ATLANTA – Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Sarah Riggs Amico demanded Wednesday that every vote be counted a day after a primary election marred by confusion over new voting machines and poorly trained poll workers.
With about 81% of the vote counted by Wednesday afternoon, Ossoff, an investigative journalist, held a big lead with 49% of the vote, according to unofficial results posted by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office.
But that wasn’t enough to avoid a potential runoff in August with former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson, who was in second with 14%, or possibly Amico, a businesswoman, in third place with 13% of the vote.
In Georgia, candidates in a primary must receive 50%-plus-one of the votes to avoid a runoff against the second-place finisher, which in this case still could be either Tomlinson or Amico.
In an afternoon news conference Wednesday, Ossoff pointed to more than a quarter million ballots still to be counted, including absentee and provisional votes, in addition to absentee ballots that weren’t cast at all because the recipients never received them from the secretary of state’s office or got them too late to return them in time.
Ossoff said some voters waited up to six hours in line to vote, while some didn’t get to vote at all because of the delays.
“What happened yesterday was an outrage by any standards,” he said. “It was a comprehensive failure by state and county [elections] officials.”
“Protecting the right of every eligible voter to cast their ballot and have it accurately counted is a sacred duty for those who serve in elected office,” Amico added. “The secretary of state must assure Georgians he is committed to counting every ballot fairly cast in the primary election, including provisional and absentee ballots, and take active steps to fix this system immediately.”
Whoever emerges from the Democratic primary with the nomination will challenge Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., in November.
It wasn’t just Democrats complaining about how primary Election Day was handed in Georgia.
On Tuesday, Georgia Republican House Speaker David Ralston ordered a lawmaker-led investigation into the “unacceptable deficiencies” of the primary.
In light of the number of votes remaining to be counted, Amico cautioned candidates not to claim victory based on partial results.
Ossoff agreed, declining to discuss the results to reporters.
“It’s far too early to talk about outcomes,” he said. “When we’re satisfied all the votes have been counted, we can talk about the next step.”
But Tomlinson wasn’t reticent to declare her candidacy in the Aug. 11 runoff against Ossoff, despite her narrow advantage over Amico at this point and the possibility Ossoff could win the primary outright if he climbs above 50%.
Now that most [of the votes] have been counted, it appears that for the third time in his political career, Jon Ossoff has failed to break the 50% needed to avoid a runoff,” Tomlinson said in a prepared statement.
“Now that it is a two-person race, we are looking forward to voters learning more about my record as a successful two-term mayor and public safety director who has won elections and governed and governed well.”
Amico wasn’t the only third-place Democrat not ready to concede on Wednesday.
Nabilah Islam, seeking Georgia’s Gwinnett County-based 7th Congressional District seat, noted there are still about 30,000 outstanding absentee and provisional ballots yet to be counted.
According to the numbers posted by Raffensperger’s office Wednesday afternoon, Islam was about a point and a half behind the second-place candidate, state Rep. Brenda Lopez Romero of Norcross.
College professor Carolyn Bourdeaux, who narrowly lost the 7th District race two years ago to retiring Republican Rep. Rob Woodall, is in first place but without the majority of votes needed to avoid a runoff.
“Yesterday’s election saw historic turnout,” Islam said Wednesday. “All across Georgia, people stood in lines for hours and hours. The least we can do, after their tremendous efforts, is guarantee that their voice will be fully heard and their votes counted.”
The winner of the 7th District Democratic runoff will face Dr. Rich McCormick, who won the Republican primary handily over state Sen. Renee Unterman of Buford and five other candidates.
Other runoffs will take place Aug. 11 pitting Republicans Matt Gurtler and Andrew Clyde in Northeast Georgia’s 9th Congressional District, and between 9th District Democrats Brooke Siskin and Devin Pandy. The respective runoff winners will compete for the vacancy being left by Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville, who is running for the U.S. Senate.
In the 13th Congressional District, veteran incumbent Rep. David Scott, D-Atlanta, will have to go an extra round with former state Rep. Keisha Waites to win his party’s nomination. The Democratic runoff winner will oppose Republican Becky Hites, who easily won the 13th District GOP primary, in November.
And in the 14th District, Marjorie Taylor Greene and John Cowan emerged to take the top two spots in a crowded Republican primary field looking to succeed Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ranger, who is not seeking re-election. The GOP runoff winner will be a huge favorite in the heavily Republican district over Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal, who won his party’s nomination Tuesday unopposed.
The hotly contested race to replace U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall in Georgia’s 7th Congressional District appeared likely headed for a runoff between Democratic candidates following Tuesday’s primary election, though many votes were still left to be counted long after midnight.
Meanwhile, Dr. Rich McCormick looked to have collected enough votes to avoid a runoff in the Republican primary.
