All Georgia congressional incumbents on the ballot Tuesday won reelection, including U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, who Republicans targeted for defeat.
Bishop, a Democrat, is the state’s longest-serving member of Congress but faced a tough reelection battle in the Southwest Georgia 2nd Congressional District, which was drawn in a way that made it easier for Republicans to win. His challenger, Chris West, was not able to build enough support to unseat the 30-year veteran, who has cultivated a reputation for working with members of both parties.
Bishop’s closing argument to voters focused on the decades he spent gaining the seniority, experience and bipartisan support that he said made him best positioned to deliver for his constituents for another two years. He is also the only Georgia lawmaker to serve on the appropriations committee - which writes the federal budget - in either chamber.
Bishop raised three times as much money as his opponent, and the Democratic Party also spent millions of dollars on ads and resources to help boost his profile.
The Republican Party did not spend any money to assist West. Both its campaign arm for U.S. House races and a political committee controlled by GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy stayed out of the race, focusing spending instead on other toss-up districts considered more winnable.
The other incumbents winning reelection included Republican U.S. Reps. Rick Allen, Barry Loudermilk, Austin Scott, Buddy Carter, Drew Ferguson, Andrew Clyde and Marjorie Taylor Greene and Democrats David Scott, Hank Johnson and Nikema Williams.
Greene easily won a second term in office after defeating Democrat Marcus Flowers. Although the northwest Georgia seat was always deemed a safe one for Republicans, millions of dollars poured in from across the nation in hopes of influencing the race.
Highlighting Greene’s many controversies and problematic statements, Flowers raised $15.6 million compared to her $12 million. The Northwest Georgia 14th Congressional District race arguably became the most expensive U.S. House contest in the nation.
U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath is currently the representative in Georgia’s 6th District in metro Atlanta. But during redistricting her seat was drawn in a way that made it Republican-leaning.
So McBath decided to run in the neighboring 7th District instead, setting up a Democratic primary against fellow incumbent Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux that McBath won. In the general election, she defeated Republican Mark Gonsalves.
McBath posted a tribute to her late son who was killed in a shooting, Jordan Davis, to commemorate her reelection.
“This fight is for you,” she wrote on Twitter. “It is for all the children we have lost, and the families who will never be the same. To everyone who has joined this mom on a mission, thank you. The fight to save our children must continue.”
Two Republicans who won open seats Tuesday night will also be joining the state’s delegation: Mike Collins and Rich McCormick.
McCormick defeated Democrat Bob Christian in the 6th District. McCormick, an emergency room doctor who lives in Suwanee, said he plans to put his health care and military experience at the forefront of his tenure in Washington.
Collins is a trucking company owner. He won in Georgia’s 10th District after the incumbent, U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, decided to run for Georgia Secretary of State instead of seeking another term in Congress. Collins’ father is former U.S. Rep. Mac Collins. Hice lost his secretary of state bid in the Republican primary.
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