State Rep. Brad Raffensperger won the Republican Party runoff for Georgia secretary of state on Tuesday, setting up a race against Democrat John Barrow ahead of the general election in November.
Raffensperger, a Republican from Johns Creek, defeated former former Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle in the runoff, according to unofficial election results.
Raffensperger is the CEO of an engineering design company who has emphasized his business experience in the campaign for secretary of state. If elected, he has said he would reduce government bureaucracy, support voter ID laws and push for verifiable paper ballots when Georgia replaces its electronic voting machines.
Raffensperger will be challenged by Barrow, a Democrat who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for a decade, and Libertarian Smythe DuVal in the Nov. 6 general election.
The winner of the race will replace outgoing Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who won Tuesday’s Republican runoff for governor.
The secretary of state is responsible for running the state’s elections, registering Georgia businesses and issuing professional licenses.
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