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AJC Election Central has everything you need as early voting is underway for Georgia's July 22 primary runoff, with key congressional, state and local races still up for grabs. Don't forget, winners move on to the Nov. 4 general election. Log on to MyAJC.com/georgiapolitics for the latest election news, including these useful tools:
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- An updating graphic that tracks polls related to the Senate Republican primary: MyAJC.com/news/ga-senate-gop-primary-polls-2014.
- A full chart of candidates running for statewide offices and other voting resources.
Electoral sparring two months ago knocked out of office one of Georgia’s longest-serving Republicans. Will voters do the same in the July 22 runoff election to another veteran member of the state Senate?
The GOP faceoff in Senate District 27 between Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Chairman Jack Murphy, R-Cumming, and Michael Williams, a local businessman with ties to the Forsyth County Tea Party, highlights several state legislative races still undecided heading into the primary runoff.
The winners in some cases will be unopposed in November, meaning it’s all or nothing now. For others, a victory marks the midway point in their campaigns. Regardless, leaders at the Gold Dome want voters to head to the polls to counter what some predict could be an Election Day turnout in the single digits or low teens.
"The experts think it will be much lower than the primary," said state House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge. Only about 20 percent of the state's voters turned out for the regular May 20 primary, or less than 1 million people. That number is expected to plummet for the runoff, since it falls in the middle of the summer vacation season.
“I hope Georgians will come out,” Ralston said. “It’s important because we’re going to have seats in the General Assembly decided on July 22.”
One of those seats is for Senate District 27.
Close margins are nothing new for four-term incumbent Murphy, who two years ago eked out a 114-vote win to claim re-election. This year in the May 20 primary, Murphy’s 6,979 votes topped Williams’ 6,403, but they were not enough to clear Georgia’s required margin. A third candidate, county coroner Lauren McDonald III, failed to draw enough support to continue.
Georgia requires election winners to receive more than 50 percent of the vote — what’s often referred to as a “50 percent plus one (vote)” margin. It can be hard to reach, however, if a race has multiple candidates.
When none of them break that 50 percent-plus-one barrier, then the top two finishers compete in a runoff. The requirement attempts to encourage candidates to reach out to more people in order to win a “majority” of their votes.
The contest has been one of this year's toughest. Williams this week fought back against an anonymous website claiming he went on a $40,000 gambling spree, which Williams' spokesman called "completely false." Murphy, too, has been targeted, especially for when he led the Senate Finance Committee while also being a board member on the failed Integrity Bank.
Murphy has the backing of the chamber’s leaders, including Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who Thursday also urged voters to head to the polls. “The upcoming primary runoff elections are an opportunity to re-elect proven conservatives like Senator Jack Murphy and energetic leaders in open seats,” Cagle said.
Another Senate race to watch is the District 9 GOP contest between former Gwinnett County Commissioner Mike Beaudreau and former Lawrenceville City Councilman P.K. Martin — whose efforts (with big help from tea party leader Debbie Dooley) got them both into the runoff ahead of the seat's embattled incumbent, state Sen. Don Balfour, R-Snellville, his chamber's longest-serving Republican.
Finally, the GOP runoff for the seat held by retiring Senate Majority Leader Ronnie Chance, R-Tyrone, pits M.H. "Marty" Harbin — an insurance agency owner and founding member of the South Atlanta Tea Party — against David Studdard, a military veteran and former chairman of the Fayette County Republican Party. The winner will likely take the District 16 seat, since no one else has qualified for the Nov. 4 election (barring a last-minute write-in candidate).
On the House side, Ralston is actively backing first-time incumbent state Rep. John Deffenbaugh, R-Lookout Mountain, who was forced into a runoff against Robert Goff in House District 1. Goff resigned from the Dade County Commission to run for the seat.
In Cherokee County's 22nd District, challengers Meagan Biello and Wes Cantrell will meet in a GOP runoff after they both bested tea party-backed incumbent state Rep. Sam Moore, R-Ball Ground. Moore had been targeted for defeat by the Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
Among other notable House runoff races, state Rep. Carol Fullerton, D-Albany, faces Dougherty County school board member Darrel Ealum in House District 153. And D.C. "Dave" Belton squares off against J. Aaron Brooks in the Republican primary for House District 112. That seat is currently held by state Rep. Doug Holt, R-Social Circle, who announced earlier this year that he would not run for re-election.
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