In Georgia, one of the few states holding July elections, voters are heading to the polls for runoff elections on Tuesday. Two Republicans — Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp — are facing off in a tight race to be the GOP nominee for governor (Republican Gov. Nathan Deal is term-limited out). Whoever wins Tuesday’s primary will face Democrat Stacey Abrams, who already won her primary in May. The governor’s race will be one of the most closely watched in the country; Abrams would make history as the first black woman governor if she wins in November. Beyond the governor’s race, there are two congressional races worth watching: Georgia’s Sixth and Seventh Congressional Districts. The Sixth is the same district where Democrats poured millions into Jon Ossoff’s failed campaign against Republican Rep. Karen Handel last year, while the Seventh is another district where Democrats would like to flip the seat currently held by Rep. Rob Woodall. Polls close at 7 pm Eastern. Vox has live results below, powered by Decision Desk. Georgia governor: Republican Brian Kemp beats Casey Cagle, will run against Democrat Stacey Abrams in November Update: Decision Desk has called the race for Brian Kemp. It was a close race between Republican frontrunners, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp. Cagle was more than 10 points ahead of Kemp in an earlier May primary, but President Donald Trump recently endorsed Kemp via Twitter, which may have given him an edge. Cagle and Kemp are both Georgia state officials, so it could be argued they’re both part of the state’s Republican establishment. But like in many other Republican races, the runoff become a race to see who was the most conservative and Trump-like. Whoever wins will compete against Democrat Stacey Abrams, the former state House minority leader whose campaign has Democrats across the country excited. Abrams already won her May primary. If she prevails against Kemp in November, she could be elected the first black woman governor in America. Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District: gun control activist Lucy McBath will challenge Rep. Karen Handel in the fall Update: Decision Desk has called the race for Lucy McBath. Two Democrats — gun control activist Lucy McBath and businessman Kevin Abel — faced off to see who would challenge incumbent Republican Rep. Karen Handel, who was elected to Congress in 2017. McBath won a close race on Tuesday night. Coming on the heels of Trump’s election, Georgia’s Sixth was supposed to be Democrats’ great hope of flipping a conservative district last year, but it turned into a big, expensive failure. It’s still a conservative district that the Cook Political Report rates Lean Republican, but McBath thinks she has a shot at flipping it to blue. McBath is making gun control a huge focus of her campaign; her son was shot and killed in 2012, which eventually spurred her to run for Congress. It could be a big test of whether the issue will win Democrats votes in a wealthy, educated suburban district. Abel, a white immigrant from South Africa, argued that McBath’s focus on gun control would lose her votes and said he was in a better position to appeal to voters and take on Handel. That theory will be tested in November. Georgia’s Seventh Congressional District: a long-shot pickup opportunity for Democrats Update: Decision Desk has called the race for Carolyn Bourdeaux. Two Democrats — Georgia State professor Carolyn Bourdeaux and tutoring business founder David Kim — competed to be the nominee. Bourdeaux will run against Republican Rep. Rob Woodall, in office since 2011. Georgia’s Seventh District is likely more of a long shot for Democrats; Cook rates it Likely Republican. Trump won this suburban district in 2016 by a little over 6 points, but Democrats view Woodall as a potential target (albeit a reach). Besides her experience in higher education, Bourdeaux previously served as the director of Georgia’s Senate Budget and Evaluation Office, and is hitting Woodall particularly hard on health care and his vote supporting Obamacare repeal in the House. Kim, a first-time candidate, said he wouldn’t support House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in her bid for House speaker if elected to Congress. He dumped more than half a million dollars of his own money into his campaign, while Bourdeaux won the endorsement of Emily’s List, a progressive group that works to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights.<doc-sep>WASHINGTON – Georgia voters nominated Secretary of State Brian Kemp – a self-described “politically incorrect conservative”– in a GOP primary runoff for governor on Tuesday after President Donald Trump endorsed him and a scandal rocked his opponent's campaign. Kemp defeated Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle in a heated race, 69-31 percentage points, with 99 percent of precincts reporting. He now faces Democrat Stacey Abrams, who could become the nation's first African-American female governor if she wins in November. Kemp thanked his supporters for helping him win a "clear and convincing victory" and gave a special thanks to Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. “We cannot forget that tweet we heard around Georgia," Kemp said of Trump's endorsement via Twitter. "We had the momentum in this race and those endorsements ... they poured gasoline on the fire and fueled the Kemp surge to victory." Abrams tweeted her reaction with a link to a fundraising page, asking supporters to "stand