Dems Team Up, GOP Sharpens Knives In GA Governor's Race

ATLANTA, GA — Just minutes after it became clear she had lost what had been, at times, a bitter Democratic primary for governor of Georgia, former state Rep. Stacey Evans had one thing in mind — helping her rival, Stacey Abrams, make history.

"I have called Stacey Abrams and offered her my sincere congratulations and wished her the best in order to turn the state blue this November and ensure her I will do everything in my power to ensure that she is successful," said Evans.

On the Republican side, there was no such lovefest.

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The top two GOP candidates to replace outgoing Gov. Nathan Deal — Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp — both fell short of 50 percent of the vote in a five-way race and head into what could be a bruising, two-month runoff to determine who will face Abrams.

Cagle, said Kemp at a campaign event in Athens, is a special-interest "puppet" who "twisted every arm at the state capitol he could find" to finish first in Tuesday night's primary.

Cagle, the presumed Republican front-runner, finished Tuesday night with about 39 percent of the vote in a five-man race. That's a tick down from the 40-plus percent he'd been pulling in most polls leading up to the election. For what it's worth, he failed to score a majority even in his home county, getting about 49 percent of the vote in Hall County.

Kemp picked up some national attention with ads that featured him brandishing a shotgun while talking to an actor playing his daughter's date and showing off a pickup truck he boasted he might need to use to round up illegal immigrants himself. He finished the night with about 25.5 percent of the vote, comfortably ahead of third-place finisher, state Sen. Hunter Hill, who got about 18 percent.

Related News: Georgia Primary Election 2018 Results: Abrams Wins, GOP Runoff

With her nomination, Abrams already has made history. She became the first woman and first black candidate nominated by a major party for governor in Georgia. But she'd like to make more.

If elected, Abrams — the Democratic Leader in the Georgia House of Representatives — would become the first black woman governor in United States history.

After polishing off Evans with surprising ease, taking more than 76 percent of the vote in the two-way contest, Abrams was free Tuesday night to wax rhetorical, honing her message for November.

"We must remember that we are in the state where the red clay gives life to generations of dreamers," Abrams said in her victory speech. "The state where Martin marched on ballot boxes and challenged a nation's conscience. A Georgia that gave us the Godfather of Soul, the Queen of the Met and and sent a peanut farmer to the Oval Office. That is our Georgia."

To be sure, Democrats will need all the help they can get if Abrams is to make history. The state hasn't had a Democratic governor since former state senator and current U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue was elected Georgia's first Republican governor since Reconstruction in 2003.

Currently, Republicans hold control of every statewide elected office and both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly by wide margins.

But nine weeks of nasty back-and-forth between Cagle and Kemp could add a sliver of hope for Peach State Democrats already starting to harbor dreams of a comeback. Metro Atlanta's increasingly large and diverse population, particularly in the inner suburbs, is starting to show at the ballot box.

A little over 50,000 more Republicans than Democrats voted in the governor's race on Tuesday. Four years ago, that number was closer to 300,000.

President Donald Trump's lingering unpopularity also could tamp down Republican enthusiasm while inspiring Democrats to get out to the polls in November, Democrats hope.

In other results from Tuesday night's Georgia primaries:

• Eight incumbents in the state legislature — four Republicans and four Democrats — were ousted by primary challengers Tuesday in what's shaping up to be a pro-change election cycle. Another 20 seats will change hands because the incumbent didn't seek re-election.
• Former state Senate President pro-tem David Shafer fell just short of avoiding a runoff in the race for lieutenant governor. Shafer, who was cleared by the Senate Ethics Committee of sexual harassment claims lodged against him, got over 48 percent of the vote but will face former state Rep. Geoff Duncan in a runoff. The winner will face Marietta business executive Sarah Riggs Amico.
• A controversial former lawmaker was surprisingly frozen out in the Republican race for Secretary of State, to replace Kemp. Former state Rep. Josh McKoon, who gained a national reputation by sponsoring several "religious liberty" bills, finished third, behind state Rep. Brad Raffensperger and former Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle, who will engage in yet another Republican runoff. Former Democratic Congressman John Barrow will face the winner.

LEAD PHOTO: Georgia Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams takes the stage to declare victory in the primary during an election night event on May 22, 2018 in Atlanta. If elected, Abrams would become the first African American female governor in the nation. (Photo by Jessica McGowan/Getty Images) OTHER PHOTOS: Georgia Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle speaks on the phone during a radio interview on Wednesday. Photo courtesy Cagle for Governor. Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp speaks on primary night. Photo courtesy Kemp for Governor.