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Georgia's 7th Congressional District election (July 24, 2018 Democratic primary runoff)

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Georgia's 7th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 9, 2018
Primary: May 22, 2018
Primary runoff: July 24, 2018 (if needed)
General: November 6, 2018
General runoff: January 8, 2019 (if needed)
Pre-election incumbent:
Rob Woodall (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Georgia
Race ratings
Cook Partisan Voter Index (2018): R+9
Cook Political Report: Lean Republican
Inside Elections: Lean Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
See also
Georgia's 7th Congressional District
1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th
Georgia elections, 2018
U.S. Congress elections, 2018
U.S. Senate elections, 2018
U.S. House elections, 2018



Carolyn Bourdeaux defeated David Kim in the Democratic primary runoff for Georgia's 7th Congressional District. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee targeted the seat, held by incumbent Rob Woodall (R), in the general election.[2]

Bourdeaux and Kim finished first and second, respectively, in the May 22 Democratic primary. Bourdeaux received 27.3 percent of the vote and Kim received 26.0 percent of the vote.

The candidates took somewhat different positions on whether to support Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as House Democratic leader. Bourdeaux said she did not know if she would support Pelosi but added, “House leadership could use some new blood and new ideas."[3] Kim said he would oppose Pelosi.[4]

The candidates also clashed over personal actions and campaigning methods. Bourdeaux criticized Kim for not voting in the 2016 presidential election. Kim said Bourdeaux was attempting to suppress his supporters after her campaign told election authorities that his campaign workers were illegally campaigning at a polling site.

Bourdeaux was endorsed by EMILY's List, U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, and two candidates who did not advance from the May 22 primary: Kathleen Allen and Steve Reilly. Kim has not received major endorsements, but his campaign raised over $1.2 million through July 4, 2018, about $740,000 of which came from a personal loan. Bourdeaux raised about $850,000 during the same period.

Although Woodall has never received less than 60 percent of the vote in an election, his district was mostly based in Gwinnett County, a suburban majority-minority county that voted Democratic in the 2016 presidential election for the first time since 1976.[5][6] Gwinnett County is one of six reverse-pivot counties that voted for Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016 after voting for John McCain (R) in 2008 and Mitt Romney (R) in 2012.

Woodall’s district—which also included parts of the less racially diverse Forsyth County—voted for Donald Trump by a 51 percent to 45 percent margin in 2016.[7]


Primary results

July 24 primary runoff

Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Georgia District 7

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Carolyn Bourdeaux
Carolyn Bourdeaux Candidate Connection
 
52.0
 
7,948
Image of David Kim
David Kim
 
48.0
 
7,348

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 15,296
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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May 22 primary

Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Georgia District 7

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Carolyn Bourdeaux
Carolyn Bourdeaux Candidate Connection
 
52.0
 
7,948
Image of David Kim
David Kim
 
48.0
 
7,348

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 15,296
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Election updates

Candidate forums

  • July 12, 2018 The candidates met in a debate hosted by the Atlanta Press Club. See full coverage here.

Endorsements

  • July 12, 2018: Former Atlanta City Council President Cathy Woolard endorsed Carolyn Bourdeaux.
  • June 15, 2018: Steve Reilly and Kathleen Allen, candidates who did not advance from the May 22 primary, endorsed Carolyn Bourdeaux.

Campaign finance

  • July 19, 2018: Campaign finance disclosures from July 4 showed that David Kim raised 1.2 million (about $740,000 through a personal loan) and had about $86,000 in cash on hand. Carolyn Bourdeaux raised about $850,000 and had about $98,000 in cash on hand.

Candidates

Democratic Party Carolyn Bourdeaux

Carolyn Bourdeaux.jpg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

A professor of public policy at Georgia State University, Carolyn Bourdeaux ran for Congress by emphasizing her concerns with healthcare and education policy and saying she wanted to provide a check on President Donald Trump. She said she did not know if she would support Nancy Pelosi as House Democratic leader but added, “House leadership could use some new blood and new ideas."[3] Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland, and EMILY's List endorsed her.

