Rep. Lucy McBath came up victorious in the Georgia Democratic primary for the newly-drawn 7th Congressional District, which pitted two incumbent female lawmakers against one another.
Ms. McBath, 61, defeated Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux, getting 63% of the vote compared to Ms. Bourdeaux’s 31%, according to a count that had 44% of the vote reported.
Ms. McBath, who is from the Atlanta suburbs, came to Congress in 2018 amid a wave of Democrats who flipped several GOP seats in the midst of the Trump presidency.
The Georgia Democrat ran as a racial justice activist and gun control advocate, who touched voters with her personal story of her 17-year-old son being fatally shot in 2012.
After the incident, Ms. McBath became a national spokeswoman for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and later became a member of Mothers of the Movement, comprised of Black mothers who have lost their children to gun violence or police officers.
This campaign cycle, also Ms. McBath opened up about her personal struggles with miscarriages, citing her staunch support for defending abortion rights.
Ms. McBath also received the backing of several liberal groups and progressive lawmakers, such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
A newly created liberal political action committee called Protect Our Future, which is funded mostly by a young cryptocurrency billionaire, also poured $2 million into Ms. McBath’s fight for reelection.
The two women ran largely civil campaigns, having kept a close personal relationship with each other. Ms. Bordeaux had even recently referred to Ms. McBath as her “sister.”
However, since Ms. McBath’s decision to run in her district, Ms. Bourdeaux struck a more competitive tone, warning her that her decision will backfire and allow a Republican to win in November if Ms. McBath won the primary.
“Everything we have worked for, you are undermining by coming over and fighting me here,” Ms. Bourdeaux said.
The centrist Democrat is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition.
• Mica Soellner can be reached at msoellner@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.