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Georgia's 7th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 9 Democratic primary)

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Georgia's 7th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
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:
Rob Woodall (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Georgia
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Lean Democratic
Inside Elections: Tilt Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic
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 7th 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


Carolyn Bourdeaux defeated five other candidates in the Democratic primary for Georgia's 7th Congressional District on June 9, 2020. Bourdeaux received 52.8% of the vote, followed by Brenda Lopez Romero with 12.4% and Nabilah Islam with 12.3%. Rashid Malik, John Eaves, and Zahra Karinshak each received less than 10% of the vote. The Associated Press called the primary for Bourdeaux on June 16, as she had surpassed the 50% vote threshold required to avoid a primary runoff. On June 10, the AP reported that Bourdeaux and Romero advanced to a runoff but said on June 13 the race was too close to call as absentee ballots continued to be counted.[1][2] Bourdeaux advanced to the district's general election on November 3, 2020.

Incumbent Rob Woodall (R), who was first elected in 2010, did not seek re-election. In 2018, Woodall defeated Democratic nominee Bourdeaux by 433 votes — a margin of 0.15 percentage points — in the closest U.S. House race that year.

In the 2020 Democratic primary, Bourdeaux, Islam, Karinshak, and Romero led in endorsements, fundraising, and media attention. Bourdeaux received endorsements from U.S. Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), and Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) endorsed Islam, along with Occupy Democrats. VoteVets.org, the Second Service Coalition, former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland (D-Ga.), and former U.S. Rep. Buddy Darden (D-Ga.) endorsed Karinshak, a member of the Georgia State Senate. Lopez Romero, a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, received endorsements from a number of state representatives, including House Minority Leader Robert Trammell (D) and House Democratic Chair James Beverly (D).

Major independent observers rated the November 3 general election as a toss-up. 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. Click here to learn more about what was at stake in the general election.

Click on candidate names below to view their key messages:


Bourdeaux
Islam
Karinshak
Lopez Romero


Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.
Grey.png For more information about the general election, click here.

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

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 7

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Carolyn Bourdeaux
Carolyn Bourdeaux
 
52.8
 
44,710
Image of Brenda Lopez Romero
Brenda Lopez Romero
 
12.4
 
10,497
Image of Nabilah Islam Parkes
Nabilah Islam Parkes Candidate Connection
 
12.3
 
10,447
Image of Rashid Malik
Rashid Malik Candidate Connection
 
8.0
 
6,780
Image of John Eaves
John Eaves
 
7.7
 
6,548
Image of Zahra Karinshak
Zahra Karinshak
 
6.8
 
5,729

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

Total votes: 84,711
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.

Carolyn Bourdeaux

Image of Carolyn Bourdeaux

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Bourdeaux graduated from Yale University with a bachelor's degree in history and economics. She received a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California and a Ph.D. in public administration from Syracuse University. At the time of the election, Bourdeaux’s professional experience included teaching public policy at Georgia State University and directing the state’s Senate Budget and Evaluation Office.


Key Messages

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

Bourdeaux's website said "she has spent her career working on public policy solutions" and that this displayed her commitment to public service. 

Bourdeaux said her experience as a mother and working in public policy informed her commitment to expanding access to healthcare and investing in education.

Bourdeaux said she was in touch with her district and that she would reject the financial support and influence of corporate groups.

Show sources

Sources: Georgia Public Broadcasting, "In Their Own Words: Candidates For Georgia's 7th Congressional District," August 7, 2019; Facebook, "Carolyn Bourdeaux for Congress on January 21, 2020," accessed April 13, 2020; Carolyn Bourdeaux's 2020 campaign website, "Carolyn Bourdeaux for Congress," accessed September 3, 2020; LinkedIn, "Carolyn Bourdeaux," accessed April 13, 2020;Carolyn Bourdeaux 2020 campaign website, "Meet Carolyn Bourdeaux, accessed April 13, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Georgia District 7 in 2020.

