ATLANTA - Georgia's open governor's race had become even more crowded as qualifying ended on Friday for all of the state's nationally watched races.
Nine candidates -- seven Republicans and two Democrats -- are seeking to move into the governor's mansion: Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, state Sen. Michael Williams, former Navy SEAL Clay Tippins, former state Sen. Hunter Hill, author Marc Urbach and restaurant owner Eddie Hayes.
Two Democrats -- former state lawmakers Stacey Abrams and Stacey Evans -- are seeking their party's nomination.
Incumbent Nathan Deal cannot run for a third term.
► Five people are seeking to replace Cagle as Georgia's first new lieutenant governor in more than a decade: Republicans David Shafer, Rick Jeffares and Geoff Duncan, and Democrats Sarah Riggs Amico and Triana Arnold James.
► Another open race -- this one, to replace Kemp for secretary of state -- has drawn four Republicans and three Democrats. On the GOP side are Brad Raffensberger, Buzz Brockway, David Belle Isle and Josh McKoon. Democrats are former U.S. Rep. John Barrow, Dee Hawkins-Haigler and Rakeim Hadley, who describes his occupation as "Wakanda Forever."
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