Georgia Republicans brace for runoff, Democrats try to unite behind Abrams

The contrast couldn’t have been sharper.

Minutes after conceding defeat, Stacey Evans pleaded to Democrats at her Atlanta campaign party to support her rival Stacey Abrams to “find a unified voice to rally against Trump.”

Republicans, meanwhile, readied for what will be a bruising nine-week runoff between Secretary of State Brian Kemp and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle. Charging out the gates first, Kemp branded Cagle a “puppet” of the establishment, while Cagle pledged to defend gun rights.

The third-place finisher, former state Sen. Hunter Hill, had tepid words for both as he urged them to adopt his fiscal policy.

The GOP infighting has Abrams’ supporters giddy amid a wave of national attention for her quest to be the nation’s first black elected female governor. She beat Evans by a huge margin – about 50 percentage points – despite polls suggesting a tighter race.

Overall, Georgia Republicans outvoted Democrats by about 50,000 ballots in the primary. Four years ago, the GOP edge was nearly 300,000 votes.

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An ominous sign for Casey Cagle? He failed to break 50 percent in his native Hall County. Gov. Nathan Deal, who is also from Hall, won the county by 64 percent of the vote in the 2010 primary for governor.

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Meanwhile, Deal's top aide issued a warning to the GOP rivals not to challenge his legacy.

“One thing is certain: If Gov. Deal’s agenda or record is used against a candidate in a runoff, the governor will be there to defend and protect,” said Chris Riley.

That can be taken as a warning to Kemp, since Cagle has tied himself to the governor’s main initiatives.

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Here are some other takeaways from the big night:

• In one of the biggest down-ticket surprises, state Sen. Josh McKoon appeared to fall short of a runoff in the GOP race for secretary of state. A pair of north Fulton Republicans – state Rep. Brad Raffensperger and ex-Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle – were in the two top spots. McKoon was a favorite of grassroots conservatives for championing stricter ethics rules and the "religious liberty" legislation.
• Democrat Sarah Riggs Amico, a logistics executive and political newcomer, survived a scare from lightly-funded activist Triana Arnold James. An Amico defeat would have been a major blow to the party's hopes of flipping the No. 2 job for the first time since 2006.
• Superintendent Richard Woods beat back a primary challenge from his predecessor, John Barge, who left the office in 2014 to mount a failed attempt to oust Gov. Nathan Deal.
• Republican David Shafer will face ex-state Rep. Geoff Duncan in the GOP runoff for lieutenant governor after narrowly missing an outright victory. And Duncan made clear he won't drop out. "Over the next nine weeks we will leave no stone unturned and leave nothing on the table," said Duncan. "If voters care about ethics and integrity, I like my chances. Either I'll beat David Shafer - or the Democrats will."
• In the state's only contested appellate court race, Ken Hodges overwhelmed Ken Shigley for an open state Court of Appeals seat. Shigley was criticized by the state's judicial agency for politicizing the race by pointing out that Hodges ran for statewide office as a Democrat.
• It was a tough night for the white male Democrats still in the state Senate. Steve Henson, the chamber's top Democrat, was in a tight race against a lesser-known challenger. And state Sen. Curt Thompson was trounced by a liberal opponent.
• State Rep. Matt Gurtler, a Republican who was targeted by GOP leadership for his frequent "no" votes, survived a primary challenge by a well-funded opponent.

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Democrats tested their party's base with a series of four questions about priorities. And on each, the party got a resounding yes.