Primary races headed to a runoff

Voters will still have work to do in highly-contested races

As will be the case across Georgia, voters in Walton County will be heading to the polls again next month to decide numerous races that ended in runoffs in the partisan primary balloting that closed out with in-person voting on May 19.

Early voting for the runoff elections is set for June 8-12, with in-person balloting scheduled for 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on June 16.

Here is a look at some selected races from May 19 balloting, with Walton County results contrasted with districtwide or statewide outcomes:

The race for governor

As far as statewide races are concerned, there will be no Democratic runoff for the governor’s office, as former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms emerged from a crowded field to claim more than 600,000 votes, easily surpassing the 50% plus 1 vote majority needed to win the race outright.

On the Republican side of the governor’s race, Burt Jones and Rick Jackson will face off in the primary runoff for the right to face Bottoms in the Nov. 3 general election.

In Walton County, votes on the Democratic side of the governor’s race tracked the statewide results, with Bottoms claiming 3,529 ballots, for nearly 62% of the votes cast. On the Republican side, Walton voters narrowly gave Jones the top spot over Jackson, with Jones earning 5,414 votes for 35.17% of the ballots cast, while Jackson got 5,350 votes to claim 34.76% of ballots cast in the contest. Statewide, Jones claimed nearly 360,000 votes, more than 38% of ballots, while Jackson earned a little more than 300,000 votes to earn 32.52% of the vote.

U.S. Senate balloting

Across the state in the Republican contest for U.S. Senate, to earn the right to face incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff in November, Georgia’s 10th District U.S. Congressman Mike Collins, who left his House set to make a Senate bid, was the top vote-getter, claiming almost 370,000 votes, or more than 40% of ballots cast, to earn a runoff slot.

He will face Derek Dooley, former college football coach and son of the late UGA head football coach Vince Dooley, in the June runoff.

Dooley earned more than 275,000 votes statewide, slightly more than 30% of the votes tallied in the contest.

Republican primary results in the Senate race in Walton County mirrored the statewide results, as Collins led the field with 7,042 votes, 46.15% of the ballots cast, while Dooley claimed 5,300 votes, for 34.74% of the ballots cast.

10th Congressional District

In the contest for the 10th District congressional seat abandoned by Collins, voters across northeast Georgia gave state legislator Houston Gaines the nod in the Republican primary, setting him up to face Democratic primary winner Pamela Delancy in the November general election.

Gaines got nearly 60,000 votes across the district, for almost 67% of the ballots cast in the three-way race, while Delancy earned just over 35,000 votes in the Democratic contest, earning more than 54% of the ballots cast.

Those results were also reflected in Walton County voting, where 9,439 ballots got Gaines the Republican win locally and 3,107 votes were enough to give Delancy the local Democratic win.

Commission District 4     

The lone purely local race to generate any excitement in Walton County in May 19 balloting was the contest for the District 4 seat on the Walton County Board of Commissioners, where incumbent Republican Lee Bradford turned back GOP challenger Dallas Haupt.

There were no Democrats in the contest, so Bradford automatically returns to the seat, which covers a wide swath of the northern and eastern sections of the county, stretching from Social Circle and Jersey to east and north of Good Hope.

Bradford earned 2,900 of the 3,755 votes cast in the contest, for 77.23% of the ballots cast. Haupt claimed the remaining 855 ballots, for 22.77% of the vote.

Bradford was out on the roads in District 4 shortly after ballots were counted to take up his campaign signs, work he said Wednesday that he completed about 3 a.m. that day before heading out for a beach vacation with family.

Looking ahead to a new four-year term, Bradford said he plans to continue his work to reduce spending by the county government and to keep an eye on development issues.

Referencing his reelection, Bradford said, “I’m grateful for the love and support” of voters, as he pledged to return that love and support in his work as a county commissioner.

Senate District 46

In Senate District 46, which covers parts of Walton, Barrow, Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties, Walton County voters who pulled Republican ballots gave the nod to Marc McMain with 56% of the vote, while slightly more than 54% of Democratic votes went to Ray Smith.

Across the district, McMain earned slightly more than 43% of Republican votes, with Smith claiming nearly 60% of ballots in their respective primaries.

House District 114

In the contest for House District 114, which covers all of Morgan County and parts of Newton and Walton counties, Democratic candidate Michael Caw had no opposition, while the Republican ballot featured Brett Mauldin and Wendell Delano McNeal.

In Walton County, Mauldin easily defeated McNeal, claiming nearly 87 percent of ballots cast.

That was similar to the districtwide results, in which Mauldin earned a shade over 80% of the primary vote.

Lieutenant Governor

Statewide, the primary races for lieutenant governor both are headed to runoffs, with none of the seven candidates on the Republican side earning a majority of the vote, and none of the three Democratic hopefuls able to cross that threshold.

The June 16 runoff will feature Josh McLaurin and Nabilah Parkes on the Democratic side, and John F. Kennedy and Greg Dolezal on the Republican side.

In Walton County balloting, Kennedy got nearly 34% of the vote, with Dolezal claiming just over 22% of ballots cast. Among Democrats, 43% of the Walton County vote went to Parkes, with McLaurin earning almost 39% of the vote.

Attorney General

The statewide contest for Georgia attorney general had a bit of local interest attached, as Bill Cowsert, an Athens attorney and longtime local state senator, opted to seek that post.

In statewide voting, Cowsert lost the Republican primary to Brian Strickland, also an attorney and state senator, as Strickland earned nearly 72% of the Republican vote.

In Walton County, Cowsert fared somewhat better, but still lost to Strickland after garnering slightly less than 41% of the vote.

Strickland will face Democrat Tanya Miller, who turned back a primary challenge from Robert “Bob” Trammell, in the November general election. Miller tallied more than 86% of Walton County’s Democratic vote in the primary contest.  

Supreme Court

The non-partisan races for the Supreme Court of Georiga drew more attention than usual this spring, as the incumbents faced heavier than usual pressure through a targeted ad campaign trying to unseat two justices and sway the balance of the court on a number of contentious issues.

Ultimately, however, the two incumbents survived the onslaught.

Charles Bethel defeated Miracle Rankin, receiving 70% of the vote in Walton County, while Sarah Hawkins Warren had a similar victory over Jen Auer Jordan, earning 73% of the local vote.

Bethel eked out the win statewide, with 51% of the vote, while Warren fared slightly better with 59% of the vote statewide to win re-election.

Uncontested

Primary Races

There were a number of uncontested primary races on May 19 ballots across Walton County that will produce contests in the Nov. 3 general election.

In state Senate District 42, which includes part of southwestern Walton County, and in which incumbent Republican Brian Strickland opted not to seek reelection in order to make a bid for state attorney general, Republican Brett Dunn will face Democrat Eric W. Lee, Sr. in November.

In House District 111, which includes the Loganville and Bold Springs areas, neither Republican incumbent Reynaldo “Rey” Martinez nor Democratic challenger Scott T. Jackson drew an opponent, and will move unscathed into the November general election.

It’s the same story in House District 112, where incumbent Republican Bruce Williamson will face Democrat Lisa Maria in November.

Managing Editor Stephen Milligan contributed to this report.