Her campaign website highlighted her support for expanding Medicaid, establishing a public option under the Affordable Care Act, adopting additional gun regulations, and increasing investments in education and job training programs.[8]

Bordeaux began working at Georgia State University in 2003. From 2007 to 2010, she was the director of the Georgia State Senate Budget and Evaluation Office. She previously worked as an aide for U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oreg.).[9]

Democratic Party David Kim

David Kim.PNG

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Businessman David Kim ran for Congress saying he wanted to "end the hostility, chaos, and gridlock and to restore common sense, integrity, and discipline to Congress."[10] He said he would oppose Nancy Pelosi as House Democratic leader if elected.[4]

His campaign website highlighted his support for expanding Medicaid, implementing universal background checks for prospective gun buyers, preserving Social Security and Medicare benefits, and giving DACA recipients a path to citizenship. It also highlighted his opposition to the FCC's repeal of the Open Internet Order that instituted net neutrality rules and tariffs announced by President Trump.[11]

Kim founded the organization C2 Education. He became the publisher of Teen Ink in 2015. He attended Harvard University.[12]

Candidate list

Democratic Party Democratic primary candidates

Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

Endorsements

Carolyn Bourdeaux


Campaign finance

Campaign strategies and tactics

Support for Nancy Pelosi

David Kim said he would oppose Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) staying on as House Democratic leader. Carolyn Bordeaux said she was unsure.

When asked, Bordeaux said it was too early for her to take a position but that “House leadership could use some new blood and new ideas."[3]

When he was asked, Kim said, “When you are not winning, you need to change the coach, change the team members or both. You can't keep doing the same thing and expect different results.”[4]

Bourdeaux complaint about Korean translators at polling places

In July 2018, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a Bordeaux campaign operative told election authorities that Korean translators working for the Kim campaign were illegally campaigning at a polling site in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

Kim's campaign said the translators were not campaigning and had only been looking for shade from hot weather. On July 6, Kim released a video where he likened the incident to an “increase of harassment and intimidation incidents” at the polls. He said, “[w]e should be the shining example of the new South, not perpetuating the tactics out of the old South’s Jim Crow playbook.”

In response, Bourdeaux's campaign said, “Jim Crow era voter suppression was marked by extreme violence - fire hoses, dogs, buses that were firebombed -- and other repressive tactics like poll taxes and literacy tests. David Kim comparing a request from election officials for volunteers to move a few feet to those violent actions is offensive and reflects a complete lack of understanding of history.”[19]

Bourdeaux's criticism of Kim's voting record

At a debate in early May, Bourdeaux criticized Kim for not voting in the 2016 presidential election. She said, "We knew that he was racist. We knew that he would dismantle environmental protections. We knew that he would try to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. My question for you is: Why didn’t you vote in 2016?”

In response, Kim said, "You can blame us or join us. Like many Americans, I was focused on my family, my faith and my work. ... To win, we are going to have to inspire thousands of folks — first-generation immigrant families who have the ability to vote – who are eligible – but have not. We need to bring them in, not scare them off.”[20]

At another debate on July 12, Bourdeaux criticized him for not voting again. He said in response, “A lot of voters like myself felt very apathetic … Like it was a choice between Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb, so to speak. We need to get away from the idea that our only choices are professional politicians.”[21]

Kim's criticism of Bourdeaux's time in the Georgia State Senate

At a debate on July 13, David Kim criticized Carolyn Bourdeaux for budget cuts that occurred during her time as director of the Georgia State Senate's budget office from 2007 to 2010. During her time with the office, a 20 percent decline in revenue related to the 2008 recession required cuts to the state budget. As of 2018, there was a constitutional requirement that the Georgia state budget outlays could not exceed revenues.

Bourdeaux said she was a nonpartisan staff member and had no choice when it came to the budget cuts.[21]

Campaign advertisements

Carolyn Bourdeaux

Campaign themes and policy stances

Carolyn Bourdeaux

Bourdeaux's campaign website stated the following:

“

Healthcare
Our healthcare system is in an acute crisis. We need affordable, quality healthcare for all. Our healthcare system costs significantly more per capita than any other country in the developed world—and the destruction of the Affordable Care Act has real consequences for our community. We can do better and I will fight for a system that puts patients before profits.

My own family struggles with the cost of healthcare. My mother cared for my aging and very sick father until both recently passed. She couldn't come visit us in Suwanee because all of her income was eaten up paying for medications, including ones to treat my father’s diabetes. Between 2002 and 2013, the price of insulin has tripled, and in 2017 it continued to rise. My parents used to hit their yearly cap for drug insurance in November, in 2017, they started reaching it in July.

Why is the cost increasing? One reason is that Congress has prevented Medicare from using its purchasing power to negotiate a better deal on drug prices. And why have they done this? Because pharmaceutical companies give lots and lots of money to politicians. In 2016, these companies gave $60 million to representatives in Congress.

The decision-making around health insurance and the Affordable Care Act is also incomprehensible to me. Congressman Woodall, the incumbent in the 7th District, voted for a bill that would mean 67,000 fewer people in this district would have health insurance. The bill discriminates against those with pre-existing conditions and would allow insurance companies to avoid covering basic services like mental health, emergency and maternity care.

