The crowded Republican primary for the open 3rd Congressional District seat is headed toward a runoff after three candidates tangled Tuesday evening for the two spots in the July contest.
Election night returns showed dentist and former West Point Mayor Drew Ferguson and state Sen. Mike Crane taking the top two spots. Peachtree City businessman Jim Pace finished third in the seven-candidate Republican race.
Ferguson and Crane will face off in a July 26 runoff because no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote in the district, which stretches from Peachtree City to the Columbus suburbs and north along the Alabama border.
The winner will face the victor from Tuesday’s Democratic primary in November. The latter contest, which pitted Newnan pastor Tamarkus Cook against Grantville volunteer Angela Pendley, was still too close to call Wednesday morning.
The Republican nominee is heavily favored to ultimately win the seat in this deep-red district, which voted for Mitt Romney by a margin of 2-to-1 in 2012.
The two Democratic and seven GOP candidates were seeking to succeed six-term U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland. The Coweta County Republican announced his retirement from Capitol Hill in January, saying he wanted to spend time at home with his family. He’s also done little to dispel rumors that he’s eyeing a run for governor in 2018.
The slew of contenders vying for Georgia's only open congressional seat prompted their fair share of unfocused moments as the candidates sought to stake out unique political ground. Having no incumbent in the race on which to fixate put virtually every political issue on the table, from immigration to the Obama administration's recent bathroom guidance for transgender students.
Ferguson recorded the best fundraising numbers of the bunch. He centered his campaign on his efforts to help revitalize his hometown of West Point as mayor, in which he capitalized on the economic boon created by the opening of a Kia assembly plant nearby.
Crane boasted the highest name recognition leading into the race. The contracting company owner had garnered headlines for his vocal support of “religious liberty” legislation in the state Senate. While he won strong support among right-wing activists and religious conservatives, he also angered a key constituency — law enforcement officials — with remarks on no-knock warrants.
Pace, meanwhile, pumped $250,000 of his own money into the race to help build name recognition.
Richard Mix, a film producer and owner of a vintage toy store in Newnan; Sam Anders, a U.S. Air Force master sergeant; Chip Flanegan, a small business owner; and Arnall “Rod” Thomas, a former educator and master gardener, also vied for the GOP nomination.
With no presidential candidate on the ballot, voter turnout appeared to be low. But the race, as well as other local and statewide matchups, drew many 3rd District voters to the polls.
Leah Williamson, 34, a Peachtree City resident who drove to the polling place Tuesday with her two young sons on a golf cart, had clearly done her homework. She knew who she wanted to vote for — Flanegan — and who she thought would win the most votes — Crane — as well as whom she wanted to keep out of office.
“It was more of a tactical move,” she said of her vote for Flanegan. “I think it’s certain there will be a runoff, and there were some people I didn’t want to see in it. Mike Crane is certain to be in the runoff, and I’d be OK with him.”
Meanwhile, Westmoreland sat out of the race. In a recent interview, Westmoreland expanded on what he would miss the most about his gig of 10-plus years.
“I’m going to miss going into Home Depot or Kroger or Ingles or just being out on the street in Newnan and having somebody come up and say: ‘I just want to thank you. Your staff helped with my mother or cousin or brother,’ ” he said. “That’s really kind of the joy that you get out of this business.”
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