ATLANTA — Georgians went to the polls Tuesday for primary voting that will determine who will appear on the general election ballot this November.
Now a pivotal swing state - arguably, the most important bellwether "purple" state in the country - Georgia voters are determining the nominees for races including governor, U.S. Senate, important U.S. House districts and other state offices such as lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state.
The Associated Press has already made calls in primary races that will see Gov. Brian Kemp and Stacey Abrams face off in a rematch of the 2018 race for governor, and Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker campaign for a U.S. Senate seat.
All day, the 11Alive team tracked developments from around metro Atlanta, north Georgia and the rest of the Peach State. Here's a look back at the day.
Georgia primary elections updates from Tuesday
12:20 a.m. | Calling it a night here in Atlanta. You can find our list of race winners below:
12:10 a.m. | Some late stuff still trickling along before we call it a night - Rich McCormick and Jake Evans will indeed go to a runoff in the 6th District Republican primary, according to the AP.
And in the 10th District Republican primary, trucking executive Mike Collins and Trump favorite Vernon Jones, an ex-Democratic lawmaker in Georgia who joined the MAGA movement and rebranded as a Republican, will go to a runoff.
NBC News also now projecting the Raffensperger win in the Republican secretary of state primary.
11:50 p.m. | Tallying up projected statewide race results, GOP candidates who based much of their campaign on 2020 fraud narratives and appear to have lost include David Perdue (governor), Jody Hice (secretary of state) and John Gordon (attorney general).
One such candidate, Burt Jones, looks like he stands a good chance of winning the lieutenant governor nomination. Herschel Walker, a noted Trump friend and ally, also won his race, though his campaign was not highly focused on 2020 election themes.
11:45 p.m. | The highly-regarded election observer Dave Wasserman is projecting that Sec. Brad Raffensperger will win the Republican nomination for reelection in a somewhat surprising outright defeat of U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, who was a very close Trump ally and vocal proponent of 2020 election fraud narratives.
11:35 p.m. | On the Cobb cityhood matter, not a lot of returns in yet but all of the proposed cities of East Cobb (75% no), Lost Mountain (61% no) and Vinings (57% no) are, at least at the moment, headed for defeat.
11:30 p.m. | Some things that we haven't seen officially called yet, but probably could be:
- Rep. David Scott looks on track to win his Democratic primary in the 13th District.
- 2020 nominee Rich McCormick and Trump-endorsed Jake Evans look pretty solid for a runoff in the 6th District Republican primary.
- Jonathan Chavez appears to have a pretty insurmountable lead in the 4th District Republican primary.
- Looks like the 2nd District Republican primary will be a runoff between Jeremy Hunt and Chris West.
- The 1st District Democratic primary appears headed for a runoff between Joyce Marie Griggs and Wade Herring.
- Second place is up for grabs in the Democratic lieutenant governor primary, but former U.S. Rep. Kwanza Hall appears set for at least one of the spots.
- Same goes for Georgia Rep. Bee Nguyen in the Democratic secretary of state primary.
- This is close enough to change, but cut-flower farmer Nakita Hemingway looks like she's got a good shot to clear 50% + 1 in the Democratic agriculture commissioner primary.
- Former Georgia Rep. Alisha Thomas Searcy appears as if she will win the Democratic state school superintendent primary outright.
- Georgia Sen. Bruce Thompson looks like he has a commanding lead to win the Republican labor commissioner primary.
- Patty Durand appears headed for the win in the Democratic Public Service Commission District 2 race.
- Same goes for Shelia Edwards in the Public Service Commission 3 Democratic primary.
10:55 p.m. | Marcus Flowers, an Army veteran who has generated an enormously popular national social media among liberals for his opposition to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, is now being projected to win the Democratic primary in the 14th District.
He's gotten a flood of campaign donations and has built a high profile, but there will be very little substantive chance of him unseating Greene in the deeply red district.
