The 2018 elections are guaranteed to shake up Georgia’s political status quo, and those changes will begin to take shape with the party primaries Tuesday. Here’s a look at the key races in Georgia.
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A NEW GOVERNOR
Two Democrats are competing to see who will become Georgia’s first female nominee for governor. The Republican primary, meanwhile, is a contest between five white men flaunting guns and tough talk about immigration.
GOP Gov. Nathan Deal is finishing his second term and barred by term limits from running again.
Democratic contenders Stacey Abrams and Stacey Evans are both former state lawmakers whose campaigns have played up their backstories of success achieved despite childhood hardships. For Abrams, a primary victory would mean a shot at becoming the first black woman elected governor in the U.S.
In the GOP race, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle takes credit in his ads for cracking down on “criminal illegal aliens.” Hoping to force a runoff July 24, Secretary of State Brian Kemp has turned heads with ads featuring shotguns, explosions and pickup trucks. Former state Sen. Hunter Hill loads and fires a semi-automatic rifle in a campaign video. Also running are state Sen. Michael Williams and former Navy SEAL Clay Tippins.
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FILLING VACANCIES
With Cagle campaigning to succeed Deal, the open race for lieutenant office has drawn three Republicans: state Sen. David Shafer of Duluth; former state Sen. Rick Jeffares of Locust Grove and former state Rep. Geoff Duncan of Cumming. On the Democratic ballot are two businesswomen from Marietta, Sarah Riggs Amico and Triana Arnold James.
Kemp’s decision to run for governor has left an opening for secretary of state. Four are in the running on the GOP side: former Alpharetta mayor David Belle Isle, state Rep. Buzz Brockway of Lawrenceville, state Sen. Josh McKoon of Columbus, and state Rep. Brad Raffensperger of Johns Creek. On the Democratic side are former U.S. Rep. John Barrow of Athens, former state Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler of Lithonia, and former Rockdale County tax commissioner R.J. Hadley of Conyers.
Republican Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens isn’t seeking re-election. Hudgens has endorsed his former top deputy, Jay Florence of Norcross, in a GOP primary that also includes pharmacist Tracy Jordan of Hoschton and Jim Beck of Carrollton, Hudgens’ former chief of staff and a lobbyist. Also running are two Atlanta Democrats: health care advocate Cindy Zeldin and insurance agent Janice Laws.
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SCHOOL CHIEF SHOWDOWN
State School Superintendent Richard Woods is fighting to keep his job in a Republican primary race against the man who gave up the office four years ago.
John Barge stepped aside as Georgia’s school chief in 2014 to unsuccessfully challenge Gov. Nathan Deal’s re-election. Now Barge wants his old job back after serving as the local school superintendent in coastal McIntosh County.
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HOUSE INFIGHTING
Before they can join the fall election battle for control of the U.S. House, five of Georgia’s incumbent congressmen must overcome opposition from within their own parties. Many of the challengers are touting military service.
Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson of Lithonia faces Juan Parks in metro Atlanta’s 4th District. Parks of Lithonia is a Marine Corps veteran who now works as a JROTC high school instructor.
Seeking his first re-election in west Georgia’s 3rd District, freshman Rep. Drew Ferguson of West Point is being challenged by fellow Republican Philip Singleton of Sharpsburg, a former Army helicopter pilot. Marine Corps veteran Shane Hazel of Cumming is taking on Rep. Rob Woodall of Lawrenceville in the GOP primary for the 7th District in metro Atlanta.
Two GOP businessmen signed up to challenge Republican Rep. Jody Hice of Monroe in eastern Georgia’s 10th District. Bradley Griffin of Newborn is a former Army Ranger turned businessman. Joe Hunt of Watkinsville is a vice president for the fast-food chain Zaxby’s.
In eastern Georgia’s 12th District, Rep. Rick Allen of Augusta has a Republican primary rematch with Eugene Yu of Evans, a former military police officer and sheriff’s deputy making his third attempt for the seat.
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TARGET: HANDEL
Not quite a year has passed since Republican Rep. Karen Handel won the most expensive U.S. House race in history. Her chief opponent, Democrat Jon Ossoff, proved a surprise threat in a 2017 special election for a district long considered safe for the GOP.
Handle must seek re-election this year in suburban Atlanta’s 6th District. Ossoff passed on a rematch, but four other Democrats want a shot at Handle’s seat.
Bobby Kaple of Alpharetta, a former Atlanta TV news anchor, quit his job to run as a Democrat. Another Democratic contender, Lucy McBath of Marietta, is a gun control activist whose teenage son was fatally shot in Florida in 2012.
The Democratic primary race also includes businessman Kevin Abel of Sandy Springs and Steven Knight Griffin of Atlanta, a former policy worker at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Handel of Roswell is unopposed in the GOP primary.
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PSC CHALLENGE
The newest member of the state commission that regulates Georgia utilities is being challenged by a fellow Republican.
Tricia Pridemore of Marietta was appointed by the governor to a vacant seat on the Public Service Commission in February. Now she faces John Hitchins III, who describes himself as a conservationist and a solar advocate, in the GOP primary for the District 5 PSC seat.
The district covers portions of western Georgia, but all PSC members are elected statewide.
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