The 7th District, covering most of Gwinnett County and part of Forsyth County, drew a crowded field of candidates in the primary following the decision by current seat holder Woodall, a Republican, not to seek re-election.
Whoever emerges for the Nov. 3 general election, the race is expected to be close. In 2018, Woodall won his fourth term by less than 500 votes over Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux, who is making a second run at the seat this year.
Bourdeaux, who amassed nearly $2 million in campaign contributions ahead of Tuesday’s primary, looked unlikely to claim more than 50% of the vote tally needed to avoid a runoff. As voting stood early Wednesday morning, she is poised to face one of several close-competing Democratic candidates in a runoff scheduled for Aug. 11.
On the Republican side, Dr. Rich McCormick, an emergency room doctor and former Marine pilot, held slightly more than 50% of the vote early Wednesday morning over state Sen. Renee Unterman, R-Buford. McCormick and Unterman sparred ahead of the election in a bid to emphasize their conservative views.
Seven Republican and six Democratic candidates put their hats in the ring for the primary election held Tuesday. Views from opposing-party candidates have divided sharply over hallmark issues including immigration enforcement, universal health care, the Green New Deal environmental pledge and President Donald Trump’s helming of the federal government.
Trailing Bourdeaux on the Democratic slate were state Rep. Brenda Lopez Romero, the first Latina elected to the General Assembly; Nabilah Islam, a campaign organizer and activist; and Rashid Malik, a former IBM executive and author.
Republican candidates have dismissed the idea that the 7th District is up for grabs, noting the region’s conservative base is energized to re-elect Trump and down-ballot Republicans in the Nov. 3 general election.
But Democratic hopefuls see an opening in the district after Bourdeaux’s close race and amid demographic changes in Gwinnett County that have been spurred in part by a growing minority population.
Tuesday’s primary was marked by long lines and wait times at some polling places in the state, particularly in Atlanta and Savannah. Elections officials attributed slow in-person voting to subpar training in the state’s new voting machines and safety measures put in place amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Statewide, more than three-fourths of the roughly 1.2 million early votes ahead of the primary were cast by mail, marking a historic absentee effort as election officials pressed for increased participation in vote-by-mail to help curb the spread of the virus.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger stressed the voting challenges Tuesday that more time will be needed to tally up votes before final election results can be declared.
U.S. Congressman David Scott was on the edge of heading to a runoff after voting wrapped up late Tuesday in Georgia’s primary election, capping a day marked by long lines and technical hiccups amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Scott, a Democrat, was close to dipping below the 50% vote threshold needed to avoid a runoff in his bid to win a 10th consecutive term representing Georgia’s 13th Congressional District as votes continued trickling in early Wednesday morning.
The primary race to unseat Scott drew three Democratic hopefuls, each of whom attacked the longtime congressman for not holding public meetings with constituents and for residing outside the district.
Should the final count show he did not gain more than 50% of the vote share, Scott would likely face a runoff on Aug. 11 with second-place finisher Keisha Waites, a consultant and former state House lawmaker.
Scott has held the reliably Democratic 13th District seat since his first election in 2002. The district covers parts of several suburban counties south and west of Atlanta including Clayton, Henry, Douglas and Cobb counties.
The longtime congressman’s absence at last month’s Atlanta Press Club primary debate drew sharp criticism from his Democratic challengers who called Scott out of touch with residents in his district and beholden to special interests.
His office did not respond when asked last month why he declined to participate in the primary debate.
Of the nearly $740,000 in contributions Scott raised ahead of the primary, records show roughly $640,000 of it came from political action committees.
Barring the need for a runoff, Scott would head to the Nov. 3 general election with about $240,000 in campaign cash and the advantage of voter history over a Republican challenger, Becky Hites, who won the district’s Republican primary outright on Tuesday.
Hites, a steel industry consultant, has touted her track record as a longtime business owner who has worked with corporate clients and describes herself as a “Trumplican.” She appeared set to win more than 50% of the vote in the Republican primary over Caesar Gonzales, a mechanic and motorcycle racer.
The Democratic primary also drew Michael Owens, a cybersecurity consultant who formerly chaired the Cobb County Democratic Party, and Jannquell Peters, an attorney and former mayor of East Point.
Tuesday’s primary was marked by long lines and wait times at some polling places in the state, particularly in Atlanta and Savannah. Elections officials attributed slow in-person voting to subpar training in the state’s new voting machines and safety measures put in place amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Statewide, more than three-fourths of the roughly 1.2 million early votes ahead of the primary were cast by mail, marking a historic absentee effort as election officials pressed for increased participation in vote-by-mail to help curb the spread of the virus.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger stressed the voting challenges Tuesday that more time will be needed to tally up votes before final election results can be declared.