I talked with doctors who cared for a Gwinnett man who worked as a laborer moving boxes. Because Medicaid wasn't expanded, he didn’t have health insurance. He was suffering from pain in his joints. However, it was only after the pain became so bad that he had lost the use of his hands that he went to see a doctor. He learned he had rheumatoid arthritis. That’s a treatable disease, if caught early. But he had fallen through the cracks of our system and will remain in pain and on disability for the rest of his life.

Let’s be compassionate and fiscally responsible. Let’s expand Medicaid and bring $2.2 billion back to our state every year—keeping more people working and bringing down the financial and human costs of late stage health care. Let’s put a public option on the marketplace and bring down premiums by increasing competition.

Equity
Every child deserves access to a world class education regardless of zip code. That includes good pre-K options that provide the learning foundation for opportunities later in life.

Equal Pay is critical. I am so grateful for the progress made by my mother's generation, but we have to keep moving forward and keep making progress. We must close just the gender gap overall, but also the even larger gap that still exists for women of color.

Criminal justice reform is long over due. As a society we claim to believe in equality under the law, now is the time to stand up to the private prison lobby and make this value a reality.

We need to provide basic access to healthcare for everyone. I have heard so many horror stories of people in this district that lost their job and ability to provide for their family simply because they don't have lack of access to health screenings and other basic care.

These stories include a construction worker who had a stroke that could have been prevented by taking free blood pressure medication if he'd only know he was at risk and a man who lifted boxes for a living who got rheumatoid arthritis and couldn't afford to see a doctor until it was too late to save his joints. These men and so many others who were independant hard working citizens have now lost the dignity of work. They are now on disability with expensive healthcare needs paid for by the state. This is a cycle that we can and need to end.

Women's Health and Issues
Women make up over 50% of the population but only around 20% of the representatives in Congress. This is reflected in our national policies from women’s health to women’s pay. We need to change this.

Women’s Health: Before the Affordable Care Act passed, my hairdresser, a young woman, couldn’t have a baby because she purchased health care on the individual marketplace and the only plans she could purchase refused to cover maternity care. This is unacceptable. We all have a responsibility for the next generation that will come after us whether we choose to have children or not.

The Affordable Care Act included maternity care and contraceptive coverage as essential medical services that all plans had to cover. The Republican Congress has voted repeatedly to allow insurance companies to remove this coverage. I’m here to fight for women’s health and this includes making sure we have insurance coverage for maternity care and contraceptives.

Choice: I am pro-choice and do support the basic framework of Roe v. Wade. I also believe that abortions should be safe, legal and rare. We get to this point by supporting organizations such as Planned Parenthood that provide access to contraceptives for women and by making sure that adoption is an accessible option for all women and families.

Comprehensive Paid Family Leave: Giving families time to bond with their newborns, newly adopted children, or to care for a sick family member without facing financial stress is also a policy that I strongly support. The US is the only developed country in the world that does not provide even a modest form of paid family leave. (Source: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/jul/25/kirsten-gillibrand/yes-us-only-industrialized-nation-without-paid-fam/)

We do need to be sensitive to the business implications in the design of such a policy as well as the fiscal implications for the federal budget. However, we have successful models piloted by states that are great for families, are not budget-busters, and have not had a negative impact on business. It can be done.

California has had paid family leave policies since 2004 which provide six weeks of benefits to families and is administered through their disability insurance program. 89% of California employers report that this policy has had no effect or a positive effect on productivity, 91% say it has had no effect or a positive effect on productivity, and not surprisingly, 99% report it has had a positive effect on morale. (Source: http://knowledgecenter.csg.org/kc/content/economics-paid-family-leave)

Equal Pay: Women deserve equal pay for equal work. Currently, women make 80 cents for every dollar a man earns. A black woman makes 63 cents and a Latina only 54 cents. (Source: https://www.aauw.org/research/the-simple-truth-about-the-gender-pay-gap/)

In 1963, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act and while women have been making (slow) gains, the goals of the law have not been fully realized. Women of color are even more heavily penalized.

Last fall, the Trump Administration rolled back Obama era protections for women that 1) required paycheck transparency from employers that are federal contractors; 2) restricted use of forced arbitration around pay and sex discrimination and harassment complaints. We need to reverse policies like this and continue to press for pay transparency which will allow more complete enforcement of the Equal Pay Act as well as protecting all workers from employment practices such as the abusive use of binding arbitration provisions.

