This would be a good year to check a sample ballot before you go to vote in either party’s primary.
With a lot of open-seat races and pent-up ambitions, the ballots for both parties are long and filled with unfamiliar names. There’s a Jackson in the Republican (Rick) primary for the U.S. Senate and the Democratic (Derrick) primary for governor. In the 10th Congressional District Democratic primary, there’s a Doherty (Lexy) and a Dority (John). The Fulton County Democratic primary ballot lists 86 candidates, enough to push the big-money, officially non-partisan state Supreme Court race down to the second page.
In addition, Republicans have eight statewide ballot questions and Democrats have two. Several county parties have tacked on additional ballot questions. So some advance planning might be wise before heading to your polling place.
With so many candidates, we can be sure that a lot of runoffs following the May 19 primary, for which early voting began Monday. Because they’ve spent so much time introducing themselves, we can’t be entirely sure what the survivors will be talking about when the campaign gets to that phase, aside from the cost of living.
This year’s Loudermilk-Young Atlanta Press Club debates have reflected the preliminary feel of the campaign in both parties.
When they were asked if they would continue President Donald Trump’s MAGA brand in the GOP after he’s gone or move on, it’s hardly a surprise that all six Republican candidates to fill retiring U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk’s seat assured their enduring loyalty to Trump’s vision.
In the Republican governor’s debate, Rick Jackson was forced to admit that he was “late to the Trump train,” but pledged there was “no one who supports Donald Trump more than I do now.” It was in a way the mirror image of Geoff Duncan’s self-defense in the Democratic governor’s debate when Jason Estevez and Derrick Jackson attacked his record when he was the Republican lieutenant governor.
But there was also a sense, particularly in the Republican lieutenant governor’s debate, that a discussion is emerging within the party needs to be in the year’s beyond this administration’s term.
There were some interesting clashes in the Democratic governor’s debate and the Republican Senate and lieutenant governor debates. But what has been the biggest mystery in Georgia politics this year was the spark that lit Monday afternoon’s debate among the Republican candidates for governor.
In the most public setting in which he has done so, Lieutenant Gov. Burt Jones accused Jackson of funding the Georgians for Integrity ads against him, which he described as a “$20 million dark money campaign.” Jackson denied he was the source of the ads that have been lobbing charges of corruption at Jones since last year.
Republican Tom Williams may have gotten off the best quip of that debate when he said Jackson and Jones have spent so much money attacking each other, they’ve crowded the trial lawyers out of their television ad space.
Indeed, the Jackson-Jones feud has affected the way other Republicans are running for governor. Attorney General Chris Cox at times played tag-team with Jackson on Monday, attacking Jones over his leadership committee and other issues. Meanwhile Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger continued to attack both Jones and Jackson, as he has in his ads.
This is a busy ballot on both sides, but somewhere in it are the makings of Georgia politics in the next few years. Take a little time, and vote.
