A Democratic incumbent who abstained from voting on a bill to codify the definition of antisemitism appears to have held off a challenge Tuesday from the father of an Israeli soldier who died in the early days of the Israel-Hamas war.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
State Sen. Sally Harrell spoke about her conflicted feelings regarding adding a definition of antisemitism to Georgia’s hate crimes law, but declined to vote on the measure. That prompted David Lubin, who Harrell had invited to the Capitol earlier in the year to honor his 20-year-old daughter, Sgt. Rose Ida Lubin, to challenge her in Tuesday’s primary.
The younger Lubin was killed in a knife attack in Jerusalem while on duty as a police officer with the Israeli Defense Forces last November.
Harrell has said she worried about implications the law could have on freedom of speech. Lubin said Harrell’s abstention showed she was out-of-step with her constituents, which includes a relatively large Jewish population.
Harrell reported raising about $89,000 in campaign contributions this cycle, but came into the year with about $137,000 in the bank, according to state records. Lubin reported raising about $179,000 since announcing his campaign in March.
The winner of the primary will face Republican challenger Amelia K. Siamomua in November.
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