10:35 p.m. | With things settling down, here's a bit of what we're still watching:
- Lieutenant governor: Races too close to call for both the Republicans and the Democrats. With about 60% of returns in, on the Republican side Trump-backed state Sen. Burt Jones is trying to clear the 50% + 1 threshold (currently at 50.74%) to avoid a runoff with Georgia Senate president pro tem Butch Miller, who stands at just shy of 31%. For the Democrats, a runoff looks likely with former Rep. Kwanza Hall leading a crowded field at a hair more than 29%. Attorney Charlie Bailey (17.5%), state Rep. Renitta Shannon (13.85%) and entrepreneur/ex-City of Atlanta official Tyrone Brooks Jr. (11.53%) all in the mix for the runoff.
- Secretary of state: Similar numbers to lieutenant governor for the Republicans, but the dynamics are flipped. Incumbent Sec. Brad Raffensperger, representing more the establishment state GOP, is at 51.01% and seeking to avoid a runoff with Trump-backed Rep. Jody Hice, who's at 34.22%. On the Democratic side, high-profile state Rep. Bee Nguyen has a strong lead over the field but does not appear as if she'll avoid a runoff (41.43%). Former state Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler (19.08%) and Marine vet/former Cobb Democratic Party chairman Michael Owens (17.16%) dueling for the runoff.
- Republican House District 10: This is the race to succeed Hice, who is leaving office for his secretary of state run. It's a solidly red district, so whoever wins this almost certainly will be headed to Congress. Trucking executive Mike Collins and Trump favorite Vernon Jones - a former Democrat state lawmaker who became a MAGA cheerleader who had a past rape allegation resurface during the campaign - are the top two. Collins is at 25.24% and Jones is at 20.75%. State Rep. Timothy Barr, endorsed by Hice, is at 14.35% and former Rep. Paul Broun is at 14.01%.
- Republican House District 6: Marine vet and ER doctor Rich McCormick was the 2020 nominee in this race and is at 40.12% so far tonight. He appears headed for a runoff with Trump-endorsed Jake Evans, who is at 24.34%.
10:00 p.m. | The AP is now calling the 7th District primary for Rep. Lucy McBath, a victory over a fellow sitting congresswoman in Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux (the two were pitted against one another due to redistricting).
10:00 p.m. | And recapping the U.S. House nominees called so far:
- 1st District Republican primary: Rep. Buddy Carter (incumbent)
- 2nd District Democratic primary: Rep. Sanford Bishop (incumbent)
- 3rd District Republican primary: Rep. Drew Ferguson (incumbent)
- 3rd District Democratic primary: Val Almonord
- 4th District Democratic primary: Rep. Hank Johnson (incumbent)
- 5th District Republican primary: Christian Zimm
- 5th District Democratic primary: Rep. Nikema Williams (incumbent)
- 8th District Republican primary: Rep. Austin Scott (incumbent)
- 8th District Democratic primary: Darrius Butler
- 9th District Republican primary: Andrew Clyde (incumbent)
- 9th District Democratic primary: Mike Ford
- 11th District Republican primary: Rep. Barry Loudermilk (incumbent)
- 11th District Democratic primary: Antonio Daza
- 12th District Republican primary: Rep. Rick Allen (incumbent)
- 12th District Democratic primary: Liz Johnson
- 14th District Republican primary: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (incumbent)
9:53 p.m. | Rep. Nikema Williams gets the call for the Democratic nomination for reelection in the 5th District.
9:50 p.m. | So, to recap, the big statewide calls so far:
- Republican governor: Brian Kemp (incumbent)
- Democratic governor: Stacey Abrams
- Republican Senate: Herschel Walker
- Democratic Senate: Raphael Warnock (incumbent)
- Republican attorney general: Chris Carr (incumbent)
- Democratic attorney general: Jen Jordan
- Republican insurance commissioner: John King (incumbent)
- Republican superintendent: Richard Woods (incumbent)
- Republican agriculture commissioner: Tyler Hall
- Republican public service commission District 2: Tim Echols (incumbent)
- Republican public service commission District 3: Fitz Johnson (incumbent)
9:45 p.m. | Incumbent state Insurance Commissioner John King has won the Republican primary for that office and incumbent state Superintendent Richard Woods has won his Republican primary.