“Due to the nature of this election, we have said multiple times that election results will take time to receive, validate and post,” Raffensperger said. “Voting in a pandemic has posed a variety issues for the elections officials as well as the voters. We look forward to sharing full results.”
ATLANTA – Georgia’s U.S. Senate primary went into the wee hours Wednesday with the result far from certain.
With results trickling in very slowly in an election held with new voting machines and during the midst of a global pandemic, investigative journalist Jon Ossoff was on the edge of being forced into an August runoff for the right to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue.
However, Ossoff’s opponent in that potential race remained unclear, with the second- and third-place candidates separated by a thin margin.
With 72% of precincts statewide reporting as of 1 a.m., Ossoff had 48% of the vote, according to unofficial results, just shy of the 50%-plus-one margin under state law needed to avoid a runoff.
Former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson stood second with 15%, followed by Marietta businesswoman Sarah Riggs Amico with 13% of the vote.
Civil and human rights lawyer Maya Smith, a former director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Georgia chapter, was in fourth with 10% of the vote and likely out of the running. Three other candidates were in the single digits.
With the Democratic nomination undecided through Tuesday night, the candidates had to be content with criticizing the way Election Day was carried out by Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office. Voters in some parts of the state waited more than three hours to cast ballots, and many precincts decided to open for up to three additional hours to accommodate the huge turnout.
“The secretary of state had ample time to prepare for a smooth transition to the new voting machines he championed,” Amico said late Tuesday afternoon. “He’s had months to prepare for an election in the midst of a pandemic. And yet, he has failed – spectacularly – to provide counties with the training and resources they need to conduct today’s election safely and fairly.”
Ossoff campaign manager Ellen Foster released a statement early Wednesday calling the way the election was handled “outrageous.”
“Georgians of all political persuasions expect an efficient and reliable voting process, and they expect their elected leaders to have the courage and integrity to admit their own errors,” Foster said. “Secretary Raffensperger today personally demonstrated the very worst in public leadership by not just failing in his basic responsibilities, but also refusing to acknowledge those failures.”
Gabriel Sterling, statewide voting implementation manager for the secretary of state, told CNN’s Chris Cuomo Tuesday night that 150 of Georgia’s 159 counties experienced no problems at the polls on Election Day. He said the vast majority of issues occurred in Fulton and DeKalb counties, which he blamed on inadequate training by local elections officials of an influx of younger poll workers replacing older volunteers wary of COVID-19, not the machines.
“Due to the nature of this election, we have said multiple times that election results will take time to receive, validate and post,” Sterling said in a statement released shortly before 1 a.m. “Voting in a pandemic has posed a variety of issues for the elections officials as well as the voters. We look forward to sharing full results.”
Ossoff was the leading fund-raiser in the race and held a commanding lead according to a poll released last week.
U.S. Congressman Hank Johnson appeared set to claim victory in the primary election for Georgia’s 4th Congressional District late Tuesday night, as voting results trickled in on a day marked by long lines and technical hiccups amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Johnson, a Democrat, is poised to win his eighth consecutive term in the metro-Atlanta district, which covers most of DeKalb County as well as parts of Gwinnett and Newton counties and all of Rockdale County. He was first elected in 2006 after a stint on the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners.
As it stood early Wednesday morning, Johnson had enough votes to avoid a runoff after facing two Democratic challengers in Tuesday’s primary, both of whom were seeking elected office for the first time in Georgia. They included William Haston, a U.S. Air Force veteran and operations contractor, and Elaine Nietmann, an attorney.
Without a runoff, the longtime congressman would head to the Nov. 3 general election against Republican candidate Johsie Cruz, who works in health-care insurance.
Along with incumbency, Johnson has a financial advantage with roughly $87,000 in campaign cash. He raised about $360,000 total ahead of the primary, of which roughly $307,000 came from political action committees.
With vote counts coming in late Tuesday, Johnson took a sizable lead over second-place finisher Nietmann to likely avoid a runoff. Runoffs must be held between the top two vote-getters if no candidate gains more than 50% of the vote share for primary and general elections in Georgia.
Tuesday’s primary was marked by long lines and wait times at some polling places in the state, particularly in Atlanta and Savannah. Elections officials attributed slow in-person voting to subpar training in the state’s new voting machines and safety measures put in place amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Statewide, more than three-fourths of the roughly 1.2 million early votes turned in ahead of the primary were cast by mail, marking a historic absentee effort as elections officials pressed for increased participation in vote-by-mail to help curb the spread of the virus.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger stressed the voting challenges Tuesday that more time will be needed to tally up votes before final election results can be declared.
“Due to the nature of this election, we have said multiple times that election results will take time to receive, validate and post,” Raffensperger said. “Voting in a pandemic has posed a variety issues for the elections officials as well as the voters. We look forward to sharing full results.”
