Libertarian backs Democrat in secretary of state runoff

Democrat John Barrow picked up a surprising endorsement in his Dec. 4 runoff bid for secretary of state: the third-place finisher who forced the race into overtime.

Libertarian J. Smythe DuVal on Monday threw his support behind Barrow, a former U.S. House member who he said was able to “fix Georgia’s broken election system” and save tax dollars through a ranked-choice voting system that would eliminate separate runoff elections.

“John Barrow is the best choice to represent the interests of all Georgia citizens including independents, Libertarians and fiscal conservatives,” DuVal said.

The razor-thin race ended with Republican Brad Raffensperger, a state legislator from Johns Creek, roughly 16,000 votes ahead of Barrow.

But neither got the majority vote needed to win outright because DuVal captured about 2 percent of the vote.

Republicans have dominated the handful of fall statewide runoff elections in Georgia’s past, but Democrats hope to harness the energy from Stacey Abrams’ narrow defeat in the governor’s race and the drumbeat of concerns raised about voter suppression and ballot security.

Abrams, for one, said she will also work to elect Barrow, whom she called “a man of principle and goodwill who will administer his responsibilities for the people — not his party.”

The Barrow-Raffensperger battle won’t be the only race on the ballot. Public Service Commissioner Chuck Eaton, a Republican, also faces Democrat Lindy Miller.