Looking At The Possibility Of A Runoff Or Upset In Tuesday’s Election

With the 2018 general election now less than a week away the hotly contested governor’s race is close at hand.

An extremely high early voter turnout has this election on track to be a much higher than normal turnout rate.

It has been surprising to see how close this race has become. The strategy which helped Brian Kemp win an upset in the GOP primary has not allowed him to cruise to victory in the general election, at least according to pretty much all of the polls which show the race either deadlocked or within a couple of points.

As I traveled from the northern part of our state recently into Middle Georgia and then circled back on the return trip, it once again amazed me at how much territory the Peach State covers.

Along the way I noticed signs for various statewide candidates seeking office in the 2018 general election. It also reminded me of how large and diverse of a state we have, something that we should all be proud of.

In order to be successful campaigning statewide in Georgia, one must be prepared to cover a great deal of territory and converse with a large citizenship. From the North Georgia Mountains to the coast in Savannah and at Jekyll Island and St. Simons, it’s a daunting task to drive our state in one day. Even going from one end of our state to Middle Georgia is no easy task, especially for those of us getting (and definitely feeling) older.

The diversity of our state is something that makes it such a great one. We have industry. We have a complex transportation system although I still don’t like driving in downtown Atlanta. We have numerous colleges and technical schools. We have a large agricultural base. We have a very large population of many races, cultures and political leanings.

Politically speaking, Georgia currently leans Republican but it is not as wide of a margin as it once was. While all statewide office holders are currently Republican, recent presidential elections have been relatively close when you go back and look at the numbers.

For decades it was Democrats who held the power in statewide politics. Truthfully, one side holding all the power is really never a good thing and is certainly not good for citizens.

It would take a pretty major political upset for a Democrat to win a statewide contest in 2018. However, Stacy Abrams is certainly within striking distance in the governor’s race, much to the delight of some and the stress of others.

Back to the task of campaigning in Georgia, even though, in theory, it should be easier to campaign in 2018 with items such as social media and YouTube, the best campaigning is still using shoe leather which means meeting voters in person. That means traveling to events whether they are in Carrollton, Valdosta, Rome, Brunswick, Macon, Columbus, Tifton or Moultrie.

Many candidates without big campaign budgets typically try to do more one-on-one campaigning. Stories of candidates putting many miles on their vehicles traveling the state are common. They also rely on the Internet, a cheap way of spreading your political message.

Of course, it’s always beneficial to have a budget for advertising. The best mediums are television, radio and newspapers. Ads on internet sites are common in 2018 and many candidates still do direct mailers and the dreaded voice calls (if you want my vote do not call me asking for it.) A one-time long statewide candidate used to place a printed ad in every weekly newspaper in the state since it was a great way to connect with older voters.

In the next few days the statewide candidates will be even more visible, whether in person or on television. Many have grown weary of the process but to me there’s something downright American about it. Now if we can just elect one or two candidates who actually follow through on their campaign promises. If so, that candidate would immediately jump to the front of my list.

As far as the governor’s race, the smart money still says Kemp will win. However, Abrams has run a better-than-expected race and anything is possible. Similar to what happens in sports, upsets do happen in political races as well.

Libertarian Ted Metz may have all the cards in this one. If he gains enough votes to force a runoff (which some pundits are predicting) then both candidates will try to get his supporters to join their side of the battle. It won’t be easy because many Libertarians I know who are voting for Metz have no use for Abrams or Kemp. Some have even said if there is a runoff they will simply not vote.

“I don’t vote for one bad choice over another,” one Libertarian said.

Tuesday night should be fun watching all the results counted. As usual, the entire campaign has been a fascinating thing to watch.

Monticello native Chris Bridges is a long-time newspaper columnist. He has earned awards from the Georgia Press Association, the National Newspaper Association and the Georgia Sports Writers Association. He welcomes feedback from readers of The Monticello News at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.