Down-ballot Republicans — running for lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and more — appeared poised for re-election Tuesday, according to early returns.
With a majority of precincts reporting, GOP statewide officeholders were comfortably in front. Controversy and ethical questions did little to stanch the appetite for Republican leadership. Larger campaign war chests fueled incumbency, too.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle appeared headed toward a third term as the state’s second-in-command. Cagle tapped $1.5 million in campaign cash while touting education and a cap on income taxes. He easily led Democrat Connie Stokes, a former state senator and DeKalb County commissioner who pushed a higher minimum wage and expansion of Medicaid.
Attorney General Sam Olens, the Republican incumbent, was poised for another four-year term, comfortably leading Democratic challenger Greg Hecht, a former Clayton County lawmaker and prosecutor. Olens appears to have survived Hecht’s accusations of ethical misconduct. Olens’ office paid a $10,000 fine in September for failing to turn over a key memo in a whistleblower lawsuit that cost the state millions of dollars.
Controversy apparently didn’t sink incumbent Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who was easily leading Democratic challenger Doreen Carter. Kemp’s office was sued by Democrat-friendly groups alleging the state’s voter registration process was flawed and caused tens of thousands of applications to be erroneously dismissed.
A judge dismissed the fraud allegations.
Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens too seemed to sidestep controversial remarks — he vowed to do “everything in our power to” thwart Obamacare — on his way to re-election over Democrat Liz Johnson. Libertarian Ted Metz, also an opponent of the Affordable Care Act, trailed. Johnson, an insurance agent, wants the health care law expanded to include more Medicaid recipients.
Republican Mark Butler appears to have won another under-the-radar statewide race, besting Democrat Robbin Shipp to remain Georgia’s labor commissioner. Butler courted controversy by balancing, along with other state Republicans, the state’s unemployment trust fund by supporting cuts in how long jobless Georgians could receive unemployment benefits.
Butler was also criticized by Shipp for presiding over the nation’s highest unemployment rate. Shipp campaigned for a higher minimum wage and equal pay for women.
Gary Black, up against Democratic challenger Chris Irvin, was expected to keep the state’s top farm job. Both candidates for agriculture commissioner opposed more government intervention in the ag economy. Irvin, who owns a Toccoa construction company and timber farm, was hoping to capture the job held for more than four decades by his grandfather, Tommy Irvin.
Two Public Service Commission races barely made headlines. Republican Lauren “Bubba” McDonald looked likely to beat Democrat Daniel Blackman and Libertarian Aaron Gilmer for the District 4 seat on the five-member PSC, which oversees utilities, particularly Georgia Power.
In the PSC’s 1st District, Republican incumbent H. Doug Everett was easily besting Libertarian John Monds.
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