The race for the hotly contested 7th Congressional District seat in the suburbs north of Atlanta was too close to call Tuesday just before midnight with thousands of ballots still left to be processed in Gwinnett County.
Campaign spokespersons for Dr. Rich McCormick, a Republican, and Carolyn Bourdeaux, a Democrat, indicated a final decision in the race likely would not be known until at least Wednesday.
Thousands of ballots still need to be counted in Gwinnett County due a software error, according to media outlets. Both campaigns said late Tuesday night they are assessing the situation to determine a timeline for when to settle the election.
The 7th District, which covers most of Gwinnett County and part of Forsyth County, has trended more Democratic in recent years after a long stretch of being reliably Republican territory.
Current seat-holder U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall, a Republican who did not seek re-election, narrowly defeated Bourdeaux in 2018 by fewer than 500 votes to win a fourth term.
Bourdeaux, a Georgia State University professor and former state budget advisor, emerged again from the primary in June to compete for the suburban Atlanta congressional seat against McCormick, an emergency room doctor who fended off a slew of Republican challengers.
McCormick touted his first-hand experience treating patients infected with COVID-19 since March as proof he knows how to combat the disease in hospitals and in the economy.
Bourdeaux accused McCormick of downplaying the issue of coronavirus despite his experience with the virus’ health impacts, a stance which she described as “shocking” in a recent debate.
She highlighted a letter signed by dozens of doctors and health-care advocates urging the Medical Association of Georgia to pull its endorsement of McCormick due to his comments on COVID-19.
McCormick cast Bourdeaux in the mold of more progressive Democratic leaders whom Republicans have accused of adopting socialist stances on issues like health care and government spending.
Bourdeaux and McCormick also contrasted in how best to expand access to health care and insurance coverage, unemployment benefits amid COVID-19 and immigration policies.
In particular, the two differed in whether to keep the 287(g) information-sharing program between the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a key issue in a district with a growing Latino population.
McCormick supported the 287(g) program, while Bourdeaux opposed it.
Voting patterns in the 7th District have been closely watched as Democrats gain ground in suburban parts of the state, positioning Georgia as battleground territory that boosted Democratic hopes of capturing the presidency, two U.S. Senate seats and control of the state House of Representatives.
The suburban area north of Atlanta has trended parallel to the neighboring 6th Congressional District, which Democratic U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath won against Republican former U.S. Rep. Karen Handel in a close 2018 race.
McBath appeared headed for victory against Handel in a rematch Tuesday in a bid for her second term in Congress.