to be an uphill battle for the Democrat that wins the June primary to beat the incumbent. In the latest round of redistricting, the district was not changed much and partisan leanings are not estimated to be much different than in previous elections.
Democrats have stepped up to the plate though and are taking their shot. Joyce Marie Griggs is once again trying to win the nomination to face Carter and Wade Herring, a Savannah-based attorney, is looking for the spot this year as well. Griggs nearly won the nomination outright in May, garnering 48.6 percent, with Herring coming in at 38 percent, and Michelle Munroe coming in third at 13 percent. In fact, Griggs missed the win by only 636 votes.
Griggs is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel combat veteran. She spent more than 30 years in the military as an intelligence officer and earned a Bronze Star. She deployed to Iraq three times and was the deputy director of an intelligence unit there, as well as working with U.S. Embassy staff in Baghdad to draft agreements with the Iraqi government. Griggs, like Herring, is an attorney.
Wade W. Herring
Herring says that he advises businesses to not only comply with the law, but to do the right thing. His clients include large and small companies, nonprofits, schools and government. He is certainly well-connected in Savannah, having served on a number of boards and drawing some heavy hitter endorsements like former Mayor of Savannah and State Representative Edna Jackson, former Mayor of Savannah Otis Johnson, State Representative Al Williams (D-168 Midway) and State Representative Derek Mallow (D-163 Savannah).
That support helped Herring raise a lot of money for the race, more than $630,000 through March 31. Griggs raised $2,264. A rounding error of the money Herring raised. But name recognition plays a big role and voters have responded to her passionate, outsider message. The same things that helped her upset Lisa Ring to win the 2020 nomination. Griggs says she has a dozen campaign staffers and hundreds of volunteers that can help make up the difference.
Like many Georgia Democratic candidates, both Griggs and Herring emphasize protecting the right to vote as one of their main issues. Herring says that because of the laws passed in Georgia last year, his 86 year old will have a harder time voting. Healthcare is also a big issue. Griggs says healthcare is a fundamental right and she will protect affordable and quality healthcare, ensuring it is accessible to both urban and rural areas.
It is not currently clear how much money Herring will be able to spend in the runoff, or how much he still had in the bank after the original primary. But without a third candidate, maybe the votes for her go to the other challenger Herring? If not, another good lesson that money cannot just buy an election.