Gun Violence
We have lost our way as a country with respect to gun policy and it must stop now. As a mother, I keenly feel the grief of parents who have lost their children – all our children from Parkland to Orlando, from Sandy Hook to Las Vegas - and responses such as “arming our teachers” or in any way inviting more guns into our schools is sickening. We must ban bump stocks, restrict civilian access to military style assault weapons, restrict access to high capacity magazines, and make sure we have universal, comprehensive background checks, closing the gun show loophole.

I honor the students from Parkland who are driving this country to action. Our youth have such potential power, and we need to support them in their mission for change. Our children deserve to live in a world where their biggest worry is studying for a math test, not whether they'll live through the week or watch classmates and teachers die in front of them.

I grew up with guns. My father owned a gun. My grandmother shot squirrels off her bird-feeder from her upstairs porch with a bb gun. My grandfather passed on to my uncle a wonderful historic gun collection, and many members of my family are hunters. But we were taught from an early age that guns are weapons and owning a gun is a serious responsibility – it’s time that our country recognize this as well.

Education
Like many families in this district, my husband and I moved here because of the quality of K-12 education. But we must not take it for granted. And higher education—a key to Georgia’s economic future—is increasingly unaffordable to so many students.

As Governor Deal and President Obama have both observed, our college graduation rate for 24-35-year-olds in Georgia needs to move from 40% to 60% by 2020. That will take investment across the board, from pre-K through higher education—and job training programs to keep up with a changing economy.

Immigration
We know that our diverse future and global enterprise depends on talented people from all over the world joining our community. We need a system that recognizes the value of immigrants, while protecting all workers with fair labor practices.

We are long overdue for comprehensive immigration reform that recognizes the realities of our communities and labor markets. The security of our border and our country is best served when we focus enforcement resources on criminals who mean us harm. And we urgently need a path to citizenship for the Dreamers, who came here as children and are invaluable members of our communities.

Transportation
We need to invest in transit. I’ve heard folks in the 7th district describing their commutes as “soul-sucking.” The congestion and lack of transit options is causing the district to lose businesses who are moving to be closer to Marta. WestRock could have brought 800 jobs here instead of Sandy Springs, but we lack great public rapid transit. Link It’s harming our quality of life, and undermining our home values.

The business community recognizes this and is working on promoting a vision of Gwinnett with links to Marta or Bus Rapid Transit.

We deserve the same federal tax dollars that have been supporting the development of transit systems in other states. It’s time for a federal-state-local partnership to bring some of this money back home.

Reform
Healthy democracies listen and respond to the needs of their citizens. Our current system is dangerously skewed to benefit special interests and extreme partisans. Bipartisan solutions to pressing issues like healthcare are stuck in political limbo—damaging lives and ruining futures. Link

The polarization is worsened by the way our districts are drawn. Incumbent Congressman Rob Woodall himself admits, “It’s gerrymandering that makes these things noncompetitive, right?” He acknowledges that “Gwinnett County, if it was one district, it would be an incredibly competitive district.” [link] We must insist on district lines that are non-partisan, instead of protecting incumbent politicians.

Special interests have too much power in our political system and the public has too little. Overturning Citizens United is an uphill battle, but we must restrict corporate influence on our elections. And we must prioritize small-dollar donors through public-financing matches.

Environment
Just as we judge prior generations for their failure to recognize human rights, I think that future generations will judge us for our failure to address the environment and climate change. I have a 6 year old son and I’ve started to think about what his future is going to look like.

One prediction is that given the rate of the bleaching of our coral reefs, we will lose 90% of our coral reefs by 2050 and that this will produce a catastrophic destruction of ocean life and this also will produce a massive disruption of our food chain and loss of fisheries. My son will be in his 30s when this happens.

We already face increased flooding on our coasts, but by 2100 experts predict we will lose most of southern Florida and coastal cities around the world will be underwater. We will either need to make massive investments in infrastructure to stave off flooding or will have to deal with huge population resettlement. My son will be old – late eighties - by the time the full effects are felt but the growing impact will affect his day to day life in ways we cannot fully predict.

Meanwhile, our government is subsidizing the destruction of our planet. The US provides $20.5 billion in subsidies to the fossil fuel industry each year. I see a place to start to balance our budget. We must reinstate the Paris Climate Accord which calls for an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 and align our energy policy and investments to meet these goals.

[22]

”
—Carolyn Bourdeaux’s campaign website (2018)[8]


Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys
Candidate Connection

Carolyn Bourdeaux participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on May 15, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Carolyn Bourdeaux's responses follow below.[23]

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

“ Healthcare reform (expanding medicaid and bringing down Marketplace insurance costs), standing up to the NRA to move forward with common sense gun reform to protect our children and communities and protecting women's health.[24][22] ”

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?