State Sen. Jen Jordan called in the Democratic primary for attorney general, as well.
9:38 p.m. | Gov. Kemp is addressing supporters after winning the Republican gubernatorial nomination.
9:35 p.m. | AP makes calls for a few U.S. House incumbents - Republican Rep. Drew Ferguson in the 3rd District, Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop in the 2nd District and Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde in the 9th District.
9:25 p.m. | We haven't seen anything from NBC News or AP yet, but some sharp election observers are calling the 7th District Democratic primary for Rep. Lucy McBath. She's officially up on fellow Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux (the two sitting congresswomen are going head-to-head in the primary because of redistricting) with more than 63% of a little more than 25,000 votes counted.
9:07 p.m. | Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has won the nomination for reelection in the 14th District, the AP projects.
9:00 p.m. | Glancing around the House returns for some other observations:
- Rep. Nikema Williams looks set to hold off two primary challengers to retain John Lewis' 5th District seat that represents much of Atlanta. She's at about 88% with 30,000 votes counted.
- Rich McCormick, the 2020 nominee, and Trump-backed Jake Evans look like they'll be the top two in the 6th District Republican race - a district that's been redrawn to all but guarantee a Republican victory.
- Rep. Lucy McBath has a large lead over Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux in the 7th District Democratic primary, but not many votes counted there yet.
- Trucking executive Mike Collins is distinctly out in front in the 10th District Republican primary to succeed Rep. Jody Hice, but nowhere near clearing the 50% + 1 threshold to avoid a runoff. Several candidates bunched up in the race for second, including Trump-backed Vernon Jones.
- Longtime 13th District Rep. David Scott fending off several primary challengers, with a hair shy of 70% of the vote with 45,000 or so votes counted.
- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene having little trouble with the Republican primary field in the 14th District, with better than 70% of the nearly 43,000 votes counted so far.
8:50 p.m. | AP has called the Republican primary for Attorney General Chris Carr against John Gordon, who filed one of the several legal challenges to the 2020 election in Georgia.
8:40 p.m. | A whirlwind of developments in the 1 hour and 40 minutes since polls have closed, but so far delivering what we expected:
- Brian Kemp vs. Stacey Abrams for governor
- Raphael Warnock vs. Herschel Walker for Senate
8:38 p.m. | Here's more from David Perdue, who has conceded to Gov. Kemp:
"Here's the bottom line, we trust the people of Georgia. He is a much better choice than Stacey Abrams."
8:32 p.m. | The AP has now called the Republican primary for Kemp as well. The 2022 governor's race will officially be a rematch of 2018.
8:30 p.m. | David Perdue is speaking now, and says he has called Gov. Kemp to congratulate him.
8:25 p.m. | NBC now making the call for Gov. Kemp
8:20 p.m. | Here's a look at the Herschel Walker primary night party:
8:15 p.m. | In one of the most interesting House primaries, Rep. Lucy McBath and Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux are facing off in the rare primary pitting two sitting congresswomen against each other (this is a result of redistricting that made it all but impossible for a Democrat to win the 6th District seat McBath currently holds).
Bourdeaux told 11Alive she raised $3 million but was behind McBath, which she attributed to "outside money" including cryptocurrency donations.
It's too few votes to draw any serious conclusions from yet (2,276) but from that batch McBath is ahead with more than 80%.
8:10 p.m. | Looking around at some of the more interesting statewide races, Trump-backed state Sen. Burt Jones is clearing the 50% + 1 threshold so far in the Republican lieutenant governor race - it would be a remarkable win to avoid a runoff with one of the state's most influential Republicans, Senate president pro tem Butch Miller (who so far is around 29% with 135,000 votes counted).
