Republican Geoff Duncan will be Georgia’s next lieutenant governor.
The former state representative defeated Democrat Sarah Riggs Amico.
According to unofficial results from the Secretary of State's office, Duncan won by about 5 percentage points, holding off the first-time political candidate and Marietta business executive.
Duncan declared victory early Wednesday. Amico had not yet conceded the race.
The Cumming resident, who served in the state House for five years, ran a campaign as an underdog outsider to pull off an upset win in the Republican primary.
Duncan, an Alpharetta native who played baseball at Georgia Tech and in the minor leagues, owns a small marketing business and consults with health and construction companies.
The Republican made improving access to quality education a centerpiece of of his campaign, saying he believed government should be less involved and allow parents to make the best choice for their child. Duncan said he doesn’t believe there is any one specific policy change that will improve education.
Duncan also benefited from some negative campaigning.
The Republican used his one televised debate with Amico to criticize her business acumen, questioning why a supervisor who is being sued for racial discrimination still works for the company she runs.
During the primary, an out-of-state "independent group," the Washington-based Hometown Freedom Action Network, reported spending about $3 million against Republican state Sen. David Shafer.
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