Nabilah Islam Parkes

Image of Nabilah Islam Parkes

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "Nabilah Islam is a 30-year-old Bangladeshi American and proud progressive running to fix our broken healthcare system, end student debt, and fight for immigrants and working people. The daughter of working-class immigrants, Nabilah grew up watching her parents live paycheck to paycheck and work long hours to get by. In high school, Nabilah's mother herniated two discs working in a warehouse-and when the insurance company refused to cover her care, Nabilah helped her family navigate the legal process and force the insurers to pay. A proud graduate of Gwinnett County Public Schools, Nabilah's first jobs were at the Ingles Grocery Store and the Walmart in Lawrenceville. She is a Central Gwinnett High School graduate. Nabilah worked her way through Georgia State University at a retail store in Peachtree Corners, and after graduation, began working for local progressive candidates in Georgia. Like millions of Americans, Nabilah owes nearly $30,000 in student loans-and like nearly 20 percent of her district, she has no health insurance. Nabilah's running for Congress because she knows, firsthand, that incremental change doesn't work. Georgia's 7th needs bold, progressive solutions: Medicare for All, student loan forgiveness, and an economy that actually works for working people. "

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

I am running to make sure everyone in our district has healthcare. Healthcare is a fundamental human right and cost should never prevent someone from seeking.

I am running to make sure working people making living wages. Growing up I watched my parents struggling to make ends meet, no one should live to paycheck to paycheck struggling to survive in this working class district. An honest days worth of work deserves an honest days worth of pay. One job should be enough.

I am running to end systemic racism in our immigration and criminal justice system. Gwinnett County has the deportation rates in the state and one the largest pre-trial detention centers in the country all because people cannot afford cash bail. We need to end archaic immigration policies that separate families instead of uniting them and end cash bail which prevents so many from being with their loved ones.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Georgia District 7 in 2020.

Zahra Karinshak

Image of Zahra Karinshak

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Georgia State Senate (Assumed office: 2019)

Biography:  Karinshak graduated with a B.S. from the United States Air Force Academy and served in the Air Force as an intelligence officer during the Gulf War. She received a J.D. from Emory University School of Law. Karinshak was a legal advisor to former Gov. Roy E. Barnes and an assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. As of her 2020 campaign, Karinshak was a litigation partner at Krevolin & Horst, LLC.


Key Messages

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

Karinshak’s campaign said, “Zahra will take her lifetime of experience as a veteran, prosecutor, state senator and mother, to fight in Washington for affordable healthcare, strong public schools, safe communities, environmental protection, and civil rights for all Americans.”

Karinshak said, “We cannot wait to fix Washington. There is so much partisanship and bickering that we need true leadership. I’m going to hold Washington accountable.”

Karinshak’s campaign said, “Zahra voted for Georgia to accept federal dollars to expand Medicaid, sponsored a bill to end surprise billing and require health insurance companies to cover emergency medical care, and worked to increase insurance coverage of breast cancer screenings.”

Show sources

Sources: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Democrat Karinshak enters crowded race for Georgia’s 7th District," August 15, 2019, Zahra Karinshak 2020 campaign website, "Zahra Karinshak qualifies for 7th District congressional race," March 6, 2020,Zahra Karinshak 2020 campaign website, "Issues," accessed April 13, 2020; LinkedIn, "Zahra S. Karinshak," accessed April 13, 2020, Zahra Karinshak 2020 campaign website, "Meet Zahra," accessed April 13, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Georgia District 7 in 2020.

