Kelly Loeffler was appointed to fill retired U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson’s seat until a special election could be held to determine who will complete the remainder of his term that ends in 2022.
Although Loeffler is technically the incumbent, she faces opposition this fall from the right in U.S. Rep. Doug Collins and from the left in prominent Atlanta pastor Raphael Warnock and other Democrats.
Loeffler, a wealthy businesswoman, has pledged millions to defend her seat in the winner-take-all race on the ballot in November. If none of the candidates gets 50% of the vote, the top two will face off in a January 2021 runoff.
Here are the current and potential candidates we’re watching:
Republicans
Credit: Alyssa Pointer
Credit: Alyssa Pointer
U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler
Details: Loeffler was a wealthy Buckhead businesswoman who became Gov. Brian Kemp's pick to succeed Isakson despite not initially having the support of President Donald Trump and other conservatives.
Sworn in shortly after the New Year, she has focused on establishing herself as Trump Republican and opposed House Democrats' efforts remove the president from office via impeachment.
Loeffler pledged to invest at least $20 million of her own money in defending her seat. Party leaders also hope her candidacy will help convince white women living in suburban Atlanta to return to the Republican Party.
U.S. Rep. Doug Collins
Details: Collins has served in elected office since 2007, first in the Georgia House and later representing the 9th Congressional District. It is in this job that the Gainesville Republican also assumed the role of one of Trump's primary defenders.
His relationship with the president made him a popular choice among conservatives once Isakson announced his retirement. After he was overlooked for the appointment, Collins decided to challenge Loeffler in the special election.
He is a trained attorney and chaplain for the U.S. Air Force Reserves. Collins recently became a fixture on TV as the top-ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee during the impeachment investigation.
Other Republican candidates:
Derrick Grayson, a network engineer who has campaigned for U.S. Senate unsuccessfully at least twice before.
Annette Davis Jackson, a gadfly in DeKalb politics, ran unsuccessfully for state Senate in 2016 and 2018.
A. Wayne Johnson, a Macon resident who resigned from his job at the U.S. Department of Education to apply for Isakson's seat. Once Loeffler was appointed, Johnson submitted paperwork to run against her.
Kandiss Taylor is a native of Baxley and has been an educator in Appling County for 17 years.
Notes:
Ervan Katari Miller filed paperwork to run for three different federal seats this year, including this Senate office. But he ultimately chose not to qualify.
Democrats
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Rev. Raphael Warnock
Details: Warnock became the first prominent Democrat to announce he would challenge Loeffler, making this his first campaign for public office.
Warnock is the senior pastor at Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church and known for powerful sermons on social justice and civil rights. He considered a challenge to Isakson in 2016 but decided against it.
Former candidate for governor Stacey Abrams endorsed Warnock soon after he announced his bid against Loeffler, and local and national party figures have begun to rally around him.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Businessman Matt Lieberman
Details: Prior to Warnock's entry, Lieberman was the most prominent and best financed candidate in the race. An educator and entrepreneur, he is running for office for the first time.
Lieberman is the son of former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, who was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2000.
Credit: Greg Bluestein
Credit: Greg Bluestein
Former U.S. Attorney Ed Tarver
Details: Tarver told the AJC in January that he would announce a bid for Senate even if he doesn't have the backing of the Democratic Party or its leaders.
The former federal prosecutor in Atlanta began exploring a campaign shortly after Isakson announced that he was retiring. Tarver, like Warnock, had considered challenging Isakson in 2016.
Other Democratic candidates:
Deborah Jackson, an attorney who serves as mayor of Lithonia from 2012 through 2020.
Jamesia Jackson, an Air Force veteran who once served as an aide to U.S. Rep. John Lewis.
Joy Felicia Slade, an emergency medicine physician in Atlanta.
Richard Dien Winfield, a professor of philosophy at the University of Georgia who ran unsuccessfully for Congress two years ago on a platform that focused on his support of the Green New Deal.
Tamara Johnson-Shealey, a business owner and activist who waged failed bids for the Georgia Senate in 2014 and 2016.
Democrats who have ruled themselves out:
DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond spoke to party officials in Atlanta and Washington about running for Senate but ultimately decided to run for re-election.
DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston and state Sen. Jen Jordan also decided against entering the race.
Third-party and independent candidates
Brian Slowinski, who lives in White Plains, is representing the Libertarian Party in this race, and he was also endorsed by the Constitution Party. He ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2014.
The Green Party’s nominee is John “Green” Fortuin, a computer programmer and former Sierra Club board member.
Elbert "Al" Bartell, is an independent and perennial candidate who ran for Atlanta mayor before dropping out of the race 2017.
Allen Buckley, who ran unsuccessfully as a Libertarian against Isakson in 2016, qualified as an independent for this race.
Michael Todd Greene, running as an independent.
Former state Rep. Valencia Stovall served as a Democrat but qualified for this race as an independent.
Write-in candidate Rod Mack works for the city of Hapeville.
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