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Georgia's 9th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 11 Republican primary runoff)

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Georgia's 9th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
Republican primary runoff
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 6, 2020
Primary: June 9, 2020
Primary runoff: August 11, 2020
General: November 3, 2020
General runoff: January 5, 2021
Pre-election incumbent:
Doug Collins (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Georgia
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
See also
Georgia's 9th Congressional District
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th
Georgia elections, 2020
U.S. Congress elections, 2020
U.S. Senate elections, 2020
U.S. House elections, 2020

Andrew Clyde defeated Matt Gurtler in the Republican primary runoff for Georgia's 9th Congressional District. Clyde received 56% of the vote and Gurtler received 44%. The incumbent, Rep. Doug Collins (R), ran in the special Senate election, leaving this safe Republican district open.

Clyde was a gun store owner as of his 2020 campaign. He said he would work to eliminate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). He won a court case against the IRS and worked to get legislation passed by Congress limiting the IRS' ability to seize assets.[1]

Gurtler had served in the state House since 2017. He said he was the most conservative representative in Georgia and had never compromised.[2]

The June 9 primary featured nine candidates. Gurtler received 21% of the vote and Clyde received 19%. A candidate needed more than 50% of the vote to advance to the general election without a runoff.


For more information on the district's Democratic primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Democratic Party Georgia's 9th Congressional District election, 2020 (May 19 Democratic primary)
Independent Georgia's 9th Congressional District election, 2020

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Georgia modified its primary election process as follows:

  • Election postponements: The statewide and presidential preference primary elections were postponed to June 9, 2020.
  • Voting procedures: Absentee ballot application forms to all active voters in the primary election.
  • Political party events: The Republican Party of Georgia canceled its state convention, originally scheduled to take place on May 29-30, 2020.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.


Candidates and election results

Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Georgia District 9

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Andrew Clyde
Andrew Clyde
 
56.3
 
50,095
Image of Matt Gurtler
Matt Gurtler
 
43.7
 
38,866

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

Total votes: 88,961
(100.00% precincts reporting)
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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 9

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Matt Gurtler
Matt Gurtler
 
21.0
 
29,426
✔
Image of Andrew Clyde
Andrew Clyde
 
18.5
 
25,914
Image of Kevin Tanner
Kevin Tanner
 
15.8
 
22,187
Image of Paul C. Broun
Paul C. Broun
 
13.3
 
18,627
Image of John Wilkinson
John Wilkinson
 
11.6
 
16,314
Image of Ethan Underwood
Ethan Underwood Candidate Connection
 
8.6
 
12,117
Image of Kellie Weeks
Kellie Weeks
 
4.6
 
6,422
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Maria Strickland Candidate Connection
 
3.5
 
4,871
Image of Michael Boggus
Michael Boggus Candidate Connection
 
3.2
 
4,497

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

Total votes: 140,375
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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[3] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.

Andrew Clyde

Image of Andrew Clyde

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Clyde received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Bethel College in 1985 and a master's in corporate finance and entrepreneurship from the University of Georgia in 1999. He served in the U.S. Navy and completed three combat deployments between 1985 and 2008. In 1991, Clyde opened Clyde Armory, a firearms business, which he owned and operated at the time of the primary.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Clyde referenced a court challenge he won against the IRS, which had seized his business assets. Clyde said he worked "with Congress to pass legislation eliminating the ability of the IRS to seize legally earned money." He said he would eliminate the IRS. 

Clyde said, "As a veteran and the proud owner of Clyde Armory, Andrew is a staunch supporter of our Second Amendment."

Clyde said, "I defeated corrupt IRS bureaucrats in the legislature and I will take on socialists Democrats and the establishment in Washington."

Show sources

Sources: YouTube, "9th Congressional District Republican Party Debate," April 25, 2020, Clyde's 2020 campaign website, "Issues," accessed May 3, 2020; Clyde's 2020 campaign website, "Meet Andrew," accessed May 3, 2020, LinkedIn, "Andrew Clyde," accessed May 3, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Georgia District 9 in 2020.

Matt Gurtler

Image of Matt Gurtler

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Georgia House of Representatives (Assumed office: 2016)

Biography:  Gurtler graduated from the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega in 2012. He worked as a legislative aide for State Rep. Stephen Allison (R) and as a general contractor for his family's business.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Gurtler described himself as a strict Constitutionalist and said that he "earned the title as Georgia's Most Conservative Representative."

Gurtler said, "I'm 100% pro-life, 100% pro-gun, 100% pro-Constitution."

Gurtler argued that he was "the strongest defender of 2nd Amendment rights running in this race," and said he was the author of a constitutional carry bill.

