Technical glitches mar governor’s race in Georgia
ATLANTA — Voters in one of the nation’s most closely watched governor’s races cast ballots Tuesday amid an ongoing dispute about one of the candidates’ management of Georgia’s elections system, leaving open the possibility that supporters on the losing side may not accept the outcome.
Republican Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams are meeting in one of the signature contests of the 2018 midterm elections, with potential outcomes ranging from the election of America’s first black female governor to another four weeks of bitter, race-laden campaigning.
Adding to the Election Day drama, widespread reports of technical malfunctions and long lines at polling stations came in from across the state, with some voters reporting waits of up to three hours to cast ballots.
A state judge ordered three precincts in suburban Gwinnett County, a populous swing county, to extend their polling hours, one of them as late as 9:25 p.m. Tuesday. An order issued in Fulton County Superior Court said three polling places must stay open late — two until 10 p.m.
The elections chief wasn’t immune to the difficulties: When Kemp went to cast his ballot, he had an issue with his voter card, but it was fixed quickly. He walked by reporters and said: “Take 2.”
In all, voters were choosing 36 governors and 6,089 state legislators in general and special elections that have attracted record amounts of spending from national Democratic and Republican groups. The outcomes of those contests will have major implications for Democratic efforts to build a state-level firewall against some of President Donald Trump’s policies, including his effort to overturn the Affordable Care Act and gut environmental and labor laws.
Arkansas: Republican Asa Hutchinson defeated Democrat Jared Henderson in his re-election race as governor.
Florida: Former Republican U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis rode President Trump’s backing to defeat Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who conceded late Tuesday in the gubernatorial race.
Illinois: Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner conceded to his Democratic opponent, billionaire J.B. Pritzker, less than an hour after polls closed.
Massachusetts: Republican Charlie Baker defeated Democrat Jay Gonzalez to win a second term.
Maryland: Larry Hogan became the first Republican governor to win reelection in Maryland since 1954 by beating Democrat Ben Jealous.
Michigan: Democrat Gretchen Whitmer defeated Republican Bill Schuette.
New York: Democrat Andrew Cuomo defeated Republican challenger Marc Molinaro to win a third term.
Pennsylvania: Tom Wolf won a second term as Pennsylvania governor, beating Republican challenger Scott Wagner.
Tennessee: Republican businessman Bill Lee defeated Democratic former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean.
Texas: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott won a second term in one of the state’s most uneventful races for governor in decades.
Guam: Former Democratic lawmaker and Bank of Guam President Lou Leon Guerrero was elected the first female governor of the U.S. territory.