Runoff Election Set August 8

Voters who selected candidates in last week’s party primaries still have some work to do. And those who didn’t participate on July 18 can help out, provided they are properly registered.

No candidate received a majority in the Democratic races for lieutenant governor and secretary of state, while Republican contests for secretary of state and agriculture commissioner failed to produce a winner. Those are among the races that will be decided in runoffs on Aug. 8.
Voters who participated in last week’s voting can only vote in the same party’s runoff in which they voted in the primary. Registered voters who did not cast ballots on July 18 may vote in either primary.

Democrats who survived the five-way race for lieutenant governor are Jim Martin, who received 41 percent of the primary vote statewide, and Greg Hecht with 36 percent. The winner between those two will face Casey Cagle, who handily defeated Ralph Reed for the GOP nomination.

Gail Buckner led the Democratic ticket for secretary of state with 25 percent of the vote, and will face Darryl Hicks, who polled 22 per cent. In November the winner of that runoff will face either Karen Handel, leader in the Republican primary with 44 percent, or Bill Stephens, who tallied 32 percent.

Either Gary Black or Brian Kemp will face veteran Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin, hands-down winner of the Democratic primary. Mr. Black received 42 percent of the GOP vote; Mr. Kemp 27 percent.

Mark Taylor, winner of the Democratic nomination to face Gov. Sonny Perdue in the Nov. 7 general election, launched his high visibility campaign virtually the instant after the primary race was decided last Tuesday.

Other campaigns are under way, albeit with less fanfare, for virtually all statewide constitutional offices and most members of the General Assembly, including for Jasper’s representative and senator.