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Rep. Pedro Marin, right, and his wife Nereida vote on Primary Election Runoff Day. (Credit: Pedro Marin)
Republican incumbent Rep. Steven Sainz secured his chance to hold onto his coastal Georgia seat in Tuesday’s runoff elections. A retired Army general will face firebrand Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and two Georgians with ties to the Trump administration cemented their bids for Congress.
Those are some of the winners in the primary runoff that featured congressional, legislative, judicial and local races. Tuesday’s election firmly sets in place the final slate of challengers in Georgia’s Nov. 5 general election.
Here are the results in some key races. The names of winners are in bold.
Congress
Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District (parts of middle and southwest Georgia): Entrepreneur A. Wayne Johnson, who once served in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid during the Trump Administration, beat Chuck Hand, Taylor County Republican Party chairman and convicted Jan. 6 Capitol riot participant, in the Republican runoff. Johnson now faces Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop of Albany in November.
Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District (15 counties in west and central Georgia): Former Trump political adviser Brian Jack defeated former state Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan in a high-profile contest to represent this heavily conservative district. Jack faces Democrat Maura Keller, an Army veteran and healthcare professional, in November. The winner of that race succeeds retiring U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson.
14th Congressional District:(northwest Georgia): Retired Army Brigadier General Shawn Harris handily defeated small business owner Clarence Blalock. Harris, a Democrat, now faces Republican incumbent, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, in November.
State Legislature
Georgia Senate District 7: Republican entrepreneur J. Gregory Howard has beat Fred Clayton, CEO of a home improvement company, with 61.8% of the votes. Howard faces state Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes, a first-term Democrat from Gwinnett County, in November.
Georgia Senate District 34 (Riverdale): Kenya Wicks, chief of staff to current state Sen. Valencia Seay, doused former state Rep. Valencia Stovall’s hopes of going to the state Senate. Wicks won the Clayton County-based seat with 68% of the votes. Wicks now faces Republican Andrew E. Honeycutt, a business and economic development executive, in November.
Georgia Senate District 38 (Atlanta): Businessman RaShaun Kemp defeated former state Rep. Ralph Long III with 59.7% of the votes to fill the seat being vacated by Democratic state Sen. Horacena Tate, who is retiring.
Georgia Senate District 55 (Stone Mountain): Former state Rep. Randal Mangham defeated registered nurse Iris Knight-Hamilton with 55% of the votes. Mangham faces Republican challenger Mary Williams Benefield, a conservative who has worked in the accounting field, in November. The winner succeeds Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler who is retiring.
Georgia House District 96: Democrat Arlene Beckles, an information technologies professional, defeated challenger Sonia Lopez, who is active in many volunteer, nonprofit and community organizations in Norcross, with 65.2% of the votes. Beckles succeeds Democratic incumbent state Rep. Pedro “Pete” Marin of Duluth, who is leaving office. There are no Republican challengers.
Georgia House District 131: Business owner Rob Clifton won with 73.3% of the votes over military vet Paul Abbott, replacing Republican state Rep. Jodi Lott of Evans, who is leaving office. Clifton faces Democrat Heather White, an Army veteran, in November.
Georgia House District 145 (Macon area): Teacher and small business owner Tangie Herring beat former president of the Bibb County Board of Education Juawn Jackson for a chance to represent this newly-created majority Black district. Herring will face Republican Noah Redding Harbuck, an insurance agent, in November.
Georgia House District 180 (coastal Georgia, including Camden County and parts of Glynn County and Jekyll Island): Republican Incumbent Rep. Steven Sainz won 53% of the votes over Glenn Cook, a retired Naval aviator and Delta Air Lines captain. Sainz now faces Democrat Defonsio Daniels, a former marine and federal police officer, in November.
County races
Clayton Co. Sheriff: Incumbent Sheriff Levon Allen will remain in office. Allen got 55.24% of the votes while former County Commission Chair Jeff Turner got 44.76%.
DeKalb County CEO: Former County Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson defeated Larry Johnson, also a former county commissioner, with 60% of the votes. Since there are no Republican challengers running for the position, Cochran-Johnson succeeds retiring CEO Michael Thurmond.
See primary runoff results here.
Have questions, comments or tips? Contact Tammy Joyner on X @lvjoyner or at [email protected].
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