Rashid Malik

Image of Rashid Malik

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh. I migrated to America in 1979 and completed my Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in 1995. In 1991, my wife and I went to China for my Ph.D. dissertation research. I taught a class on economic development and took Chinese language classes. In 1995, we moved to Atlanta, GA with wife and daughter and we made Gwinnett County our HOME. I am an entrepreneur and an author of a book "Chinese Entrepreneurs in the Economic Development of China" 1997. I worked in IBM Corporation and later I joined American Intercontinental University as a faculty member. In 2002, I started my own company named Malix I Technology and worked there till 2017. Presently I started my own business in Personal Home Care Services, named as "Apple Care Services." I ran for US Congress from District 7, GA in 2016 and I received 214,220 votes and 45% in Gwinnett County, GA."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

The one issue today that is most important to me is our helpless citizens who cannot vote or are not in a position to exercise their rights to vote. For example our children, they cannot vote and their rights are not honored. Right at this moment 500,000 school students go hungry at school because the federal or local government will not support school lunch for all students. In 2020 more than 1 million students will go without school lunch and not ones care about them. Then again take the example of The Trevor Project, the federal or local governments do not care about them but they want them to follow the lead of the conservative politicians. My questions to the conservative politicians, how are you going to lead the dead the childre

The best way to overcome the destruction caused by the COVID 19 illness is to make sure that this virus does not spread and an end is brought first by safeguarding all the citizens and also developing a vaccine and a cure. Once we have the vaccine and a cure in place. The first thing we have to make sure that we rebuild our Pandemic Team stronger than ever, and secondly our respect and honor for scientists, doctors, frontline warriors and experts are restored. Those who were fired or injustices were done to are rehired and compensated. Then with cooperation of the governors, mayors, and international economic actors, we start rebuilding our and the world economy. It is not that we give our charity or take up any marshal plan but prom

I would like to help GA grow economically and as a society. At present GA is divided and we have to come together as a family. We cannot afford to have a fractured society dealing with hate, division and racism. We have a tremendous population crisis and we need everybody to rebuild our country in this civilization of Nanotechnology. Here we should remember that China-India combined has 3 billion consumers and one day when they merge as one common economy, we will be in big trouble. I will help GA to come together as a family and unite so we are productive. I will promote the economic model of "Peace via Trade!" "Peace via Trade" model will help us to move away from military based trickle down economy to grassroots micro-entrepreneur

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Georgia District 7 in 2020.

Brenda Lopez Romero

Image of Brenda Lopez Romero

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Georgia House of Representatives (Assumed office: 2017)

Biography:  Lopez Romero graduated from Georgia State University with a B.A. in political science and received a J.D. from Syracuse University. As of her 2020 campaign, Lopez Romero’s professional career included being an associate attorney at Velasquez & Associates Law Firm, a staff attorney at Catholic Charities Atlanta, and an attorney at the Lopez Firm.


Key Messages

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

Lopez Romero’s campaign website said, “Brenda made history in 2016 when she became the first Latina elected to the Georgia General Assembly … Brenda reflects the American Dream. She came to the United States at the age of five and became a citizen in 2008.”

Lopez Romero said, “I have supported Medicaid expansion in our Georgia legislature. In Congress, I will continue to protect the Affordable Care Act including pre-existing conditions and work to improve quality healthcare access including reducing price gouging of prescription medicine and providing patient protections from excessive out-of-pocket and out-of-network expenses.”

Lopez Romero said, “I have been advocating for working families, for healthcare, for issues of discrimination, and to provide equity and access to government resources for the last 15 years, and I will continue to do this when you and I make history and flip the 7th.”

Show sources

Sources: Brenda Lopez Romero 2020 campaign website, "About Brenda," accessed April 13, 2020, Brenda Lopez Romero 2020 campaign website, "Platform," accessed April 13, 2020, Facebook, "Brenda Lopez Romero on March 25, 2020," accessed April 13, 2020; LinkedIn, "Brenda López Romero," accessed April 13, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Georgia District 7 in 2020.


Noteworthy primary endorsements

This section includes noteworthy endorsements issued in the primary, added as we learn about them. Click here to read how we define noteworthy primary endorsements. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.