“ Healthcare first and foremost, also corporate finance reform and gerrymandering. We need a system that is of the people, for the people, by the people, not special interests.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[22] ”

Ballotpedia also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Carolyn Bourdeaux answered the following:

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow and why?

“ Alice Rivlin, first head of the Congressional Budget office[22] ”
What qualities do you possess that would make you a successful officeholder?
“ Experience, passion and a drive to always do better.[22] ”
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
“ An elected representative owes it to her constituents to truly represent their best interests. Fundamentally that means being accessible and accountable to the people she represents.[22] ”
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
“ My first job was working for my father's business. He was a teacher for most of his career, but when I was in high school he started his own business designing and selling large paper animal hats. I used to help him sell them. My first full time job after college was as staff to a member of Congress. I then became a legislative aide for Representative and then Senator Ron Wyden working on healthcare, social issues and transportation.[22] ”
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
“ The notes my six year old son leaves me on the fridge. He is just learning to spell. Recently he wrote "No mor Ise Creem Tonite" when he thought I was eating too much chocolate ice cream.[22] ”
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
“ When I was in college my family went bankrupt. I lucky in that I was able to finish school with the help of loans, grants and support from the local community.[22] ”
What process do you favor for redistricting?
“ Nonpartisan redistricting. We need to stop playing games with our democracy.[22] ”
Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?
“ I hear many horrifying stories of how our healthcare system has abandoned people. One is of a man who worked moving boxes in a warehouse. He was in a lot of pain, but didn't have insurance and so didn't go to the doctor until the pain became debilitating. At that point it was too late. He was diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis. Had he gotten medical care earlier he could have gone on medication that prevented most of the damage. Instead, by the time he saw a doctor it was too late. He is now on disability, unable to work; both his life and livelihood ruined.[22] ”

David Kim

Kim's campaign website stated the following:

“

Quality Education
No candidate is more devoted to providing affordable, quality education to our children than I am, and my lifelong commitment to education show that. I built my company to help students, mostly public school students, get the education they need to compete in a global economy.

For years we’ve listened to politicians say they want to improve education, but nothing changes.

Together, we can change it. We have the resources to make American schools among the best in the world, but for too long we haven’t made it a priority. I will work to change that.

College tuition should be within the reach of every student. Students should not be burdened by endless college loan debt. Our taxes pay for our state universities, yet many cannot afford to attend them. An educated workforce is the foundation of our economy and our best hope for a prosperous future. In Washington, I will continue my fight for quality education for every child.

Affordable Healthcare
Members of Congress are given excellent healthcare coverage for themselves and their families, yet they refuse to provide the same to us. Representative Woodall happily accepts health care that you pay for, yet he refuses to fix the system for you. Until Congress takes up serious reform to fix our healthcare system, I won’t accept this taxpayer funded benefit until you have access to coverage as well. As a business owner, I have always paid for health coverage for my employees, and as a Member of Congress, I will work to ensure all Americans have access to quality, affordable coverage.

For eight years, we heard the cries of repeal of the Affordable Care act, but when the time came, Congress had no plan. Millions of dollars paid by Georgia taxpayers are sent to other states that expanded Medicaid, but because Georgia failed to expand Medicaid, our tax dollars are not even helping our own citizens have access to healthcare. I will vote to expand coverage, better serve the physical and mental health of our Veterans, and work to ensure that a serious medical issue doesn’t have to become a serious financial issue for my fellow Americans. Healthcare is a complicated issue, but we can fix this, and the time to start is now.

Gun Law Reform We can protect our rights and find ways to work together on solutions to keep us safe. But we need some common sense. I believe the vast majority of gun owners are safe and responsible gun owners and take their role as good citizens seriously. I believe these responsible gun owners can help us find the solutions that have eluded us for too long.

That’s why when I’m elected to Congress I promise to reach across the aisle and work with responsible gun owners to find cultural, technological, and legal ways that we can make this country safer for everyone, but it’s not going to be easy. No matter what side of this issue you’re on, we have to stop addressing this issue from a place of anger and fear, and start discussing it with facts and respect for our fellow Americans. There are no easy answers when it comes to making our families safer from gun violence, but if we work together we will find that there are innovations and common sense solutions hiding in plain sight.

I will vote to pass reasonable gun reform: universal background checks to keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals and domestic abusers, methods to prevent anyone on a terrorist watch list–or whose mental health poses a danger to themselves and others– from accessing weapons, and measures designed to keep our children safe. Congress has been silent too long.

