June 16 Runoffs Will Set the Stage for November

Tuesday, June 16, is a critical day in the political futures of Dana Barrett and Kevin Abel.

The Jewish Democrats are in runoff elections to be their party’s nominee for Georgia secretary of state (Barrett) and state senator from the 14th district (Abel).

June 16 also will be the day that Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff learns who will be his Republican challenger in November’s general election.

Early voting for the runoff election began on June 8 and runs through June 12. Polls on June 16 will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

Georgia election law requires that a winning candidate receive a majority of the votes cast or the top two vote-getters go to a runoff.

In the race for the Democratic nomination to be secretary of state, Barrett, currently a Fulton County commissioner, finished second in a primary field of four with 35.2 percent of the vote. The leading vote-getter, with 42.3 percent, was Penny Brown Reynolds, a former Fulton County state judge, who hosted the television program, “Family Court with Judge Penny,” and also served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management and Operations in the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In a statement to the AJT, Barrett said: “As a Fulton County Commissioner, former technology executive, and small business owner, I have spent my career solving problems, building organizations, and delivering results. My Jewish values have instilled in me a deep commitment to justice, integrity, and the responsibility to speak out when something is wrong, values that have guided my work in public service and my fight against efforts to undermine our democracy. I have always stood up to MAGA extremists when they threatened the integrity of our elections and the rights of Georgia voters. I am the only candidate in this race with the record, the experience, and the backbone to protect Georgia’s elections and serve the people of Georgia as Secretary of State.”

In state Senate District 14, Abel, co-owner with his wife of a technology consulting company, was the leading vote-getter in a three-candidate field, receiving 37.4 percent of the vote. His runoff opponent will be Nathalie J. Kanani, a personal injury attorney who garnered 32.6 percent of the primary vote.

In a statement to the AJT, Abel said: “My wife, Cindy, and I have lived here 36 years. Our kids went to Davis [Academy]. We built a business in Alpharetta. We have served Atlanta and Georgia in a civic capacity for decades. President Biden appointed me to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council (board of trustees) in Washington, D.C., and I’ve served as chair of the AJC [American Jewish Committee] Atlanta Task Force to Combat Antisemitism since Oct. 7. The Jewish community will play a pivotal role in this election. I hope our community will come out and vote in this low turnout runoff. This could certainly decide the outcome.”

Ossoff, the first Jewish senator from Georgia, is seeking a second six-year term.

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley are contesting the Republican Senate runoff. In the primary, Dooley ran strongest in Metro Atlanta and nearby counties, while Collins’ strength was pronounced in central and southern Georgia.

Republican President Donald Trump has not made an endorsement in the Republican runoff. Dooley has the backing of Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.

Ossoff is the only incumbent Democratic senator seeking re-election in a state carried in 2024 by Trump. He was elected on Jan. 5, 2021, narrowly defeating Republican incumbent Sen. David Perdue in a runoff, a victory that gave Democrats control of the Senate.

Retaining Ossoff’s seat is critical to Democrats’ hopes of regaining a majority in the Senate, where Republicans currently hold 53 seats.

By the standards of non-presidential year primaries, Georgia’s 28 percent turnout on May 19 was considered strong, despite only 2 million out of 7.3 million active voters casting ballots. Of those voting, 1.1 million pulled Democratic ballots and 940,000 Republican ballots.