State Sen. Don Balfour, R-Snellville, trailed late Tuesday in what would be his first defeat in more than 20 years. It would also make him the highest-profile state legislator to fall in Georgia’s primary election.
Balfour, the Senate’s longest-serving Republican, offered one of the rare upsets in a night that otherwise had few surprises. Another longtime state senator appeared headed to a runoff, two upstart tea party favorites in the House looked like they would be shut out completely and the powerful speaker of the state House seemed to be on cruise control toward victory based on late — but incomplete — returns.
Balfour was one of two GOP Senate veterans targeted by tea partyers in the primary, despite being cleared last year of criminal charges that he improperly claimed travel expenses. He trailed both his challengers, the tea party-backed former Gwinnett County Commissioner Mike Beaudreau and former Lawrenceville City Councilman P.K. Martin. If the results hold, Beaudreau and Martin would meet in a July 22 runoff to decide the winner.
In North Georgia’s 7th District, House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, appeared to successfully swat away a tea party challenge from Gilmer County High School wrestling coach Sam Snider. Tea party leaders and activists from outside the district had made Ralston their top target, although the speaker’s well-funded campaign likely prevailed.
Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Chairman Jack Murphy, R-Cumming, who eked out a 114-vote win two years ago for the chamber’s 27th District, was neck and neck in his GOP primary with Michael Williams, a local businessman with ties to the Forsyth County Tea Party. They, too, would meet in a runoff July 22. Appearing to be left out was challenger Lauren McDonald III, the county coroner and son of longtime politician and state Public Service Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald.
In other races, business leaders who put big money behind efforts to defeat at least two House legislators with significant tea party support seemed successful. And education critics lagged in trying to upset the House’s longtime Education Committee chairman.
In Cherokee County’s 22nd District, Rep. Sam Moore, R-Ball Ground, trailed challengers Meagan Biello and Wes Cantrell, who would meet in a July runoff to decide the winner. In Cobb County’s 34th District, Rep. Charles Gregory, R-Kennesaw, trailed challenger Bert Reeves.
Gregory and Moore have drawn the ire of House leadership by regularly casting the only “no” votes on routine legislation.
Meanwhile, in Gwinnett County, House Education Committee Chairman Brooks Coleman, R-Duluth, was ahead of two challengers in the 97th District: Jef Fincher and Dahlys Hamilton. Coleman has been criticized by some on the right for leading the effort this year to derail a bill opposing national academic standards partially adopted in Georgia called Common Core.
The only black Republican in the General Assembly, Rep. Willie Talton, R-Warner Robins, trailed political newcomer Health Clark in District 147.
Freshman incumbent Sen. Mike Dugan, R-Carrollton, led political veteran Bill Hembree, who spent 18 years in the House before resigning his seat two years ago to run for the state Senate, only to be beaten by Dugan in a runoff for the 30th District seat.
On the Democratic side of the primary, former state Rep. Elena Parent had a sizable advantage over attorney Kyle Williams in the Democratic primary for Senate District 42, which Sen. Jason Carter, D-Atlanta, is leaving to make his run at the governorship.
In House District 58, Rep. Simone Bell, D-Atlanta, led lawyer and activist Erica Long. Long is the wife of former state Rep. Ralph Long, who held the seat until 2012, when he and Bell were drawn into the same district and Bell won.
Meanwhile, on the Southside, incumbent District 74 state Rep. Valencia Stovall, D-Ellenwood, had a lead over former Reps. Yasmin Neal and Roberta Abdul-Salaam.
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