Show sources

Sources: Facebook, "Meet Matt Gurtler | Matt Gurtler for Congress," March 10, 2020, Gurtler's 2020 campaign website, "Home," accessed April 12, 2020; PWG website, "Home," accessed April 12, 2020, Gurtler's 2020 campaign website, "Meet Matt," accessed April 12, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Georgia District 9 in 2020.

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[4] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[5] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Andrew Clyde Republican Party $1,933,971 $1,925,863 $8,108 As of December 31, 2020
Matt Gurtler Republican Party $820,527 $819,821 $706 As of December 31, 2020

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.


Primaries in Georgia

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Georgia utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[6][7]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

What's at stake in the general election?

U.S. House elections were held on November 3, 2020, and coincided with the 2020 presidential election. All 435 House districts were up for election, and the results determined control of the U.S. House in the 117th Congress.

At the time of the election, Democrats had a 232-197 advantage over Republicans. There was one Libertarian member, and there were five vacancies. Republicans needed to gain a net 21 seats to win control of the House. Democrats needed to gain seats or lose fewer than 14 net seats to keep their majority.

In the 2018 midterm election, Democrats had a net gain of 40 seats, winning a 235-200 majority in the House. Heading into the 2018 election, Republicans had a 235-193 majority with seven vacancies.

In the 25 previous House elections that coincided with a presidential election, the president's party had gained House seats in 16 elections and lost seats in nine. In years where the president's party won districts, the average gain was 18. In years where the president's party lost districts, the average loss was 27. Click here for more information on presidential partisanship and down-ballot outcomes.


General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[8]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[9][10][11]

Race ratings: Georgia's 9th Congressional District election, 2020
Race trackerRace ratings
November 3, 2020October 27, 2020October 20, 2020October 13, 2020
The Cook Political ReportSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season.

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+31, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 31 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Georgia's 9th Congressional District the third most Republican nationally.[12]

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 0.90. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.90 points toward that party.[13]

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.[14][15]

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.


District election history

2018

See also: Georgia's 9th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Georgia District 9

Incumbent Doug Collins defeated Josh McCall in the general election for U.S. House Georgia District 9 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Doug Collins
Doug Collins (R)
 
79.5
 
224,661
Image of Josh McCall
Josh McCall (D)
 
20.5
 
57,912
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
9

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2

Total votes: 282,582
(100.00% precincts reporting)
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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 9

Josh McCall defeated Dave Cooper in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 9 on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Josh McCall
Josh McCall
 
52.7
 
6,949
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Dave Cooper
 
47.3
 
6,230

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

Total votes: 13,179
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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 9

Incumbent Doug Collins advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 9 on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Doug Collins
Doug Collins
 
100.0
 
63,646

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 63,646
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.

2016

See also: Georgia's 9th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Doug Collins (R) faced no opponent in the general election. Collins defeated Paul Broun, Bernie Fontaine, Mike Scupin, and Roger Fitzpatrick in the Republican primary on May 24, 2016.[16][17]

U.S. House, Georgia District 9 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDoug Collins Incumbent 100% 256,535
Total Votes 256,535
Source: Georgia Secretary of State


U.S. House, Georgia District 9 Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngDoug Collins Incumbent 61.3% 52,080
Paul Broun 22.1% 18,772
Roger Fitzpatrick 10.5% 8,945
Mike Scupin 3.4% 2,856
Bernie Fontaine 2.8% 2,342
Total Votes 84,995
Source: Georgia Secretary of State

2014

See also: Georgia's 9th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 9th Congressional District of Georgia held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Doug Collins (R) defeated challenger David Vogel (Georgia) (D) in the general election.

U.S. House, Georgia District 9 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDoug Collins Incumbent 80.67% 146,059
     Democratic David Vogel 19.33% 34,988
Total Votes 181,047
Source: Georgia Secretary of State

State profile

See also: Georgia and Georgia elections, 2020
USA Georgia location map.svg

Partisan data

The information in this section was current as of April 9, 2020

Presidential voting pattern

  • Georgia voted Republican in six out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

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

Georgia quick stats
More Georgia coverage on Ballotpedia:


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.


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Election 2020: Intraparty rancor drives interest in Georgia runoff races," August 4, 2020
  2. ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Clyde, Gurtler square off in 9th District debate," July 19, 2020
  3. ↑ Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
  4. ↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
  5. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
  6. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed August 12, 2024
  7. ↑ Justia, "2023 Georgia Code § 21-2-224 - Registration deadlines; restrictions on voting in primaries; official list of electors; voting procedure when portion of county changed from one county to another," accessed August 12, 2024
  8. ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  9. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  10. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  11. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  12. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  13. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  14. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  15. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  16. ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Qualifying Candidate Information," accessed March 12, 2016
  17. ↑ The New York Times, "Georgia Primary Results," May 24, 2016


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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