McBath wins D7 primary; June runoffs loom for GOP House hopefuls

Voters in a suburban Atlanta congressional district decisively picked a new Democratic representative, but several other congressional races remain to be settled with a runoff next month.

Georgia Congresswoman Lucy McBath handily beat the 7th District incumbent, Congresswoman Carolyn Bourdeaux, with 63% of the vote. The two Democratic colleagues ended up in the same primary after McBath’s neighboring district was redrawn to favor a Republican candidate.

Bourdeaux, who had flipped the district in 2020, conceded Tuesday night. 

“In this election, we were up against millions in outside cryptocurrency super PAC money,” Bourdeaux said in a statement. “However, my campaign was based on showing up and meeting the needs of our community. I am very grateful for the volunteers, staff, and constituents that powered our movement and will be vital to defeating extremist Republicans in November.” 

McBath will face a Republican – either Michael Corbin, who led with 41% of the vote in the GOP primary, or Mark Gonsalves – but the seat is considered a safe seat for Democrats.

McBath’s victory was tempered by a midday shooting at an elementary school in Texas that killed 19 students and two teachers. The two-term congresswoman entered politics after her 17-year-old son Jordan Davis became a victim of gun violence, and she has become a leading advocate for gun safety measures.

“Today is why we act. This victory is why we act,” McBath said on Twitter late Tuesday night. “This is why, after Jordan’s murder, I made a promise to my son, to my family, our entire community, that I would spend the rest of my life fighting to prevent more parents from the heartbreak of losing a loved one.”

All told, Republicans are expected to gain one congressional seat in Georgia through last year’s redistricting as the national GOP attempts to flip control of the House. 

Here’s a look at where things stand with some of Georgia’s other congressional races:

District 6: McBath’s departure from the 6th district opened the door to a crowded field of Republicans. Rich McCormick, the ER doctor who narrowly lost the 7th district race to Bourdeaux in 2020, was the top vote-getter Tuesday with 43%.

McCormick will face Trump-endorsed attorney Jake Evans in a June 21 runoff at a time when the power of the former president’s endorsement hasn’t helped some statewide candidates.

The winner will face Democrat Bob Christian in the fall.

District 10: Another Trump-endorsed candidate, former Democratic state Rep. Vernon Jones, has advanced to a runoff in the race to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, who lost his bid to oust Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Mike Collins, a truck executive, garnered 26% of the vote to Jones’ 22% in an eight-way GOP contest to represent the east Georgia district.

The Democratic race also appears to be going to a runoff featuring Tabitha Johnson-Greene and Jessica Allison Fore.

District 2: This is one to watch for the fall. Longtime Democratic Congressman Sanford Bishop’s district in southwest Georgia was redrawn to be slightly more competitive for Republicans.

A six-way GOP primary has been whittled down to two candidates: Chris West and Jeremy Hunt. West received 37% of the vote to Hunt’s 30%. The runoff is expected to be a spirited one.

District 14: As expected, far-right Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has won the Republican nomination after fighting off five challengers. She remains popular in the conservative northwest Georgia district after drumming up a string of controversies in her first term, receiving nearly 70% of the vote. 

Greene faces Democrat Marcus Flowers in the fall.