Protecting Medicare and Social Security
We need to do more to protect our most vulnerable citizens, and I will lead the charge in Washington to do just that. The government never hesitated to take money out of your paycheck; now government must keep its word when it comes to healthcare, Social Security, and Medicare. Instead, your benefits are threatened by the reckless spending of Congress.

To our senior citizens:you earned and paid for your benefits, and I will never vote to break that contract. We have seen Washington tap into the Social Security Trust Fund, putting every American at risk of losing benefits. We have seen them run up huge deficits and then cry for a balanced budget. This must stop.

The best indicator of character is how you treat people who can’t offer you anything in return.I will bring compassionate leadership back to Washington.

Fiscal Responsibility
We listened to the promises of Republicans to put our fiscal house in order and give tax relief to working families. Despite their promises, they increased the deficit by over 2 trillion dollars just in the last two months. Very simply put, we are borrowing trillions from China and letting our children deal with the consequences. By the time my daughter reaches middle school, the national debt will be more than 30 trillion dollars. This is fiscal insanity, coming from people who call themselves conservatives.

We should be focused on building a better future. I will support renewed investment in national infrastructure, protections for our vulnerable electric grid, and making sure we never again leave over three million Americans without power or water for months as we did in Puerto Rico. I support ideas to let younger Americans consolidate their student loan debt–or have it forgiven in exchange for public service–so that they can become full participants in the American economy. And I will support tax reform that benefits working families and small businesses instead of giveaways for billionaires and corporate welfare.

For too long Congress has refused to spend OUR money on the things we need, and I will do better. I will vote to restore fiscal responsibility, and I will vote to stop spending our children’s inheritance.

Immigration Reform
In March, I sat down with several Dreamers to hear their stories. One Dreamer, Aldo Mendoza-Guerra, said “The place we were born is foreign to us. The place we were raised looks at us like foreigners.” Over 80% of Americans want to protect the Dreamers; they came to this country as children through no fault of their own and are as American as anyone born on this soil.

We have not had immigration reform since Ronald Reagan was president. The world has changed but we remain stuck in the failed policies of the past while millions continue to live in the shadows. We can protect our borders, maintain our national security and join together to address this pressing issue. We cannot allow fear to drive policy.

I will vote to protect the Dreamers and to give them a path to citizenship. I will vote to enable those who want to contribute to our great American melting pot to come here legally and safely. The state of immigration in the United States is a human tragedy that is destroying innocent lives and threatening the education, employment, and safety of young people. Enough is enough. If we want to be seen as a country of great opportunity, we must start acting like one, and I will make it my priority to lead the charge for smarter immigration laws.

Women’s Rights
The Republicans have mounted an unprecedented attack on the rights of women. While we hear Republicans call for less government and more personal freedom, we watch them try to restrict women’s rights, to limit life-saving research, and to withhold funding for organizations like Planned Parenthood that treat thousands of women each year. The decision to have a child is a sacred decision only a woman can make. Why does the party of individualism and small government want to control your body?

I led by example in my company, C2 Education, and I will do the same in Washington. Women always received equal pay for equal work, were hired and promoted because of their abilities, and all employees received paid medical leave. I worked hard to make sure women felt safe and respected in the workplace. I will continue to fight for your right to equal healthcare, equal pay, and equal representation.

Environmental Protection
Too many in Congress are preventing us from developing safer, cleaner and cheaper energy. We are the most innovative nation on earth, yet we are missing out on hugely profitable advancements in clean energy.

Let’s put our communities to work to make us more energy efficient, grow our economy, and to protect our planet from the special interests who don’t care about our future. The United States should lead the world in the development of smart development, clean energy, and “green-collar” jobs. We can create thousands of jobs, and put people to work protecting our environment, building clean alternative energy sources, and securing a place for America as a global leader in the green revolution.

Net Neutrality
The Federal Communications Commission voted to end net neutrality, meaning your equal access to the open Internet that has become a mainstay in everyone’s life is at risk. If Congress does not act, net neutrality is history and your open access to millions of web sites and services will be cut off unless you pay to play. Congress could stop this from happening, but, like so much else, they do nothing. Equal access to knowledge is essential to a prosperous, equitable future. I was the first candidate to speak out forcefully and take a strong position on net neutrality, and as your representative, I will champion our right to an internet that is open to all.

Georgia Agriculture and Our Family Farms
The family farm is the backbone of America. Here in Georgia agriculture is our largest industry. Our farmers compete in a world market where the playing field is not level and the price of commodities is not based on the cost of production. I believe in parity for our producers, and open markets for our products.

