This year’s midterm elections, taking place on Nov. 8, bring together several head-to-head candidates and ballot measures for citizens to decide on.
Ballotpedia lists 4 ballot measures and 12 political races split across state and federal lines in Georgia for the coming election. With Georgia being a swing state this year, the outcomes of the state’s election are likely to be a determining factor as it was in 2020.
The most prominent race on the Georgia ballot is for state Governor: incumbent Republican Brian Kemp is going against Democrat Stacey Abrams, libertarian Shane Hezel, and independent write-ins David Byrne and Milton Lofton. Kemp and Abrams last faced off in 2018, with Kemp beating her 50.2-48.8%. A Quinnipiac poll released October 12th showed Kemp leading with 50% of votes, while Abrams had 49% and 1% being undecided.
To represent Georgia in the Senate, incumbent Raphael Warnock (D), Herschel Walker (R) and Chase Oliver (L) are on the ballot. According to an Atlanta News First poll released on Oct. 18, Warnock led with 46.1% of the votes while Walker was at 46%.
The race for House District 35 will determine who represents the Acworth-Kennesaw area in the state House, with Robert Trim (R) going up against Lisa Campbell (D). This race marks the first time in 17 years the position will be open to a new politician, as incumbent Ed Setzler has held office since 2005. Ed Setzler (R) is now running against Vanessa Parker (D) for Georgia’s 37th State Senate District.
Georgia Amendment 1 deals with “[suspending] Compensation for…Public Officials Indicted for a Felony Measure”. It was introduced to the general assembly in February 2021 after the AJC reported former Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck still received a salary despite being indicted on money laundering charges.
Georgia Amendment 2 would let local governments “grant temporary tax relief” to locations within nationally designated disaster areas; the act was authored by Republican state Representative Lynn Smith after a tornado struck Coweta County in March 2021. The Federal Emergency Management Agency did not grant disaster relief, claiming the damage “was not of severity…to warrant a declaration”, even though President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration.
Georgia Referendum A would exempt timbering equipment from ad valorem property taxes, those determined by the value of a transaction or property. Exempt equipment would include woodcutters and wood chippers. This measure was introduced to the state general assembly in January as HB 997.
Georgia Referendum B deals with tax exemptions for farm equipment: introduced as House Bill 498, this act was introduced in February 2021 to grant property tax exemptions to “[entities] that [are] a merger of two or more family-owned farms” towards equipment like tractors. Dairy products and eggs would also be added to existing property tax exemptions.
The race for Attorney General is between incumbent Chris Carr (R), Jen Jordan (D) and Martin Cowen (L). Carr was appointed in November 2016 by former Governor Nathan Deal to fill the vacancy of Sam Olens.
The race for Georgia Secretary of State is between incumbent Brad Raffensperger (R), Bee Ngyuen (D), Ted Metz (L) and nonpartisan write-in Brenda Nelson-Porter. Raffensperger rose to prominence after coming into conflict with former President Donald Trump regarding the 2020 presidential election. Raffenspergerled the AJC’s October 4th poll with 46% of votes, compared to Ngyuen’s 32%, Metz’s 7% and an undecided 15%.
The race for representing Georgia’s 11th Congressional District is between incumbent Barry Loudermilk(R) and Antonio Daza-Fernandez (D). Running for Commissioner of Agriculture are Nakita Hemingway (D), Tyler Harper (R) and David Raudabaugh (L).
Candidates for Labor Commissioner are William Boddie (D), Bruce Thompson (R) and Emily Anderson (L). Incumbent John King(R) and Janice Laws Robinson (D) are the contestants for Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner. The race for State Superintendent is between incumbent Richard Woods (R) and Alisha Searcy (D).
