McBath wins re-election; Bourdeaux claims victory in D7 race

This story was updated at 2 a.m. Wednesday

U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, a first-term Marietta Democrat, will return to Washington with Georgia’s other congressional incumbents after fighting off an attempt from former GOP Congresswoman Karen Handel to reclaim the seat. 

Carolyn Bourdeaux, who narrowly lost her 2018 challenge to U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall, claimed victory shortly before 3 a.m. but the Associated Press had not called the race at the time. She was leading Republican Rich McCormick by about 8,300 votes. Woodall did not seek reelection.

“Three years ago, I stepped up to take on a four-term incumbent. They said this district could never be won by a Democrat, but we knew better. Together, we put this race on the map. And today, we finished the job,” Bourdeaux said in a statement.

“I got into this race because I believe all Georgians deserve affordable, quality health care, and because we need to get control of COVID-19 to get our children back in school and our economy back on track. It is the honor of a lifetime to be your Congresswoman-elect, and I will carry your stories and experiences with me every day as we work together to build a brighter future for our children,” she added.

But McCormick had not conceded. “We understand Gwinnett County is still counting ballots,” said McCormick’s spokesman, John Simpson. “We have not received an unofficial total, let alone a certified vote total. We will continue to weigh our options until all ballots are counted.”

State Sen. Nikema Williams also won her bid to replace the late Congressman John Lewis, according to the Associated Press. She defeated Republican Angela Stanton King in the heavily Democratic district in Atlanta.

And a far-right conspiracy theorist, Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, officially won an open seat in the U.S. House.  

Republican incumbent Reps. Jody Hice of Monroe, Austin Scott of Tifton, Drew Ferguson of West Point, Rick Allen of Augusta, and north Georgia’s Barry Loudermilk will return to D.C. for another two years after easily outpacing their challengers.

Meanwhile, Greene will represent the 14th district in northwest Georgia, which was essentially a foregone conclusion after her Democratic opponent suddenly dropped out in September for personal reasons. 

Democrats Sanford Bishop and David Scott also will return to Washington.

Greene has captured national headlines for her support of QAnon, which promotes a conspiracy that a deep state ploy is at work to remove Trump, and for a string of controversial statements she’s made.

Greene, a businesswoman, skated to victory Tuesday with 75% of the vote after half the precincts reported, according to the AP. 

Some Republicans in the U.S. House distanced themselves from Greene, who said George Soros, a Jewish Holocaust survivor, collaborated with Nazis and that Black people should admire Confederate monuments as symbols of progress made since the Civil War. She has also made troubling comments about Muslims. But other Republicans, like Sen. Kelly Loeffler, have touted Greene’s support. 

Georgia Recorder Deputy Editor Jill Nolin contributed to this report.