Elections over, political warfare continues
Georgia’s elections are finally over with Republicans turning back threats from Democrats to hold the secretary of state’s office and a Public Service Commission seat. It’s still an all-republican lineup in statewide offices after Tuesday’s runoff elections.
In the secretary of state’s race, Republican Brad Raffensperger, Georgia House member and Johns Creek business owner, wound up easily defeating Democrat John Barrow, the former congressman. Raffensperger won by 52-48 percent, improving from his 49 percent in the general election when Libertarian Smythe Duval’s 2.2 percent forced the runoff. Duval endorsed Raffensperger in the runoff, no doubt a key factor in the outcome.
In the PSC race, incumbent Chuck Eaton took about 52 percent to Democrat Lindy Miller’s 48 percent — although the Democrat carried Cobb with 50.6 percent. Not surprising, turnout in the runoffs dropped to about 23 percent versus the general election’s 64 percent — another factor apparently favoring the Republicans.
This year’s election battles are over, but the political warfare continues. Democrat Stacey Abrams, who lost to Republican Brian Kemp in the governor’s race, is waging a courtroom battle with a federal lawsuit charging that the state has erected “discriminatory voting barriers reminiscent of the Jim Crow era” under the Republicans. It’s alleged that thousands of voters were unable to cast their ballots because of inaccurate registration rolls, poorly trained poll workers and voting machine malfunctions. The lawsuit also seeks to put Georgia back under federal “preclearance” requiring a federal court’s approval of any changes in the state’s voting regulations.
Kemp, who was secretary of state during the campaign, came under unrelenting attack from Abrams and the Democrats charging him with suppressing the minority vote. He denied all the accusations and said the election was fair without discrimination, citing the record voter turnout.
On his part, Raffensperger said he would “make sure that elections are clean, fair and accurate,” vowing to make it his No. 1 priority as the next secretary of state. He will take office in January. In the mean- time, the interim appointee, Robyn A. Crittenden, will serve out Kemp’s term. Barrow, in conceding, also emphasized the importance of fair, accurate and secure elections. That, he said, calls for what “may seem like a never-ending struggle.”
And that’s probably a good description of the battle being waged by Abrams and Democrats. An idea of what the future may hold is Abrams’ stunning performance in the governor’s race. She amassed more votes than any Democrat in the state’s history and came close to forcing a runoff between her and Kemp in the three-candidate general election. Kemp won with only 50.2 percent of the vote.
For Abrams, the future must look bright. She became a money-raising machine, pulling in a staggering $42 million and allowing her to mount campaign blitzes that won over crucial suburban voters by huge majorities in metro Atlanta counties. This success has her considering another run for the governor’s office in 2022 against Kemp. Or she might opt to run for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican David Perdue in 2020. She says she’s “open to all options,” which for some of her ardent supporters means running for president.
If she decides to run against Sen. Perdue, he would have the advantages — and disadvantages — of incumbency. To begin with, he showed what a strong ground game he had in winning the seat in 2014 to succeed retiring Saxby Chambliss. Perdue won with a hefty 56 percent of the vote over Democrat Michelle Nunn, daughter of former Sen. Sam Nunn, one of Georgia’s most popular politicians. It’s a long way off, but President Donald Trump’s popularity or lack of it could have an effect on Perdue’s campaign in a far less heavily Republican Georgia.
Abrams could face stronger competition for the Democratic nomination as several potential candidates are in the wings, notably Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson, who claims progressive credentials with the ability to appeal to rural Georgia where Kemp beat Abrams by huge majorities.
Abrams says the issues she raised in her campaign “remain urgent and important.” Look for her to keep up the fight, both in the courtroom and in her speechmaking, setting the stage for her next run for office.
Contact Don Mckee at dmckee9613@aol.com.