ICYMI: The stories that metro Atlantans were reading this past week

Georgia Election 2018: Secretary of State Brian Kemp wins Republican Primary Secretary of State Brian Kemp won the Republican nomination for Georgia governor Tuesday He defeated Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle Kemp will face the Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams in the race to succeed Gov. Nathan Deal Kemp and Abrams will face off in the November elections

AND THE WINNERS ARE ... Georgia found itself in the national spotlight this past week with the primary runoff election held Tuesday. With President Donald Trump throwing his support behind one of the two Republicans vying to be their party's gubernatorial candidate, the hotly contested race was the center of attention. Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who earned Trump's backing the week before, came out with a resounding win against Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle. Of course, other races also faced runoffs Tuesday, including a contentious GOP bid for lieutenant governor. With a margin of less than 1 percent, former state Rep. Geoff Duncan defeated 16-year state Sen. David Shafer to secure the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor. Winners in the runoffs and earlier primary now head to the November general election.

» TOP SPOT: Georgia Republicans give nod to Kemp in governor's race

» RUNOFF RESULTS: How legislative, metro and state races fared

» CONGRESSIONAL RACES: Wins boost female presence on state's fall ballots

» WHAT'S NEXT: Both parties have goal of healing internal rifts

» FROM AJC POLITICS: Outside money fuels narrow win in GOP lt. gov. race

State Rep. Jason Spencer and his “security coach” Sacha Baron Cohen. (Photo: Showtime)

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TV APPEARANCE TAKES A BAD TURN: Rep. Jason Spencer's week got off to a bad start with Showtime airing "Who Is America?" on Sunday. Spencer had tried to block the program from showing his segment and viewers found out why Sunday night. Soon after the broadcast, Georgia political leaders,  candidates and activists were condemning the Republican state lawmaker who exposed himself and yelled racial slurs during an episode of prankster Sacha Baron Cohen's series. Spencer would later say it was fear that took him to the TV filming, because he thought he was there to learn to stop what he felt was an "inevitable attack" against his family, not realizing he was being pranked. The episode shows Cohen, who portrayed himself as an Israeli military expert, at a gym persuading Spencer to take part in what he was told was a counterterrorism video.

» Spencer faces calls for his resignation soon after the program airs

» At first, Spencer apologizes but says he won't leave until his term ends

» Spencer says he will go ahead and step down

» AJC EXCLUSIVE: Butt of jokes and darkness of our politics exposed

A WARY TIME FOR GEORGIA FARMERS: We're known as the Peach State — signifying not only the fruit synonymous with Georgia but also the pivitol role that agriculture has played in the state's economic success. However, it's been a tough time lately for farmers. On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue announced the federal government would be delivering $12 billion in subsidies to help U.S. farmers affected by retaliatory Chinese tariffs. Many farmers fear these tariffs will drive down crop prices. However, the details and scope of the short-term relief remain unclear. Meanwhile, the state's namesake fruit has seen uncooperative weather take a jumbo bite out of the crop, a second year of pain for peach growers. And similar hardship appears to have eliminated half of Georgia's more lucrative blueberry yield.

» DROPS IN CROPS: Peaches and blueberries take a hit

» OF SUBSIDIES AND TARIFFS: Feds offer aid to farmers affected by U.S. crackdown on tariffs