with us." "The race for #GAGov may change, but our values never will. Service, faith & family guide our vision for GA: Affordable health care. Excellent public schools for every child. An economy that works for all," she wrote. The outcome marks a turnaround for Cagle, who bested Kemp in the May primary but didn’t win enough votes to avoid a runoff election. Conceding to Kemp, he pledged his "full, undivided support" and he called on his supporters to do the same. "We need a strong candidate and I think Brian can do it," Cagle said. Cagle, who also supports Trump, was endorsed by the term-limited Gov. Nathan Deal, setting up an establishment-versus-outsider race with Kemp. Kemp spent four years in the Georgia Senate and eight years as secretary of state. He describes himself as a “conservative small businessman” who has fought taxes, mandates and bureaucratic red tape in public office. In ads, Kemp flashed his conservative credentials by wielding shotguns and using an explosion to illustrate how he blows up government spending. “I’ve got a big truck, just in case I need to round up criminal illegals and take them home myself,” he said in his ad, “So Conservative.” “Yep, I just said that.” He made waves with another ad showing him pointing a shotgun toward a teenager named “Jake” who wants to date his daughter. He closes his gun and announces his approval when Jake meets Kemp’s qualifications: “Respect” and “a healthy appreciation for the Second Amendment, sir.” More:2018 midterms: In crucial Indiana, a conflicting money tale in Senate race More:Dueling economic messages preview midterm battle between Trump, Democrats More:Experts fear Trump meeting with Putin will embolden Russian interference in midterms More:Rashida Jones, Jane Fonda prod liberals to join 'last weekend' voter drive for midterms Trump, who won Georgia by about 5 percentage points, weighed in on the race July 18, offering Kemp his “full and total endorsement,” ahead of Pence’s visit to campaign for Kemp. Trump on Saturday described Kemp as “very strong on Crime and Borders, Loves our Military, Vets and the 2nd Amendment,” adding that Kemp will be a “GREAT Governor.” Trump has had better luck with endorsements in the South since he backed two losing candidates in December’s Alabama special Senate election. Notably, Rep. Martha Roby, R-Ala., once a Trump critic, won her primary runoff after receiving his endorsement, while state Rep. Katie Arrington upset Rep. Mark Sanford in South Carolina’s primary. But Trump’s endorsement of Kemp followed negative revelations in June about Cagle, who was secretly recorded saying he backed a bad education bill to deprive another gubernatorial candidate of financial help from a super PAC. In another tape, Cagle said he felt the primary was about “who had the biggest gun, who had the biggest truck, you know, and who could be the craziest.” “I actually view the Trump endorsement in this case as leading from behind,” said Andra Gillespie, a political scientist at Emory University. “He saw one of the candidates was weaker and he endorsed the other candidate.” Kemp said the election is about "the soul of our state." He said former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, "liberal special interests and even socialists" are getting behind Abrams and their attacks on him will be "vicious, baseless and constant." Abrams, who won her primary in May with more than 76 percent of the vote, is the general election’s underdog in a red state that has never elected a woman governor and that has elected Republican governors since 2003. Kemp calls her “an extreme liberal” who wants to change the state’s values. "Stacey Abrams wants to grow state government, I want to grow your paycheck," Kemp said. But Abrams can perform strongly if she runs a “flawless” get-out-the-vote effort and if it is a Democratic wave election, Gillespie said. Abrams will likely use Kemp’s ads to portray him as “too extreme” for Georgia or as pandering and therefore untrustworthy. “For Kemp the challenge is, can he pivot back to the center in ways that will allow him to keep his base,” she said. “I could see Jake, the prospective boyfriend, showing up in the future, but I expect the guns and the explosions to be kept to a minimum.” Among the candidates in Georgia's other primary runoff elections were Democrats running for two competitive U.S. House seats in suburban Atlanta districts that Trump won in 2016. Both victories went to women competing in a record-breaking year for women running for office. House candidate Carolyn Bourdeaux, a Georgia State University professor, bested David Kim, who owns a learning center chain, and will face GOP Rep. Rob Woodall in the fall. Lucy McBath, a gun-control activist whose son was killed at a Florida gas station in 2012, defeated Kevin Abel, who owns a technology consulting business with his wife. She will challenge GOP Rep. Karen Handel, who narrowly won a special election last summer, with 51.9 percent of the vote, after the most expensive U.S. House race in history.<doc-sep>Cagle began to dip in the polls after that recording was aired; Hill would go on to endorse Kemp as the candidate who “won’t sell public policy to the highest bidder.” And Tippins wasn’t done, wounding Cagle again with audio of the front-runner saying that Kemp was running to be the “craziest” candidate in the race.