Two Weeks & Counting: Georgians Vote In Governor Race, Midterms

ATLANTA, GA -- Georgia's nationally watched elections are two weeks away as gubernatorial hopefuls Brian Kemp and Stacey Abrams participate in their first televised debate Tuesday night. Every poll taken within the last month show the race a virtual tie, as Abrams seeks to become the nation's first African-American female governor in history. Kemp is seeking to help the GOP maintain control of the governor's office the party has enjoyed since 2002 that spearheaded a Republican dominance of every elected statewide office and a majority GOP congressional delegation.

Oct. 9 was the last day to register to vote in next month's election, but early in-person and advance voting has been going on since Oct. 15 and will last though Nov. 2, the Friday before Election Day.

Tuesday's debate between Abrams and Kemp, as well as Libertarian Ted Metz, will be televised at 7 pm on Georgia Public Broadcasting. A second debate will air Nov. 4 on WSB-TV.

A remarkable series of developments occurred in the hours leading up to Tuesday night's debate. First, Abrams came under fire for her involvement in a 1992 protest outside Georgia's state capitol, in which she burned a Georgia state flag. Then, a leaked audio recording of a Kemp campaign event in Buckhead appeared to show the candidate was worried about Georgians exercising their constitutional right to vote.

SEE ALSO: Two Weeks From Election, Abrams Under Fire For Flag Burning

And Kemp: Abrams' Voter Turnout Effort Worrisome "If Everybody Votes"

Other races to be decided on Nov. 6 include metro Atlanta's 6th congressional district, which hasn't gotten as much national attention as it did a year ago when the battle between Karen Handel and Jon Ossoff for the open seat became the nation's most expensive congressional election in history. Now, Handel is battling a re-election challenge from Democrat Lucy McBath, who recently received an endorsement from former President Barack Obama.

Obama then went on to endorse Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux in her challenge to incumbent U.S. Rep. Rod Woodall in the 7th district. Obama has already endorsed Abrams in her gubernatorial bid.

Woodall's 7th district includes portions of Gwinnett, Forsyth and Hall counties, while Handel's 6th district includes portions of DeKalb and Fulton counties.

Other races also on the ballot include U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson in metro Atlanta's 4th district, which includes cities such as Decatur, Lithonia, Lilburn and some portions of Atlanta. Johnson is facing Republican Joe Profit in a heavily Democratic district.

The dean of Georgia's congressional delegation, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, has drawn no re-election opposition in his heavily Democratic Atlanta district.

Control of Congress and the future of Donald Trump's presidency are on the line as the 2018 midterms enter their final two weeks, leading to an Election Day that will test Democrats' ability to harness opposition to Trump and determine whether the Republican president can get his supporters to the polls. For both parties, the stakes are exceedingly high.

After crushing defeats in 2016, Democrats open the fall campaign brimming with confidence about their prospects for retaking the House, which would give them power to open a wide swath of investigations into Trump or even launch impeachment proceedings. The outcome of the election, which features a record number of Democratic female and minority candidates, will also help shape the party's direction heading into the 2020 presidential race.

Republicans have spent the primary season anxiously watching suburban voters, particularly women, peel away because of their disdain for Trump. The shift seems likely to cost the party in several key congressional races. Still, party leaders are optimistic that Republicans can keep control of the Senate, which could help insulate Trump from a raft of Democratic investigations.

From now until Election Day, your local Patch will be offering the most comprehensive and thorough election coverage of the governor's race and all of the other local races, issues and referendums that matter to you.

Here's a look at recent developments in Georgia's nationally watched races:

Kemp, Abrams Tied In Nation's Most Watched Governor's Race
• Group Suing Kemp, Gwinnett Elections Board Over Ballot Rejections
• GA Black Caucus To Hold News Conference On Gwinnett Voting Issues
• Runoff Possible In Nation's Most Watched Governor's Race
• Georgia Shatters All-Time Voter Registration Numbers
• Kemp Leads Older Voters, Abrams Strong Among Women | New Poll
• 9,000+ Already Voted In Nation's Most Watched Governor's Race
• Obama Makes Endorsements In Two Big GA Congressional Races

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