2014 elections review: Unexpected winner in Georgia Senate runoff
July 23, 2014
By Ballotpedia's Congressional team
In an unexpected twist, businessman David Perdue, a political newcomer and cousin of former Gov. Sonny Perdue, managed to beat out three Reps. and a former state executive for the Republican nomination in the race for the Senate seat.[1] After advancing past the primary election on May 20, 2014, beating out Phil Gingrey, Paul Broun and former secretary of state Karen Handel in the process, Perdue won out over Rep. Jack Kingston for the nomination in the Republican runoff primary election yesterday.[2] Perdue defeated Kingston 51 to 49 percent.[1][3]
The crowded field of candidates in the race for the Senate seat and three House seats narrowed to the top two candidates after the primary elections on May 20, 2014. Georgia law dictates that if no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the top two candidates were required to advance to the runoff primary.[4]
U.S. Senate
The election will fill the Senate seat currently held by retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R). Chambliss was first elected in 2002. On January 25, 2013, Chambliss announced that he was retiring at the end of his current term and would not seek re-election in 2014.[5]
The primary for the open seat was highlighted as one of the top five primaries to watch in 2014.[4] The crowded Republican field included Reps. Paul Broun, Phil Gingrey and Jack Kingston, businessman David Perdue, former secretary of state Karen Handel, Derrick Grayson and Art Gardner.[6] As the top two candidates, Jack Kingston and David Perdue will face off in the Republican runoff primary on July 22, 2014.[7][8][9]
Despite Rep. Jack Kingston consistently beating out David Perdue in polls leading up to the runoff, David Perdue won the nomination.[1]
Michelle Nunn, the daughter of former senator Sam Nunn, will face Perdue and Libertarian candidate Amanda Swafford in the general election.[6]
In polling match-ups of Perdue and Nunn, the two have been neck and neck, with Nunn having a slight lead over Perdue.
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 David Perdue |
50.9% | 245,725 | ||
| Jack Kingston | 49.1% | 237,193 | ||
| Total Votes | 482,918 | |||
| Source: Results via Associated Press |
||||
U.S. House
There are fourteen seats up for grabs in the Georgia's 2014 congressional elections. The Republican Party currently holds nine of the fourteen seats.
| Members of the U.S. House from Georgia -- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2014 | After the 2014 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 5 | 4 | |
| Republican Party | 9 | 10 | |
| Total | 14 | 14 | |
District 1
Heading into the election the incumbent is Jack Kingston (R), who was first elected in 1992. On May 2, 2013, Kingston announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Saxby Chambliss, who will be retiring at the end of this term.[10][11]
The primary elections on May 20, 2014, narrowed down the crowded list of candidates on both the Democratic and Republican tickets, but because no candidate received a majority of the votes in the primary election the top two candidates from each party advanced to the runoff elections.
State Senator Earl "Buddy" Carter defeated challenger Bob Johnson, a surgeon and former Army Ranger, for the nomination on the Republican ticket. Amy Tavio was defeated by Brian Reese for the Democratic nomination.[12] Reese and Carter will face off in the general election.
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Brian Reese |
63.1% | 6,526 | ||
| Amy Tavio | 36.9% | 3,818 | ||
| Total Votes | 10,344 | |||
| Source: Results via Associated Press |
||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Earl "Buddy" Carter |
53.8% | 22,861 | ||
| Bob Johnson | 46.2% | 19,621 | ||
| Total Votes | 42,482 | |||
| Source: Results via Associated Press |
||||
District 10
Incumbent Paul C. Broun (R) was first elected in a special election in 2007.[13] In February 2013, Broun announced that he would not seek re-election, and would instead make a bid for the U.S. Senate seat.[14] Mike Collins (Georgia) and Jody Hice emerged from the crowded field of primary candidates as the top two candidates in the primary election. Because no candidate received a majority of the votes, faced off in the runoff primary, where Hice emerged as the victor.[12] Hice will take on civil rights lawyer Ken Dious (D) in the general election.
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Jody Hice |
54.3% | 26,961 | ||
| Mike Collins | 45.7% | 22,673 | ||
| Total Votes | 49,634 | |||
| Source: Results via Associated Press |
||||
District 11
Heading into the election the incumbent is Phil Gingrey (R), who was elected in 2002. On March 27, 2013, in Augusta, GA, Gingrey announced that he would run for the open U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Saxby Chambliss. Chambliss will retire rather than seek re-election to the Senate in 2014.[15][16]
The primary election on May 20, 2014, narrowed down the crowded list of GOP candidates, but because no candidate received a majority of the votes the top two candidates advanced to primary runoff elections. No Democratic candidates filed to run, making the winner of the battle between former Representative Bob Barr and state Senator Barry Loudermilk the winner of the seat. Loudermilk won the nomination and the seat with 66 percent of the vote.[12]
Loudermilk had received endorsements from the Club for Growth, FreedomWorks PAC, the Madison Project and the Georgia Right to Life heading into the runoff primary.[17][18][19]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Barry Loudermilk |
66.1% | 34,641 | ||
| Bob Barr | 33.9% | 17,794 | ||
| Total Votes | 52,435 | |||
| Source: Results via Associated Press |
||||
See also
- List of U.S. Congress incumbents not running for re-election in 2014
- Contested primaries in U.S. Congressional elections, 2014
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2014
- United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia, 2014
- United States Senate elections in Georgia, 2014
External links
- Georgia Elections Division
- May 20 Primary Election Results
- July 8 Secretary of State Kemp Releases General Primary Runoff Election Update
- July 11 Secretary of State Kemp Releases General Primary Runoff Election Update
- Unofficial Senate Runoff Primary Results via Associated Press]
- Unofficial House Runoff Primary Results via Associated Press]
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Associated Press, "Runoff Primary Results," accessed July 22, 2014
- ↑ WSB TV, "David Perdue wins Senate primary runoff," accessed July 22, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "Perdue wins Georgia Senate runoff," accessed July 23, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Washington Post, "The Fix’s top 10 Senate races of 2014," accessed December 10, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "Saxby Chambliss retiring in 2014," accessed January 25, 2013
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Georgia Secretary of State, "Candidate Details," accessed May 18, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Elections, "Calendar," accessed May 21, 2014
- ↑ Associated Press, "Georgia Election Results," accessed May 20, 2014
- ↑ Huffington Post, "GOP Candidate David Perdue Makes Last-Ditch Effort To Secure Primary Victory," accessed May 12, 2014
- ↑ Atlanta Journal Constitution, "Jack Kingston declares for U.S. Senate -- and Karen Handel says, 'Don't forget me'" accessed May 2, 2013
- ↑ The Coastal Source, "Congressman Jack Kingston to make announcement Thursday" accessed May 2, 2013
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Associated Press, "Runoff Primary Results," accessed July 22, 2014
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed June 14, 2013
- ↑ Barrow Patch, " State Representative Considering Run for Paul Broun's Seat in U.S. House of Representatives" accessed April 16, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Phil Gingrey rejects gun clip limits, changes course on Todd Akin," accessed March 11, 2013
- ↑ AJC "Phil Gingrey Enters 2014 Race for U.S. Senate" accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ The Madison Project, "Barry Loudermilk for Congress in Georgia’s 11th District," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ Peach Pundit, "FreedomWorks PAC Endorses Loudermilk," accessed November 12, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "Club for Growth endorses Loudermilk, Johnson in Georgia runoffs," accessed May 26, 2014
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