The President has said that he believes a trade war will be good for our economy, but in reality, it will hurt farmers and devastate rural communities. Closed markets drive down the prices of all our agricultural products by limiting demand. If we lose our ability to sell to other countries, we risk never getting our market share again. I will work to protect our farmers and our rural communities and keep our agricultural economy strong by promoting fair trade partnerships, open markets, and financial support for our growers. [22]

”
—David Kim’s campaign website (2018)[11]

Noteworthy events

Kathleen Allen statement on runoff

On June 12, Kathleen Allen, one of the candidates who did not advance from the May 22 primary, released a statement criticizing Carolyn Bourdeaux and David Kim.

Allen said she would vote for Bourdeaux in the runoff, but she criticized her for not openly supporting a $15 minimum wage or a single-payer healthcare system.

Allen said Kim was "simply an oligarch" and criticized him for not registering to vote prior to 2017.

In response, Kim said, "Unfortunately her statement is based on assumptions and projections which are neither respectful or welcoming. Kathleen, you do not know how hard it is as a person of color to be acknowledged for who you are and be belittled for your success earned through hard work and perseverance.”[25]

District history

2016

See also: Georgia's 7th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Rob Woodall (R) defeated Rashid Malik (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Neither candidate faced a primary opponent on May 24, 2016.[26][27]

U.S. House, Georgia District 7 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRob Woodall Incumbent 60.4% 174,081
     Democratic Rashid Malik 39.6% 114,220
Total Votes 288,301
Source: Georgia Secretary of State

2014

See also: Georgia's 7th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 7th Congressional District of Georgia held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Rob Woodall (R) defeated challenger Thomas Wight (D) in the general election.

U.S. House, Georgia District 7 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRob Woodall 65.39% 113,557
     Democratic Thomas Wight 34.61% 60,112
Total Votes 173,669
Source: Georgia Secretary of State

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+9, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 9 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Georgia's 7th Congressional District the 153rd most Republican nationally.[28]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.85. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.85 points toward that party.[29]

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Georgia heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

  • Republicans controlled both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly. They had a 114-64 majority in the state House and a 37-19 majority in the state Senate.

Trifecta status

2018 elections

See also: Georgia elections, 2018

Georgia held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Demographics

Demographic data for Georgia
 GeorgiaU.S.
Total population:10,199,398316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):57,5133,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:60.2%73.6%
Black/African American:30.9%12.6%
Asian:3.6%5.1%
Native American:0.3%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
Two or more:2.1%3%
Hispanic/Latino:9.1%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:85.4%86.7%
College graduation rate:28.8%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$49,620$53,889
Persons below poverty level:21.1%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Georgia.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

As of July 2017, Georgia's three largest cities were Atlanta (pop. est. 470,000), Columbus (pop. est. 200,000), and Augusta (pop. est. 200,000).[30][31]

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Georgia from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Georgia Secretary of State.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Georgia every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), Georgia 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Republican Party Donald Trump 51.1% Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 45.9% 5.2%
2012 Republican Party Mitt Romney 53.3% Democratic Party Barack Obama 45.5% 7.8%
2008 Republican Party John McCain 52.2% Democratic Party Barack Obama 47.0% 5.2%
2004 Republican Party George Bush 58.0% Democratic Party John Kerry 41.4% 16.6%
2000 Republican Party George Bush 55.0% Democratic Party Al Gore 43.2% 11.8%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Georgia from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), Georgia 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Republican Party Johnny Isakson 54.8% Democratic Party Jim Barksdale 41.0% 13.8%
2014 Republican Party David Perdue 52.9% Democratic Party Michelle Nunn 45.2% 7.7%
2010 Republican Party Johnny Isakson 58.3% Democratic Party Mike Thurmond 39.0% 19.3%
2008 Republican Party Saxby Chambliss 49.8% Democratic Party Jim Martin 46.8% 3.0%
2004 Republican Party Johnny Isakson 57.9% Democratic Party Denise Majette 40.0% 17.9%
2002 Republican Party Saxby Chambliss 52.8% Democratic Party Max Cleland 45.9% 6.9%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Georgia.

