I thought I lived in the woods of Milton, but it’s become a jungle. A political jungle anyway, according to national political media who’ve been spotlighting our 6th Congressional District.
There’s a steamy fight brewing here in the suburbs among 18 of our neighbors eager to represent us in the U.S. Congress for the seat vacated when Dr. Tom Price left to become U.S. Health Secretary. It’s up to us now to hear them out and vote for the best in a Special Election on April 18.
Such elections often lack turnout, but I hope this time we all show up to vote. Our 6th District includes North Fulton, Northeast Cobb and North DeKalb - some of the most diverse and economically strong areas of the state. (Check www.govtrack for election maps, and www.politics.blog.ajc.com for election information.)
The reason national media is now focused on this race is because our 6th District is changing. I’ve read about this jungle contest in traditional publications like The New Yorker and modern media like The Daily Beast. Some political analysts think we could be a bellwether for how the country really feels politically.
Basically, they’re asking: will we stay Republican, or flip to Democrat?
The term “jungle” in a political race refers to a special election, like this one, in which all candidates appear on the same ballot. The winner must get 50 percent of the vote. There are whopping 18 candidates in our race — 11 Republicans, five Democrats and two independents. Some have a lot of financial backing, others are self-funded.
If a majority winner doesn’t emerge on April 18, the race will continue in a run-off on June 20 between the top two vote-getters (regardless of party). This is likely, so mark your calendars now since voters tend to forget politics in the summer.
If the 6th District stays Republican, some political analysts theorize, it would mean voters accept Trump’s policies. If it flips and a Democrat is elected, it could mean a repudiation of Trump policies and more Democrat success in the 2018 mid-term elections.
Yet, this is long-held Republican territory: Conservative stalwart Newt Gingrich was propelled from this spot, and Mitt Romney won in 2012 by 24 points. Price also won his two congressional elections with over 60 percent of the vote.
However, President Trump only won our district over Hilary Clinton by 1.5 points, so perhaps Democrats do have a chance to “flip the district.” With so many candidates running, some promising independence and even term limits, voters have a lot of choices between the parties.
I recommend spending an hour of your time at each candidate’s website (some have great videos!) Or hear them speak when they’re in town. After all, they’ve put themselves out there to represent us. The least we can do is listen, learn and vote.
Voter Registration and Election Information: www.sos.ga.gov
Candidate Information:
David Abroms (R) – www.abromsforcongress.com
Dr. Mohammad Ali Bhuiyan (R) – www.mohammadaliforcongress.com
Ragin Edwards (D) – www.raginedwards.com
Dr. Richard Keatley (D) – www.keatleyforchange.org
Keith Grawert (R) – www.keithforgeorgia.com
Bob Gray(R) – www.bobgrayga.com
Alexander Hernandez (I) – www.yourvotegeorgia.com
Dr. Rebecca Quigg (D) – www.rebeccaquiggforcongress.com
Kurt Wilson (R) – www.kurtforcongress.com
Judson Hill (R) – www.judsonhill.com
Ron Slotin (D) – www.voteforslotin.com
Amy Kremer (R) www.amykremerforcongress.com
Bruce LeVell(R) – www.levellforcongress.com
Jon Ossof (D) – www.electjon.com
Andre Pollard (I) – www.thetechparty.us
Dan Moody (R) – www.danmoody.com
William Llop (R) – www.williamloppforcongress.com
Karen Handel (R) – www.karenhandel.com
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