By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MAY 27, 2022 | Today let’s review the 2022 primary.
First, let us thank the candidates, the winners and losers, for we cannot vote in our democracy without candidates. They allow it to work.
The most satisfying and surprising turn of this primary was that Lisamarie Bristol ousted Solicitor General Bryan Whiteside, and by a good margin. She had 31,835 votes to 25,658 for Whiteside. She had no Republican opposition and so will be the new solicitor.
In reality, Mr. Whiteside was his own worst enemy, since he had not worked well with officials at the courthouse. So the courthouse crowd got their revenge. We now look for a smooth transition to the new solicitor.
Another surprise is how easily Democrat Lucy McBath beat Carolyn Bourdeaux for the Seventh District congressional nomination. It was a 2:1 margin, and should set up Ms. McBath for a relatively easy win in November.
Meanwhile on the GOP side of the Seventh District race, there was another surprise. Newcomer Mike Corbin led the field with 41 percent of the vote. He will be in the runoff on June 21 against Mark Gonsalves, who gained 27 percent of the vote. The unknown Corbin shocked many and did it after raising only $6,000 to make the run for Congress. He adopted a middle-of-the-road stance and tried to appeal to the more educated, moderate voters.
Turning to Gwinnett races, a current state representative from Peachtree Corners, Beth Moore, who was running for a new Senate seat, got blindsided by Nabilah Islam and lost that election by a mere 78 votes. Ms. Islam, an Atlanta native, Lawrenceville resident and Muslim, is one of the new breed of diverse candidates that Gwinnett is seeing. She will face Republican Josh McCay in November.
Perhaps the most ironic turn-around of the primary was Rep. Bonnie Rich’s loss to Rep. David Clark for the House District 100 seat. Rep. Rich chaired the redistricting committee that changed the county House lines, ending up pitting the two House members against one another. Clark polled 4,282 votes to Rich’s 2,946, a difference of 1,336 votes.
Two Democratic House members also found themselves together in a new district. Shelly Hutchinson defeated Rebecca Mitchell for House District 106. Ms. Hutchinson faces unopposed Republican Preston Wren in the November election.
Gwinnett voters will choose a new State Court judge in a nonpartisan runoff on June 21. Matt Miller led in this three-way race with 48,631 votes to Erica Dove’s 43,519.
Turning to state elections, Gwinnett’s Nakita Hemingway is the Democratic nominee for the Commissioner of Agriculture, winning her race with 57 per cent of the vote. She will face Republican Tyler Harper in November.
In the Sixth Congressional District, Dr. Rich McCormick is in a GOP runoff after getting 43 percent of the primary vote. His runoff opponent is Joel Evans, who won 23 percent and advertises that he is wholly supported by Donald Trump. We suspect Dr. McCormick will give ex-President Trump another slap in the face.
We’re waiting for the last half of a percent of returns to determine who will be the GOP candidate for lieutenant governor. Burt Jones has slightly over 50 percent of the votes, and Butch Miller ran second wit 31 percent. Those few final votes will see whether there is a runoff for this slot.
On the Democratic side for lieutenant governor, Kwanza Hall led the field with 30 percent, while Charlie Bailey got 17 percent, so there will be a runoff here.
For secretary of state on the Democratic side, Bee Nguyen (44 percent) faces Dee Dawkins-Haiger (19 percent) in a runoff.
And wasn’t it another slap to Mr. Trump that Brad Raffensperger (52 percent) won the GOP race for secretary of state…..without a runoff! Take that, Jody Hice!
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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