Election results (Governor), Georgia 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014 Republican Party Nathan Deal 52.8% Democratic Party Jason Carter 44.9% 7.9%
2010 Republican Party Nathan Deal 53.0% Democratic Party Roy Barnes 43.0% 10.0%
2006 Republican Party Sonny Perdue 57.9% Democratic Party Mark Taylor 38.2% 19.7%
2002 Republican Party Sonny Perdue 51.4% Democratic Party Roy Barnes 46.3% 5.1%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Georgia in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, Georgia 2000-2016
Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
2016 Republican Party 10 71.4% Democratic Party 4 28.6% R+6
2014 Republican Party 10 71.4% Democratic Party 4 28.6% R+6
2012 Republican Party 9 64.3% Democratic Party 5 35.7% R+4
2010 Republican Party 8 61.5% Democratic Party 5 38.5% R+3
2008 Republican Party 7 53.8% Democratic Party 6 46.2% R+1
2006 Republican Party 7 53.8% Democratic Party 6 46.2% R+1
2004 Republican Party 7 53.8% Democratic Party 6 46.2% R+1
2002 Republican Party 8 61.5% Democratic Party 5 38.5% R+3
2000 Republican Party 8 72.7% Democratic Party 3 27.3% R+5

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

Georgia Party Control: 1992-2025
Eleven years of Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-one years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R


Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Five of 159 Georgia counties—3.14 percent—are pivot counties. These are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 pivot counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Baker County, Georgia 8.68% 0.57% 1.07%
Dooly County, Georgia 2.05% 6.98% 3.53%
Peach County, Georgia 2.91% 7.48% 6.75%
Quitman County, Georgia 10.92% 9.04% 7.90%
Twiggs County, Georgia 1.58% 8.64% 6.97%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Georgia with 50.8 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 45.6 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Georgia voted Democratic 63.33 percent of the time and Republican 36.67 percent of the time. Georgia voted Republican in every presidential election from 2000 to 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Georgia. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[32][33]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 64 out of 180 state House districts in Georgia with an average margin of victory of 45.5 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 74 out of 180 state House districts in Georgia with an average margin of victory of 42.3 points. Clinton won 14 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 116 out of 180 state House districts in Georgia with an average margin of victory of 36.6 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 106 out of 180 state House districts in Georgia with an average margin of victory of 36.8 points. Trump won four districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The registration deadline was extended to October 16, 2018, in Clay, Grady, Randolph, and Turner counties by executive order of Gov. Nathan Deal in response to Hurricane Michael.
  2. ↑ Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, "Majority Makers," accessed April 27, 2018
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Ga. Democratic challengers distance themselves from Nancy Pelosi," March 20, 2018
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Politico, "Democratic candidates vow to dump Pelosi," June 20, 2018
  5. ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "It’s official: Gwinnett County turns purple," November 8, 2016
  6. ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Hillary Clinton won Gwinnett. How did your neighbors vote?," November 10, 2016
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Southern Political Report, "Georgia’s Sixth and Seventh Districts host competitive races," April 16, 2018
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Carolyn Bourdeaux for Congress, “Issues,” accessed June 13, 2018
  9. ↑ Carolyn Bourdeaux for Congress, "Issues," accessed June 13, 2018
  10. ↑ David Kim for Congress, "Home," accessed June 13, 2018
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 David Kim for Congress, "Priorities," accessed June 13, 2018
  12. ↑ David Kim for Congress, "Meet David," accessed June 13, 2018
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "The Jolt: Gov. Deal links Cagle recording to Democratic ‘47 percent’ video," July 12, 2018
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Capitol Recap: New blood showed up at the polls for Georgia primary," June 15, 2018
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Gwinnett Daily Post, "Former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland endorses Carolyn Bourdeaux in 7th Congressional District race," March 15, 2018
  16. ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Emily’s List endorses Bourdeaux, McBath for Congress in Georgia," April 26, 2018
  17. ↑ Her Term, "Candidates," accessed July 13, 2018
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Carolyn Bourdeaux for Congress, "Endorsements," accessed June 13, 2018
  19. ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "The jolt: Kemp now faces calls for criminal investigation," July 9, 2018
  20. ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Bourdeaux calls out Kim during Georgia debate for not voting in 2016," May 1, 2018
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Dem. candidates attack each others’ liberal credentials in 6th, 7th District debates," July 12, 2018
  22. ↑ 22.00 22.01 22.02 22.03 22.04 22.05 22.06 22.07 22.08 22.09 22.10 22.11 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  23. ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
  24. ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Carolyn Bourdeaux's responses," May 15, 2018
  25. ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "The Jolt: Johnny Isakson, David Perdue split over Donald Trump’s tariffs," June 13, 2018
  26. ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Qualifying Candidate Information," accessed March 12, 2016
  27. ↑ The New York Times, "Georgia Primary Results," May 24, 2016
  28. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  29. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  30. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Quick Facts - Georgia," accessed January 3, 2018
  31. ↑ Georgia Demographics, "Georgia Cities by Population," accessed January 3, 2018
  32. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  33. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017


Georgia's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Jon Ossoff (D)
Raphael Warnock (D)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
Republican Party (9)
Democratic Party (7)


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