Georgia May 21 primary: A look at who's on the ballot
Here's a breakdown of the candidates on the ballot.
Voters across the Peach State will soon head to the polls to cast their ballots in primary elections on May 21, 2024.
Georgia's May primary election will set the stage for the November general election, where President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will once again face off.
Who's on the Georgia 2024 primary ballot?
The May primary election includes races for the U.S. Congress, Georgia Senate and Georgia House of Representatives. It also includes local races for education board seats, tax commissioners, district attorneys, judges and more.
Key races: Congress
Georgia has 14 Congressional districts. Each member serves a two-year term, and elections are held in even-numbered years (with the exception of the occasional special election to fill a vacated seat).
In this May primary, 13 of the 14 incumbents are running for re-election. The only exception is Republican Drew Ferguson in the 3rd district, who is retiring after serving four terms in Congress.
Here's a look at the incumbents running for re-election to represent the Peach State:
Georgia congressional incumbents
- 1st District: Buddy Carter (R)
- 2nd District: Sanford Bishop (D)
- 3rd District: Open
- 4th District: Hank Johnson (D)
- 5th District: Nikema Williams (D)
- 6th District: Rich McCormick (R)
- 7th District: Lucy McBath (D)
- 8th District: Austin Scott (R)
- 9th District: Andrew Clyde (R)
- 10th District: Mike Collins (R)
- 11th District: Barry Loudermilk (R)
- 12th District: Rick Allen (R)
- 13th District: David Scott (D)
- 14th District: Marjorie Taylor Greene (R)
Georgia Congressional 3rd District Race
Five Republicans are on the primary ballot for the 3rd district race. They are listed below. For a more in-depth look at this race, click here.
- Brian Jack (former Trump aide who has Trump’s endorsement)
- Former state Senate majority leader Mike Dugan
- Former state Senator Mike Crane
- Jim Bennett, an ex-cop and Republican activist
- Former state Rep. Phillip Singleton (He formerly represented District 71.)
Georgia Congressional 6th District Race
- Lucy McBath is also vying to switch from the 7th district to the 6th district. For more on why she's switching districts, click here.
- McBath has two primary challengers:
- Jerica Richardson (Cobb Co. commissioner)
- Mandisha Thomas (State Rep. for District 65)
Georgia Congressional 13th District Race
- Rep. David Scott faces six primary challengers.
- Among them is Marcus Flowers, who ran against Marjorie Taylor Greene in the 14th district general election in 2022.
- The four additional primary challengers are listed below:
- Karen Rene
- Uloma Karma
- Brian Johnson
- Rashid Malik
State of Georgia races
We are also watching races in the State Senate and Georgia Supreme Court. Here's a look at just a few of them:
State Senate District 40 (DeKalb County)
- Sen. Sally Harrell (D) is the incumbent running for reelection for Georgia District 40.
- Her primary challenger is David Lubin.
State Senate District 53 (Northwest Georgia)
- Sen. Colton Moore (R) is the incumbent.
- Moore was banned from the House floor this year and has been ostracized from the Kemp wing of the GOP, according to an Associated Press report.
- His primary challenger is Angela Pence, who was heavily involved in the state Libertarian Party and ran against Marjorie Taylor Greene for Congress as a third-party candidate.
State Senate District 44 (Parts of DeKalb County)
- Sen. Elena Parent (D) is the incumbent. This is a newly drawn district, going from majority white to majority Black. It includes Decatur and Druid Hills in DeKalb County but not Brookhaven.
- It also includes part of Clayton County. Parent's primary opponent is Nadine Thomas, who served in the Georgia House from 1991 to 1993 and became the first Black woman to serve in the state Senate (from 1993 to 2005).
Georgia Supreme Court
It’s rare for a sitting justice to draw a formidable challenger.
- Justice Andrew Pinson is the only one to draw a challenger this cycle. He faces John Barrow, a former Democratic congressman.
- Barrow is hoping backlash to abortion restrictions carries him to an upset.
Metro Atlanta County races
Local elections are also heating up across metro Atlanta. Here's a look at some of the highly-anticipated races. You can also check out our county voter guides online here:
Clayton County
In Clayton County, voters will be watching the race for the Clayton County Sheriff. This race pits the incumbent sheriff, Levon Allen, against Jeff Turner, the chairman of the Clayton County Board of Commissioners. For more on this race, click here.
Sheriff
DeKalb County
Voters in DeKalb County will elect a new CEO. Michael Thurmond has been in the position since 2017. Three other candidates are vying to fill his spot:
Chief Executive Officer
Fulton County
Superior Court Judge
- In Fulton County, Scott McAfee, the judge presiding over the 2020 Georgia Trump election interference case, is trying to win a full term as Superior Couty Judge.
- This race is nonpartisan. McAfee's opponent is Robert Patillo.
- Tiffani Johnson was also on the ballot, but she was disqualified.
District Attorney
- Fani Willis is running for re-election as the District Attorney in Fulton County (officially listed on the ballot as the Atlanta judicial circuit).
- Her primary challenger is Christian Wise Smith.
- Wise Smith got about 23% of the vote in the 2020 D.A. Democratic primary, then endorsed Paul Howard, who lost to Willis in a runoff.
Sheriff
- Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat has three Democratic challengers:
- Kirt Beasley
- James "JT" Brown
- Joyce Farmer
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