Three years ago, Atlanta's northern suburbs were considered comfortable ground for the GOP. But President's Donald Trump's election prompted a seismic political shift, particularly among the educated women who help form the core of the Cobb, Fulton and DeKalb-based 6th District.
The district played host to the most expensive House race in congressional history in 2017, when Karen Handel and Jon Ossoff faced off to succeed Tom Price.
Handel won that contest, but her surprise defeat at the hands of Democratic gun control activist Lucy McBath a year later solidified the 6th as key battleground territory. National groups are expected to pour millions into the district and the neighboring 7th this cycle.
Handel appears set for a rematch against McBath after three GOP candidates stopped their campaigns.
Here are the candidates:
Democrats
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Credit: undefined
Congresswoman Lucy McBath
McBath first got involved in politics after her teenage son was fatally shot in a racially-charged dispute in 2012. The flight attendant swiftly shifted her attention to the gun control debate, traveling the country as a surrogate for Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action. Still, McBath was a relative unknown in Georgia political circles when she announced last year that the Parkland, Fla., shootings had inspired her to run for Congress rather than the statehouse, as initially planned. Gun control and health care were the cornerstones of her initial congressional campaign, issues she discussed in deeply personal terms. McBath has continued to focus on those matters on Capitol Hill.
No other Democrats qualified for the ballot, meaning McBath will not have a primary.
Republicans
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
Former Congresswoman Karen Handel
Handel has been involved in Georgia politics for the better part of the last two decades, first as Fulton County Commission chairwoman. She went on to serve as secretary of state and ran unsuccessfully for governor and senator in 2010 and 2014. After arriving in Congress in summer 2017, Handel allied herself with GOP leaders, championing the party's tax cuts and legislation tackling the opioid crisis and human trafficking. She campaigned with Trump but was critical of some of his trade policies. This time around, Handel has positioned herself closer to the president. She's also tied McBath to more liberal members of the freshman class and raised questions about the Democrat's residency in the 6th.
In late 2019, most of Handel's primary opponents withdrew. State Sen. Brandon Beach suspended his campaign and said he'll seek re-election to the Legislature instead.
Nicole Rodden, a former Merchant Marine, said she essentially ran out of campaign cash after raising a dismal $9,000 in the last fundraising quarter.
Businessman and former Atlanta Falcon Joe Profit
Joe Profit is an author, restaurant owner and former first-round draft pick for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. He ran unsuccessfully against U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson in the 4th District two years ago. Initially, Profit indicated he would run this year in the 7th District race before moving to the 6th.
Other candidates:
Operations manager Mykel Lynn Barthelemy, singer and business owner Paulette Smith and businessman Blake Harbin.
Notes:
Marjorie Taylor Greene initially said she would run in this district, but she has decided to compete instead in the conservative 14th Congressional District and has since relocated from Milton to Rome.
Motivational speaker Donnie Bolena, who ran unsuccessfully for Sandy Springs mayor, indicated he would run for the seat as independent but ultimately did not move forward with qualifying for the ballot.
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