Former Rep. Kwanza Hall leads the Democratic pack for lieutenant governor, but it wouldn't appear anyone in that crowded field will get to 50% + 1.
Sec. of State Brad Raffensperger looks like he'll be a close call to avoid a runoff, running at 51% right now with 141,000 votes counted. His most serious challenger is U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, a Trump-endorsed 2020 election skeptic.
State Rep. Bee Nguyen is the favorite to win the Democratic secretary of state nomination, right now she's about 43.5% (121,500 votes counted).
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is looking strong to win nomination for reelection (75% with 159,000 votes counted) and state Sen. Jen Jordan appears on track in the Democratic primary (78% with 120,000 votes counted).
The former state deputy labor commissioner, Mike Coan, left his office to run for the top job in the Department of Labor but trails state Sen. Bruce Thompson - who has better than 60% of the 143,000 votes counted in that Republican primary so far.
7:57 p.m. | The Associated Press has now called the Republican primary for Herschel Walker.
7:55 p.m. | Sen. Rev. Warnock's reaction to winning the Democratic Senate primary:
7:55 p.m. | NBC News is now projecting Herschel Walker will win the Republican Senate primary, an expected result. Comes perhaps earlier than what would have been expected in the night, though, due to overwhelming returns so far in his favor.
7:50 p.m. | Not to get too far ahead of things, but if we continue to see the levels of support coming in for Herschel Walker (about 71% with 56,000 or so votes counted) and Brian Kemp (around 73% with roughly 57,000 votes in) we could potentially see early calls in those races later.
Polling suggested both were strong shots to clear 50% + 1 and earn nominations outright without needing a runoff.
7:40 p.m. | Fulton County held a press conference to provide an update earlier this hour, reporting 91,000 advance votes were already counted with 5,300 of those being absentee votes.
"I'm confident it was a great day," an election official said, adding there were no significant issues today.
7:35 p.m. | Just a note of clarification: 11Alive does not make election calls. We will cite the Associated Press and NBC News for any calls.
Obviously, there aren't many returns in yet but frequently news organizations that are in the business of calling races will do so early in the night in which there is an overwhelming favorite of a candidate and enough returns to suggest their support will match the various polling and analysis those organizations rely on to make their calls.
In this case, there's a little shy of 30,000 votes counted in the Democratic Senate primary, but Sen. Warnock leads primary challenger Tamara Johnson-Shealey by about 97-3%, which likely contributed to NBC's decision to call the race in his favor.
7:30 p.m. | NBC News has called the Senate Democratic primary for incumbent Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock, a widely expected result:
7:15 p.m. | Other unopposed candidates you can chalk up as winners tonight:
- Rep. Buddy Carter in the U.S. House District 1 Republican primary
- Val Almonord in the U.S. House District 3 Democratic primary
- Rep. Hank Johnson in the U.S. House District 4 Democratic primary
- Christian Zimm in the U.S. House District 5 Republican primary
- Rep. Austin Scott in the U.S. House District 8 Republican primary
- Darrius Butler in the U.S. House District 8 Democratic primary
- Mike Ford in the U.S. House District 9 Democratic primary
- Rep. Barry Loudermilk in the U.S. House District 11 Republican primary
- Antonio Daza in the U.S. House District 11 Democratic primary
- Rep. Rick Allen in the U.S. House District 12 Republican primary
- Liz Johnson in the U.S. House District 12 Democratic primary
- Tyler Harper in the Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Republican primary
- Tim Echols in the Public Service Commission District 2 Republican primary
- Fitz Johnson in the Public Service Commission District 3 Republican primary
7:05 p.m. | With polls closing, the unopposed Stacey Abrams officially becomes the Democratic nominee for governor in Georgia.
