GOP continues dominance of Georgia offices
ATLANTA — Republicans swept to victories in all of Georgia’s statewide offices on Tuesday’s ballot except U.S. senator, keeping Democrats shut out for the fourth straight four-year cycle on the state level, despite Democrats’ breakthrough on the federal level in 2020.
Republicans also maintained their majorities in Georgia’s legislature on a day when all 180 House seats and all 56 Senate seats were up for election. Republicans won 33 Senate seats, while in the House, they won 100 seats and were leading in one race that The Associated Press had not yet called as of Wednesday.
Republican incumbents defended four statewide offices. Attorney General Chris Carr beat Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan and Libertarian Martin Cowen.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger beat Democratic state Rep. Bee Nguyen and Libertarian Ted Metz. State School Superintendent Richard Woods defeated Democrat Alisha Thomas Searcy. Insurance Commissioner John King beat Democrat Janice Laws Robinson.
Three Republican state senators won the other downballot statewide offices. Burt Jones will preside over the state Senate as the next lieutenant governor after overcoming Democrat Charlie Bailey and Libertarian Ryan Graham.
Democrats recruited their strongest statewide field in a decade, with nominees that drew national notice, including state Rep. Nguyen, who sought to leverage her party’s outrage over Georgia’s voting law to raise money nationwide, and Jordan, who ran for attorney general after a raising her profile as a defender of abortion rights.
Heading into Tuesday’s election, Republicans had a 103-76 majority in the House after Democrat Henry “Wayne” Howard of Augusta died in October. In the state Senate, Republicans held a 34-22 majority.
However, Republicans redrew district lines to create more Democratic-leaning seats and bolster their incumbents, so some losses were expected.
Republicans won the majority in the state Senate when several Democrats switched parties after the 2002 elections and won the majority in the House in 2004.
The margin of Republican control is important. Under Georgia law, an absolute majority of all members is required in either chamber to pass legislation.