<doc-sep>Politics & Government Georgia Runoff Election Results: Kemp Defeats Cagle Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp will now face Democratic state Rep. Stacey Abrams in the November race for governor. Reply ATLANTA, GA — Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp — President Donald Trump's choice to become the state's next governor — became the Republican nominee for the post on Tuesday, piling up a surprisingly huge victory over former front-runner Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle. With all precincts reporting, Kemp had more than 69 percent of the vote, with Cagle taking just over 30 percent. Kemp's victory is a result that few saw coming in the race's early days, but that became increasingly likely as Election Day neared, particularly once Trump weighed in. The AJC reported that both camps confirmed the expected outcome about 90 minutes after polls closed at 7 p.m. — a shockingly quick result on election night in Georgia. "We have earned a clear, convincing victory. And we have you to thank for that," Kemp said Tuesday night to a gathered crowd of supporters. In his speech, he mentioned the "tweet that we heard around Georgia," referencing Trump's endorsement, before going on the attack against Georgia House Democratic Leader Stacey Abrams, his opponent in November. In a speech to supporters gathered in north DeKalb County, Cagle said Tuesday night he had called to congratulate Kemp. "I called him and I told him I hope the hits weren't too hard on you ... ," Cagle said. "And I committed to him my full undivided support to see that he becomes our next Governor of Georgia." (Patch will update this post with results from Tuesday's runoff elections as they become available. Check back here for the latest on election night.) The race between Cagle and Kemp headed up Tuesday's ballot. Republicans also had runoffs to decide in the lieutenant governor and secretary of state races, while Democrats needed to finish choosing their candidate for state schools superintendent and in two metro Atlanta U.S. House districts. In the governor's race, Cagle — who was elected Georgia's first Republican lieutenant governor in 2006 — was considered the front-runner from the day he announced his candidacy. In the May 22 primary, he took 39 percent of the vote in a five-candidate field, followed by Kemp with about 26 percent.<doc-sep>
Hide Transcript Show Transcript WEBVTT MANDY: HI, GABBY. IT SEEMS THAT VOTERS MAY BE GETTING OFF WORK BECAUSE WITHIN THE PAST FEW MINUTES WE HAVE SEEN QUITE A FEW PEOPLE COMING THROUGH HERE WITH A GOOD FLOW OF PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE DAY. THIS, THE ONLY PRECINCT IN STEPHENS COUNTY. SO FAR OFFICIALS SAY THAT THERE HAVE BEEN NO MAJOR VOTING PROBLEMS TO REPORT. THE PROBLEMS WITH THE GOVERNOR’S RACE ARE GETTING THEM TO THE POLLS, THEY SAY. AND THAT THEY GOT ALMOST AS MANY EARLY VOTING AND ABSENTEE BALLOTS FOR THIS RUNOFF AS THEY DID IN THE PRIMARY. >> I’M SURPRISED AND PLEASED WITH THE TURNOUT. I THINK WE WILL BE THE STATE AVERAGE, THEY ARE PROJECTING 10%. WE SHOULD BE IN THE 15% OR HIGHER PERCENTAGE ON TURNOUT. MANDY: WE ALSO CHECKED OUT VOTING IN HART COUNTY TODAY, WHICH SEEMED SLOWER WHEN WE WERE THERE THIS MORNING. THE POLLS TONIGHT CLOSE AT 7:00 AND OF COURSE WE’LL KEEP YOU POSTED ON RESULTS, ON AIR AND ONLI Advertisement Trump-backed candidate Kemp wins Georgia runoff Share Shares Copy Link Copy (Scroll to the bottom of this page for election results when the polls close)**APP users click here for results when polls close**Secretary of State Brian Kemp has won a bruising Republican runoff in the race for Georgia governor, leveraging a damning secret recording of his opponent and a late Trump-Pence endorsement.With Tuesday's win against Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, Kemp faces Democrat Stacey Abrams. The race will test Democrats' assertion that changing demographics have turned the Republican stronghold into a swing state.Cagle's campaign was rocked by a secret recording in which he says he helped pass a "bad public-policy" bill for political gain.Gov. Nathan Deal and the National Rifle Association supported Cagle. But Kemp was boosted by the president's endorsement.Brad Raffensperger has won a Republican runoff in the race to replace Georgia's top elections official.Raffensperger of Johns Creek defeated former Alpharetta mayor David Belle Isle on Tuesday to become the GOP nominee for secretary of state. The office is currently held by Republican Brian Kemp, who passed on seeking re-election to run for governor.Raffensperger is a lawmaker in the state House and a businessman. He will face Democrat John Barrow of Athens in the fall campaign. Barrow is a former Georgia congressman who lost his seat in 2014.Both GOP runoff candidates emphasized upgrading Georgia's electronic voting machines for improved security as their top priority.The secretary of state oversees elections as well as corporate filings and professional licensing.Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle has asked his supporters to stand behind Secretary of State Brian Kemp's bid for governor.After conceding the GOP runoff to Kemp on Tuesday, Cagle told supporters that Kemp was "undeniably ready to lead this state." The praise was a swift reversal after a nine-week runoff that saw Cagle and Kemp attack each other on multiple fronts.Kemp now faces Democrat Stacey Abrams as she tries to become the country's first black woman governor.Abrams, meanwhile, responded to Kemp's victory with a tweet asking supporters to stand behind her vision of Georgia against Kemp.Abrams and Kemp have sparred in the past over election security and voting rights.