By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher, GwinnettForum
MAY 11, 2018 | Notice today’s date, May 11. That means there’re only 11 days left until the 2018 Georgia General Primary, coming on May 22.
What we’ve heard from lots of people is that there seems to be little interest in these races, and some mighty big offices are open to be filled. Remember the race last year to fill the Sixth District seat in Congress between the winner, Karen Handel and Jon Ossoff? It got loads of publicity, constant television advertising, and oodles of money funneling from out of state. Compared to that race, this election season is a sleeper.
And there are so many candidates that it nearly boggles the mind. In case you missed it, we counted the number of combined party candidates in races on the Gwinnett ballot. Take a look:
- For governor, eight people are running.
- For lieutenant governor, there are five people in this race.
- For secretary of state, the ballot has seven candidates.
- For insurance commissioner, five people are running.
- For Georgia superintendent of schools, count five candidates.
- For labor commissioner, three people seek this office.
- For two seats on the Public Service Commission, there are eight running.
- For Congress from the Fourth District, three candidates.
- For Congress from the Seventh District, there are eight candidates.
- For Congress from the Tenth District, count six candidates.
Now in races for the Georgia Senate and House:
- Senate District 5: Two candidates.
- Senate District 40: Three people.
- Senate District 41: Two running.
- Senate District 55: Three in the race.
- House District 81: Three people.
- House District 94: Two persons.
- House District 97: Biggest contested house race: eight people.
- House District 99: Two candidates.
- House District 102: Three in this race.
- House District 105: Three running.
- House District 107: Two people.
- House District 108: Two running.
For seats on local boards:
- County Commission District 2: Three candidates.
- County Commission District 4: Three candidates.
- Board of Education, District 2: Four candidates.
- Board of Education, District 4: Four candidates.
- Solicitor General, Two candidates.
Non-partisan judicial candidates:
- For the Court of Appeals: Two candidates.
- For Superior Court, Davis seat: Five lawyers seeking this post.
- For Superior Court, Turner seat: Three attorneys vying.
- For State Court, Iannazzone seat: two candidates.
We hope this doesn’t overwhelm you. (There are numerous candidates unopposed, which we did not list.)
What this field of many candidates says to me is that voters are going to have to study the candidates and the ballot more closely than ever because of the many people seeking the offices. We all want to elect the best possible persons to represent us in these many offices.
We commend the candidates’ own words to you to determine who you will vote for. Simply click to GwinnettForum’s “Read What They Say” at the top right of each issue. Then what pops up is a list of all offices. Click all the blue names (the candidates who responded to us asking them six questions to answer in 100 words or less) and you can read what 68 candidates say about six issues we put to them.
Make up your own mind for your selection well before you go into the voter’s booth. You will be participating in the most informed way about choosing your candidate. We hope your choice wins.
That’s choosing responsibly. It makes our democracy work better.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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