Georgia’s runoffs are less than a week away. Here’s what you need to know
The June 21 runoff elections are fast approaching.
Early voting at the Citizens Service Center ends Friday. A Columbus Council seat, a Republican congressional nomination and several statewide Democratic races will be decided. The field for November’s general elections will be set.
Here’s what you need to know before you head to the polls:
Columbus Council District 7
Business owner Laketha Ashe and CrossFit CSG owner Joanne Cogle will face off to determine who replaces longtime incumbent Mimi Woodson in Columbus Council District 7.
Ashe and Cogle were the top two vote-getters in May’s primary, with Cogle leading by a margin of only 16 votes.
Woodson announced in December that she would not seek another term. She was elected in 1994 and was one of the longest-serving Hispanic elected officials in Georgia.
Who will challenge U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop in November?
Republicans Jeremy Hunt and Chris West are vying for the GOP nomination in Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District. The winner will face U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, who has represented the district for almost three decades.
Hunt, a former U.S. Army captain and Yale Law student who recently moved to Columbus, enters the runoff with support from national Republicans and PAC funding. As of Tuesday, PACs spent just over $1 million in support of Hunt during this cycle. The most recent is nearly $304,000 worth of television ads, digital ads and mailers purchased since June 10 by Super PAC American Values First, according to federal election data.
Hunt also endorsements from several politicians, including U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn and former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley.
West, a 38-year-old Thomasville attorney who serves in the Georgia Air National Guard, has touted himself as the homegrown candidate. Three other GOP challengers from May’s primary — Wayne Johnson, Vivan Childs and Paul Whitehead — have endorsed West.
The district includes most of Columbus and Macon.
Other statewide races
There are no statewide Republican runoffs on the June 21 ballot.
However, there are several Democratic runoffs. They are:
- Lt. Gov: Charlie Bailey vs. Kwanza Hall
Secretary of State: Dee Dawkins-Hagler vs. Bee Nguyen
Insurance Commissioner: Raphael Baker vs. Janice Laws Robinson
Commissioner of Labor: William “Will” Boddie, Jr. vs. Nicole Horn
What do I need to know?
You can vote in June’s runoff even if you didn’t cast a ballot in May’s primary. However, you may not switch parties for the runoff. If you voted in the Republican primary in May, you can’t vote in the Democratic runoffs. If you voted non-partisan in May, you may still vote in the runoff.
To find your polling location and other voting information, visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s MyVoterPage.
This story was originally published June 15, 2022 at 5:00 AM.