2018 Georgia state elections


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A general election was held in the U.S. state of Georgia on November 6, 2018. All of Georgia's executive officers were up for election as well as all of Georgia's fourteen seats in the United States House of Representatives. Neither U.S. Senate seat was up for election in 2018. The Republican Party won every statewide office in 2018.

2018 Georgia elections
← 2016 November 6, 2018
December 4, 2018		 2020 →

Incumbent Republican governor Nathan Deal was term-limited and unable to seek re-election to a third consecutive term.

Secretary of State Brian Kemp won the Republican nomination, defeating incumbent Republican lieutenant governor Casey Cagle in a runoff election.[1] Georgia General Assembly Minority Leader Stacey Abrams won the Democratic nomination. Ted Metz ran for the Libertarian Party.[2] Kemp beat Abrams following a very divisive campaign.

Potential Republican candidates include Georgia Senate President Pro Tempore David Shafer, State Representative Geoff Duncan, Senate Majority Leader Bill Cowsert, State Senator Butch Miller, State Senator Burt Jones, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols and former adjutant general of the Georgia National Guard Jim Butterworth.[3][4] State Representative Allen Peake was also speculated as a potential candidate, but has ruled out a bid.[5][6]

As of November 2017, the declared Democratic candidate is Sarah Riggs Amico, an auto executive.[7] Potential Democratic candidates include 2010 Attorney General nominee, former Dougherty County District Attorney Ken Hodges.[8]

  • Sarah Riggs Amico, businesswoman[9]
  • Triana Arnold James, small business owner, and veteran[10]

Incumbent Republican attorney general Sam Olens resigned to become president of Kennesaw State University effective November 1, 2016, with Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Christopher M. "Chris" Carr being appointed to serve the remainder of the term.[19] Carr will be eligible to run for election to a full term in 2018.

Potential Republican candidates include State Senator Josh McKoon and former state representative B.J. Pak.[19][20]

Potential Democratic candidates included State Representative Stacey Evans and former Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission Chair Lester Tate.[21][22] 2010 nominee and former Dougherty County District Attorney Ken Hodges was considered a potential candidate, but has decided to run for a seat on the Georgia Court of Appeals instead.[22] Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson has ruled out running for attorney general.[23] As of July 2018, Charlie Bailey, former Senior Assistant District Attorney in the Fulton County District Attorney's office, was running.

Governing magazine projected the race as "leans Republican".[26]

Incumbent Republican secretary of state Brian Kemp ran for governor.[28]

State Representative Buzz Brockway ran for the Republican nomination.[29] Other potential Republican candidates included Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle and State Senators Steve Gooch, John Albers and Michael Williams.[29][30]

The Democratic nominee was former U.S. Representative from Georgia's 12th congressional district, John Barrow, who defeated Dee Dawkins-Haigler and Rakeim "RJ" Hadley in the primary.[31]

The Libertarian candidate was Smythe Duval. He won the nomination at the Georgia State Libertarian Convention in February 2018. [32]

Commissioner of Agriculture

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2018 Georgia Agriculture Commissioner election
 
← 2014 November 2, 2018 2022 →
   
Nominee Gary Black Fred Swann
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 2,040,097 1,803,383
Percentage 53.08% 46.92%

Black      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90%      >90%
Swann:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90%

Commissioner before election

Gary Black
Republican

Elected Commissioner

Gary Black
Republican

Incumbent Republican Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black is eligible to run for re-election to a third term in office.

Fred Swann is the Democratic candidate for Commissioner of Agriculture.[42]

  • Fred Swann

Commissioner of Insurance

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Incumbent Republican Commissioner of Insurance Ralph Hudgens is not running for re-election.[46]

Cindy Zeldin, executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future, is running for the Democratic nomination.[47]

Donnie Foster won the Libertarian nomination for Insurance Commissioner at the Georgia Libertarian Convention in February 2018. [48]

  • Janice Laws
  • Cindy Zeldin, executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future
  • Jim Beck, former Deputy Insurance Commissioner[50]
  • Jay Florence
  • Tracy Jordan

Commissioner of Labor

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Incumbent Republican Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler is eligible to run for re-election to a third term in office.

  • Richard Keatley
  • Fred Quinn
  • Mark Butler, incumbent

State Superintendent of Schools

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2018 Georgia State Superintendent of Schools election
 

← 2014

2022 →

     
Nominee Richard Woods Otha E. Thornton Jr.
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 2,048,003 1,814,461
Percentage 53.0% 47.0%
 

Woods:     50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90%      >90%
Thornton Jr.:     50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90%

Superintendent before election

Richard Woods
Republican

Elected Superintendent

Richard Woods
Republican

Incumbent Republican State Superintendent of Schools Richard Woods is running for re-election to a second term in office.[56]

Potential Democratic candidates include Georgia Association of Educators President Sid Chapman and former National PTA President Otha Thornton.[56]

  • Sid Chapman, president of the Georgia Association of Educators
  • Sam Mosteller
  • Otha E. Thornton Jr., former National PTA President

Public Service Commission

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Elections will be held for District 3 and District 5 of the Public Service Commission.

In District 3 Ryan Graham is the Libertarian candidate for Public Service Commission. [61]

In District 5 John Turpish is the Libertarian candidate for Public Service Commission. [62]

District 3 Democratic primary

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  • Lindy Miller
  • John Noel
  • Johnny C. White

District 3 Republican primary

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  • Chuck Eaton, incumbent

District 3 General Election

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District 5 Democratic primary

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  • Dawn A. Randolph
  • Doug Stoner

District 5 Republican primary

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  • John Hitchins III
  • Tricia Pridemore, incumbent

District 5 General Election

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All 56 seats in the Georgia State Senate are up for election in 2018.

All 180 seats in the Georgia House of Representatives are up for election in 2018.

United States House of Representatives

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All of Georgia's fourteen seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. Democrats flipped one seat that elected a Republican in the previous election, resulting in them holding 5 of the state's 14 seats.

The gubernatorial race was particularly controversial during the 2018 elections, as Republican candidate Brian Kemp was also the Georgia Secretary of State, a position which involves overseeing the electoral process, leading to allegations of conflicts of interests.[70][71][72] Despite calls from Georgia Democrats, organizations such as the NAACP[73] and Common Cause,[74] and former president Jimmy Carter,[75] Kemp did not relinquish the position until after the election.[76]

Accusations were also leveled at Kemp with regards to the purging of voter rolls that was done under his oversight. Removing names from voter rolls is a common practice in the case of voters who are deceased or have moved out of state,[77] but since 2017, the practice has spiked in Georgia.[78] Due to strict voting rules in Georgia, tens of thousands of citizens lost their right to vote because of otherwise trivial issues, such as small differences between pieces of identification or insufficiently similar signatures.[79] Kemp was accused of using the voter roll purge as a tactic to disenfranchise more than half a million people, predominantly African-Americans,[80] which has been likened to voter suppression.[81][82]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2018)

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  38. ^ Hassinger, Mike (April 4, 2017). "New Entrant For Secretary Of State". GeorgiaPol.com. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
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Official Attorney General campaign websites
Official Commissioner of Agriculture campaign websites
Official Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner campaign websites
Official Commissioner of Labor campaign websites
Official State Superintendent of Schools campaign websites
Official Public Service Commission district 3 campaign websites
Official Public Service Commission district 5 campaign websites