ATLANTA — Although Georgia Republicans settled all of their statewide races last week, four Democratic races will have runoffs in just three weeks.
One of the offices on the runoff ballot administers Georgia’s elections. Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger won the GOP primary last week. But Democrats Bee Nguyen and Dee Dawkins-Haigler will square off in the June runoff – with Raffensperger facing the winner in November.
"I am poised to take him on in November, and I am poised to understand what his weaknesses are and his record in the General Assembly," said Nguyen, a state representative who got the most votes May 24 but couldn't get to the 50 percent plus one threshold required to avoid a runoff.
Nguyen and Dawkins-Haigler said they agree on issues. Their message is about experience.
"I come to the table with a wealth of experience; more policy experience, more work experience in corporate America and in the voting rights arena," said Dawkins-Haigler, a former state representative who previously lost a race for secretary of state.
In a state where Republicans have had to react to Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election and where Democrats want to expand voter access, no race on the runoff ballot will have higher visibility than secretary of state.
Democrats will also have to choose nominees for runoffs for the following:
- Labor Commissioner, where state Rep. William Boddie will face Nicole Horn. Republican state Sen. Bruce Thompson won the GOP nod;
- Insurance Commissioner, where Janice Law Robinson will face Raphael Baker. The winner will face incumbent Republican John King;
- Lieutenant Governor, where former Congressman Kwanza Hall faces attorney Charlie Bailey. The winner faces state Sen. Burt Jones, who was the only Trump-backed candidate (beside U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker) to win the GOP primary.
Not everybody can vote in these races. Voters who pulled Republican ballots for the primary can’t vote in the Democratic runoff. However, voters who skipped the primary are allowed to vote in the runoff if they beat the May registration deadline.
The turnout in the runoff is expected to be a fraction of last week’s vote, and the candidates know it.
"It will be a task to ensure that voters know that there is a runoff election taking place June 21," Nguyen said.
"What we know is that people who are adamant voters, who are super voters, they’ll come back out," Dawkins-Haigler said.
Both Democrats are encouraging voters to consider voting in-person, if able, rather than risk making a late request for an absentee ballot. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is June 10.