Click on the links below to explore the candidates' full list of endorsements on their campaign websites:


Democratic primary endorsements
Endorsement Bourdeaux Islam Karinshak Romero
Elected officials
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.)[4] ✔
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.)[4] ✔
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)[5] ✔
Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.)[4] ✔
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)[6] ✔
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)[7] ✔
State Rep. James Beverly (D)[8] ✔
State Rep. David Dreyer (D)[8] ✔
State Rep. Henry Howard (D)[8] ✔
State Rep. Pedro Marin (D)[8] ✔
State Rep. Billy Mitchell (D)[8] ✔
State Rep. Robert Trammell (D)[8] ✔
Individuals
Former Gov. Roy E. Barnes (D-Ga.)[9] ✔
Former Sen. Max Cleland (D-Ga.)[9] ✔
Organizations
End Citizens United[10] ✔
Latino Victory Fund[11] ✔
Our Revolution[12] ✔
Serve America PAC[13] ✔
VoteVets.org[9] ✔

Timeline

2020

2019


Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Carolyn Bourdeaux

Opposing Unterman

"Something Serious" - Bourdeaux campaign ad, released June 7, 2019


John Eaves

"John Eaves for Congress in 2020" - Eaves campaign ad, released August 14, 2019


Nabilah Islam

"Dreamers & Believers" - Islam campaign ad, released June 20, 2019


Brenda Lopez Romero

"Georgia 7th - I'm Running for Congress!" - Lopez Romero campaign ad, released May 1, 2019

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

If you are aware of polls conducted in this race, please email us.

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[21] 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.[22] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Carolyn Bourdeaux Democratic Party $5,303,914 $5,331,900 $113,948 As of December 31, 2020
John Eaves Democratic Party $171,495 $172,135 $-640 As of December 31, 2020
Nabilah Islam Parkes Democratic Party $745,196 $742,025 $3,171 As of December 31, 2020
Zahra Karinshak Democratic Party $848,426 $826,237 $22,189 As of December 31, 2020
Brenda Lopez Romero Democratic Party $171,040 $170,376 $664 As of June 30, 2020
Rashid Malik Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

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.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.


Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[23][24][25]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

Debates and forums

May 3 debate

Each of the six candidates participated in a virtual debate hosted by the Atlanta Press Club on May 3, 2020.

Click here' for a recording of the debate and here for the Atlanta Journal Constitutions roundup of the debate.

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.[26][27]

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

What was at stake in the general election?

See also: Georgia's 7th Congressional District election, 2020

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.[28]
  • 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.[29][30][31]

Race ratings: Georgia's 7th Congressional District election, 2020
Race trackerRace ratings
November 3, 2020October 27, 2020October 20, 2020October 13, 2020
The Cook Political ReportLean DemocraticLean DemocraticLean DemocraticLean Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesTilt DemocraticTilt DemocraticTilt DemocraticTilt Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallLean DemocraticLean DemocraticLean DemocraticLean Democratic
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+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.[32]

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.[33]

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.[34][35]

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 7th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Georgia District 7

Incumbent Rob Woodall defeated Carolyn Bourdeaux in the general election for U.S. House Georgia District 7 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rob Woodall
Rob Woodall (R)
 
50.1
 
140,443
Image of Carolyn Bourdeaux
Carolyn Bourdeaux (D) Candidate Connection
 
49.9
 
140,010

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

Total votes: 280,453
(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 runoff election

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

Carolyn Bourdeaux defeated David Kim in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Georgia District 7 on July 24, 2018.

