ATLANTA — Another election night has come and passed for Georgia as residents took to the polls Tuesday to cast their votes in several important local races.
Here are some of the biggest highlights of the night:
Fulton County District Attorney Race
Current DA Fani Willis beat progressive attorney Christian Wise Smith in the Democratic primary and is now set to face off against Republican Courtney Kramer in the fall. Willis is the prosecutor who last year obtained a sprawling racketeering indictment against Trump and 18 others.
With her high name recognition, the advantages of incumbency and a hefty fundraising haul, Willis’ victory in the primary was not terribly surprising. As she moves on to the general election, the odds would seem to be in Willis’ favor as well. Fulton County includes most of the city of Atlanta and is heavily Democratic, about 73% of its voters having cast ballots for President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
U.S. 3rd District Race
Five Republicans are seeking their party’s nomination to succeed Republican U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson, who is stepping down after four terms.
Former President Donald Trump has endorsed his onetime aide Brian Jack for the seat. Jack, who later worked for then-U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, parlayed Trump’s endorsement and his Washington contacts into a fundraising lead in his first run for office.
Also seeking the nomination is Mike Dugan, who emphasized his successes as state Senate majority leader.
The Republican nominee will be the favorite in a strongly Republican district that runs along the Alabama border from Carrollton to Columbus and swings east into the Atlanta suburbs around Peachtree City and Fayetteville.
On the Democratic side, Val Almonord and Maura Keller are seeking their party’s nomination.
U.S. 6th District Race
U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath has beaten two Democratic primary opponents to clinch the nomination in her second new district in two years.
McBath overcame Cobb County Commissioner Jerica Richardson and state Rep. Mandisha Thomas, who both claimed they could better represent the new 6th District. Republican lawmakers drew the district, which wraps around the west side of metro Atlanta, after a court ordered new maps to remedy discrimination against Black voters.
McBath was first elected in 2018 in a district that covered Atlanta’s inner northern suburbs. After a new map in 2022 added more Republicans to that district, McBath jumped to a district that included parts of Gwinnett and Fulton counties. There, she defeated fellow Democratic incumbent Carolyn Bourdeaux in a primary.
McBath, whose son was shot to death, has made gun control and reducing gun violence her primary focus. She also says she wants to work on reducing healthcare disparities in another term. Republican Jeff Criswell will oppose her in November.
DeKalb CEO Race
With 100% of the precincts being reported, 11Alive can confirm that the DeKalb County CEO Democratic Primary is projected to head to a runoff. Lorraine Cochran-Johnson had 46%, Larry Johnson had 34%, and Steve Bradshaw had 19%.
Fulton County Sheriff's Race
Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat appears to have avoided a runoff following the May Democratic primary.
With 100% of the precincts reporting, Labat is ahead of his Democratic challengers. Earlier in the evening, Labat told 11Alive he was excited about where the race was standing. His Democratic challengers included Joyce Farmer, Kirt Beasley, and James JT Brown.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge
Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee also managed to win his race Tuesday night.
McAfee has been on the bench since last year when Republican Gov. Brian Kemp appointed him to fill an empty seat. He has since become one of the most high-profile judges in Georgia since he was randomly assigned last year to preside over the election interference case. With the added advantages of incumbency, strong bipartisan backing from heavy hitters and an impressive fundraising haul, he was the likely favorite to win.
Mulberry Vote
This ended up passing on Tuesday.
In February, the state legislature passed S.B. 333, which calls for a referendum on whether Mulberry should become a city. The bill states "the city shall not have the power to assess, levy, or collect ad valorem taxes on real or personal property within the corporate limits of the city."
It also says the city "shall exercise the powers granted to it under the present or future Constitution and laws of this state for the purposes of providing planning and zoning, code adoption and enforcement, and storm-water collection and disposal and those items related to the provision of such services."
Supreme Court
Justice Andrew Pinson managed to win his race against challenger John Barrow.
He who was appointed to the nine-member court by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2022.
Clayton County Sheriff Race
This one is also headed to a runoff between Levon Allen and Jeffrey Turner. The race pits the incumbent sheriff against the chairman of the Clayton County Board of Commissioners.
When Allen’s predecessor, Victor Hill, was in office, the sheriff was also a flashpoint. Hill went to federal prison for violating the civil rights of Clayton County Jail inmates. To replace him, Hill endorsed Allen in a special election last year.
Allen won and told the forum audience he could make a difference, but he needed more time. He added that he also needed more jail space to relieve overcrowding, and Allen blamed the Clayton Board of Commissioners for the overcrowding.
Jeff Turner, a former police chief who was elected three times as chairman of the board of commissioners, is now running to replace Allen as sheriff.
Turner says Allen has failed to use the jail’s budget to fund the number of correctional officers needed to manage inmates.
When Hill was sheriff, he called himself a crime fighter – sending deputies out to answer calls, even though Clayton County has a separate police department to handle crime. Sheriff Allen continues to do that.
Allen decried the county’s fiscal management of the jail. He said he needs $6.5 million to buy trailers to house an overflow of inmates.
A few weeks ago, former sheriff Victor Hill announced on social media he was withdrawing his support for Allen. Allen claimed Hill was trying to manipulate the sheriff’s office backstage.
Turner says, among other things, Clayton County needs to move on from the Victor Hill era in this election.
U.S. 13th District Race
Incumbent David Scott managed to fend off six other candidates, while the Republican candidate won his race outright.
Scott faced six Democratic challengers in the 13th District in Atlanta’s southern and eastern suburbs as he seeks a 12th term. The challengers included former East Point City Council member Karen Rene', former South Fulton City Council member Mark Baker and attorney Brian Johnson. On the Republican side, Jonathan Chavez managed to defeat Johsie Cruz Fletcher.
The 13th District was significantly reconfigured in a new map, moving north and east into Rockdale County and parts of Newton and Gwinnett counties. Challengers claimed Scott, 78, is too old and out of touch. Scott said in March that he’s seeking another term to enhance funding for historically Black colleges, such as Fort Valley State University, and to provide more assistance to struggling homeowners.