Historic vote in Georgia: First woman nominee for governor
ATLANTA Stacey Abrams won Georgia’s Democratic primary in the gubernatorial race Tuesday, becoming the state’s first woman nominee for governor from either major party.
If the former state House minority leader wins the general election in November, she’ll become the first black woman governor in the U.S.
Abrams beat former state Rep. Stacey Evans. The one-time legislative colleagues tussled over ethics accusations and their records on education. Both are Atlanta-area attorneys.
Abrams got a last-minute boost with an endorsement — in the form of a 60second robo-call —- from Hillary Clinton. Meanwhile, the Republican contest centred largely on who loved guns the most and was toughest on immigration.
The Republican field includes five white men: former legislators, officeholders and businessmen, some with decades of political experience and others positioning themselves as outsiders challenging the establishment.
They include Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle of Gainesville, Secretary of State Brian Kemp of Athens, former state Sen. Hunter Hill of Atlanta, state Sen. Michael Williams of Cumming and businessman Clay Tippins of Atlanta.
If no candidate receives more than 50 per cent — a strong possibility given the crowded GOP field — the two with the most votes will advance to a July 24 runoff.