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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 7

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Georgia District 7 on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Carolyn Bourdeaux
Carolyn Bourdeaux Candidate Connection
 
27.3
 
8,662
✔
Image of David Kim
David Kim
 
26.0
 
8,249
Image of Ethan Pham
Ethan Pham Candidate Connection
 
17.8
 
5,666
Image of Melissa Davis
Melissa Davis
 
13.7
 
4,340
Image of Kathleen Allen
Kathleen Allen
 
11.0
 
3,500
Image of Steve Reilly
Steve Reilly
 
4.2
 
1,335

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

Total votes: 31,752
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 7

Incumbent Rob Woodall defeated Shane Hazel in the Republican primary for U.S. House Georgia District 7 on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rob Woodall
Rob Woodall
 
71.9
 
30,450
Image of Shane Hazel
Shane Hazel
 
28.1
 
11,883

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

Total votes: 42,333
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 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.[36][37]

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

2012

On November 6, 2012, Rob Woodall (R) won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Steve Reilly (D) in the general election.

U.S. House, Georgia District 7 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRob Woodall Incumbent 62.2% 156,689
     Democratic Steve Reilly 37.8% 95,377
Total Votes 252,066
Source: Georgia Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

2010

On November 2, 2010, Rob Woodall won election to the United States House. He defeated Doug Heckman (D) in the general election.[38]

U.S. House, Georgia District 7 General Election, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRob Woodall 67.1% 160,898
     Democratic Doug Heckman 32.9% 78,996
Total Votes 239,894

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.

News and conflicts in this primary

This race was featured in The Heart of the Primaries, a newsletter capturing stories related to conflicts within each major party. Click here to read more about conflict in this and other 2022 Democratic U.S. House primaries. Click here to subscribe to the newsletter.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Roll Call, "Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux wins primary for open seat in Georgia suburbs,"June 16, 2020
  2. ↑ Politico, "Morning Score," June 15, 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. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Carolyn Bourdeaux 2020 campaign website, "Our Supporters," accessed April 13, 2020
  5. ↑ The Intercept, "Ro Khanna backs Nabilah Islam, dubbed AOC of Atlanta, in contested Georgia primary," February 7 2020
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Georgia 7th: AOC backs Nabilah Islam’s bid for Congress," May 19, 2020
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 HuffPost, "Rep. Ilhan Omar Endorses Progressive Nabilah Islam In Georgia Congressional Primary," February 18, 2020
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Brenda Lopez Romero 2020 campaign website, "Home," accessed April 13, 2020
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Zahra Karinshak 2020 campaign website, "Supporters," accessed April 13, 2020
  10. ↑ End Citizens United, "End Citizens United and Let America Vote Endorse Carolyn Bourdeaux in GA-07," May 21, 2020
  11. ↑ Twitter, "Nathalie Rayes on May 28, 2020," accessed May 29, 2020
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Twitter, "Nabilah Islam for Congress on May 28, 2020
  13. ↑ Email communication with Serve America PAC dated June 25, 2020.
  14. ↑ Atlanta Journal Constitution, "Election 2020: Bourdeaux debuts ad to re-introduce herself to voters," May 7, 2020
  15. ↑ Atlanta Journal Constitution, "Congressional District 7 candidates face off in primary debate," May 3, 2020
  16. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Georgia - House District 07," accessed April 20, 2020
  17. ↑ Gwinnett Daily Post, "POLITICAL NOTEBOOK: Unterman endorsed by Lt. Gov. Duncan, nearly every Gwinnett mayor in 7th District race," February 9, 2020
  18. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named 2ndService
  19. ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Georgia 7th: Barnes backs a new House candidate, flipping endorsement," January 7, 2020
  20. ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Georgia 7th: Cleland flips his endorsement in crowded House race," December 31, 2019
  21. ↑ 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.
  22. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
  23. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
  24. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
  25. ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
  26. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed August 12, 2024
  27. ↑ 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
  28. ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  29. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  30. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  31. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  32. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  33. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  34. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  35. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  36. ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Qualifying Candidate Information," accessed March 12, 2016
  37. ↑ The New York Times, "Georgia Primary Results," May 24, 2016
  38. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013


Georgia's current delegation to the United States Congress
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Raphael Warnock (D)
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District 7
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District 13
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Democratic Party (7)


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