Preview: Georgia’s June 21 Primary Runoff
Several races of interest to the Jewish community will be on the June 21 ballot.
Dave Schechter is a veteran journalist whose career includes writing and producing reports from Israel and elsewhere in the Middle East.
Tuesday, June 21 promises to be a hot one in Georgia. The state will mark the first official day of summer with primary runoff elections.
One of the relatively few General Assembly races requiring a runoff is the Republican contest in state House District 50. Betsy Kramer, a long-time Fulton County Republican Party official, who is Jewish, faces Republican businessman Narender Reddy. The winner will oppose Democratic state Sen. Michelle Au in the Nov. 8 general election.
Among the congressional runoffs of note is the Republican nomination in the 6th district. Rich McCormick and Jake Evans have spent the month since the May 24 primary disparaging each other’s credentials as conservatives. The winner will face Democrat Bob Christian in the Nov. 8 general election. The Republican-controlled General Assembly redrew the 6th’s borders in a Republican-friendly fashion after the post-2020 Census redistricting.
Next door, in the 7th district, Congresswoman Lucy McBath — who jumped from the 6th district and defeated incumbent Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux in the Democratic primary — awaits the winner of the Republican runoff between Michael Corbin and Mark Gonsalves. The same redistricting buoyed Democratic chances of holding the 6th district, which Bourdeaux flipped to blue in 2020.
Both the Republican and Democratic nominees in the 10th district remain to be determined. Republicans will choose between Mike Collins, the son of the late Republican congressman Mac Collins, and Vernon Jones, a Democrat-turned-Republican endorsed by former President Donald Trump. On the Democratic side, Tabitha Johnson-Green faces Jessica Allison Fore.
In statewide races, Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who turned back a Trump-endorsed challenger, awaits the winner of the Democratic runoff between current state Rep. Bee Nguyen and former state Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler. The Democratic nominee for governor, Stacey Abrams, has endorsed Nguyen.
A runoff was avoided in the Republican contest for lieutenant governor, where state Sen. Burt Jones, who received Trump’s endorsement, won 50.06 percent of the vote. Jones now awaits the winner of the Democratic runoff between Kwanza Hall and Charlie Bailey.
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