ATLANTA — Some Georgia candidates running for office in the May primary began officially putting their names on the ballot on Monday.
Georgia's presidential primary election day is March 12, but the state has a second primary day on May 21 for races like the U.S. House or Georgia General Assembly seats.
In general, candidates who want to put their names on the May primary ballot must show up at the Georgia State Capitol this week – starting an eight-month countdown to November.
"I just qualified," exulted state Rep. Mack Jackson (D-Sandersville), who viewed his run for a seventh term as worth celebrating.
'I was in there first," said state Rep. Jon Burns (R-Newington), the House speaker. Records show he typically runs with no opposition.
"If you do your job, things work out. That’s what my members have been doing. And many of them hopefully won’t draw opponents," Burns said.
That could also apply to members of Congress like Republicans Rich McCormick, Barry Loudermilk and Democrats Nikema Williams and Hank Johnson, who signed up for races they are strong favorites to win.
Democratic Congresswoman Lucy McBath signed up to run again in a new district drawn by Republican state lawmakers.
McBath has had a nomadic experience in congress, representing two districts so far; Monday she qualified to represent a third one mostly on the west side of metro Atlanta.
"I’m happy to represent any constituent. I’m happy to continue to do the work. And I have decided, as I have in every election, that I will not let the extremist Republicans determine when my work in Congress is done. I will let the people decide," McBath told reporters Monday.
Meantime, the same map that gave McBath her new district also gave a solidly Republican district to US Rep. Rich McCormick.
McCormick said, "It's nice" to run in a Republican-drawn district.
"I think it allows us to focus on the things that unite us as a party. I keep on saying it’s like a church. To grow, you focus on things that unite us," he said.
In the meantime, McBath said she is flattered by talk she might run for governor in 2026.