Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux has flipped a suburban Congressional District, according to an Associated Press call this afternoon.
Bourdeaux claimed victory in the 7th District earlier this week, which includes parts of Gwinnett and Forsyth counties, with 187,187 votes, good for 51.2%, to Republican Rich McCormick’s 178,577 votes, or 48.8%, according to nearly complete results.
In 2018, Bourdeaux, a public policy professor who previously served as director of Georgia’s Senate Budget and Evaluation Office, lost the seat by fewer than 500 votes to Republican Rep. Rob Woodall, who did not seek another term this year.
“We didn’t flip this seat alone,” Bourdeaux said in a Tweet Friday. “Thank you so much to every volunteer, activist, organizer, staffer, and voter who poured their time and energy into this campaign. It’s because of you that we are turning Georgia blue.”
McCormick, a physician and former Marine helicopter pilot, did not immediately provide a comment.
Referencing an apparent technical glitch in Gwinnett County, a campaign spokesman said McCormick would release a statement once Gwinnett has finished its count. Fewer than 5,000 absentee ballots in Gwinnett remained to be counted late Friday afternoon.
Bourdeaux ran on a progressive platform centered on expanding access to health care by fixing the Affordable Care Act, while McCormick offered himself as a small-government conservative who would reduce regulations on businesses.
In debates leading up to the election, the two clashed over health care, especially the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bourdeaux hammered McCormick for not taking the the virus seriously enough, criticizing him for appearing at events without a mask and promoting the use of hydroxychloroquine.
The race, along with the race for the neighboring 6th District, were among the most closely watched in the country as Democrats are projected to lose House seats while still hanging on to their majority.
In the 6th District, Rep. Lucy McBath, another Democrat, easily won a rematch against the District’s previous member of congress, Karen Handel.