7 p.m. | The polls have now officially closed in all but the few precincts that have had extensions. (Which you can find here)
6:55 p .m. | The polls will close in five minutes in Georgia. If you're in line, remember to stay in line! Anyone in line by 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
6:45 p.m. | Follow 11Alive's Joe Ripley for coverage from the Herschel Walker campaign:
6:35 p.m. | Stacey Abrams has now also issued a statement on the school shooting in Texas:
Herschel Walker has issued one as well:
6:25 p.m. | Add this DeKalb County precinct to the list of those staying open later:
6:15 p.m. | As mentioned earlier, Rep. Lucy McBath - one of Georgia's most visible advocates in the debate around guns and a mother who lost her son to gun violence in 2012 - has now issued a statement on the shooting in Texas:
“Again in America, more families will now be forced to live forever with the pain of losing their precious children to unspeakable, senseless gun violence in a place where they should have been safe, happy, and free.
“At a time when this nation is still reeling from the pain of recent shootings, we are faced with another sickening, preventable tragedy in Texas.
“We are better than this. We have to be better than this. We cannot be the only nation where we pay for the weapons of war in our streets with the blood of our children sitting in our schools.
“We have to do something to fix this. We can do something to help fix this. We must do something to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them.
“It’s imperative we act, and act now. I will never rest until we do.”
6:10 p.m. | Polls close in 50 minutes. Once again, you only need to be in line by 7 p.m. If you make it to the polling location by then they'll give you the time to vote. Several voting precincts will also stay open later this evening for various reasons, which you can see here.
6:00 p.m. | Update on Gwinnett County's delays:
5:50 p.m. | Gov. Brian Kemp, who will learn later tonight if he's been nominated by Republican voters to run for reelection, has issued a statement on the shooting in Texas:
5:35 p.m. | 11Alive's Kristin Crowley is also with the campaign of Rep. Lucy McBath, running in a primary in the 6th District. The Democrat lost her son to gun violence in 2012 and is a vocal advocate on gun issues. She's expected to make remarks later on the Texas shooting:
5:35 p.m. | Georgia lawmakers and candidates are beginning to react to the horrific news of an elementary school shooting in Texas. Here are some of their statements:
5:25 p.m. | Here are more details on some of the extended hours at precincts around the state:
5:15 p.m. | Sec. of State Brad Raffensperger just held a brief press conference to provide an update on Primary Day. Some key points
- Longest lines being seen right now are 30-45 minutes, everything under an hour across the state.
- Nine precincts out of 2500 in the state that will have to stay open later due to various issues.
- Most of those extensions will be about 20-30 minutes, including in Gwinnett and Cobb.
- A few in Fulton County will stay up open as much as 45 minutes later.
- Raffensperger said most of everything will be done by 7:30 p.m. tonight.
4:30 p.m. | Just in from Cobb County officials - two precincts in Marietta will remain open a little longer tonight:
- Marietta 5A (Zion Baptist Church) will be open until 7:10 p.m.
- Marietta 5B (Turner Chapel AME) will be open until 7:13 p.m.
4:00 p.m. | Three hours until polls close - remember! You only have to be in line by 7 p.m. If you're there on time, polls will stay open past 7 p.m. for anyone who was in line by 7 p.m.
3:40 p.m. | Both the Georgia Democrats and Republicans have hotlines to report issues with voting today, should you encounter any:
2:45 p.m. | The state is on path to surpass 2018 record for midterm primary turnout, according to the Secretary of State's office.
1:30 p.m. | Good news for 'This Is Us' fans. We will not be interrupting programing with election coverage. You can watch continuous coverage of Primary Day on ALL our other platforms, including our sister channel WATL, http://11Alive.com, 11Alive News app, YouTube channel and our Roku and Amazon Fire TV streaming apps.
10:25 a.m. | Stacey Abrams is getting ready to speak with reporters:
10:15 a.m. | A Fulton County elections official says two locations had delayed openings due to technical issues. Hopewell Middle School and Creel Park precincts will stay open 20-30 minutes later. They are waiting for a court order.
10:05 a.m. | Atlanta city council member Dustin Hillis voices frustration on Twitter after he says a precinct in his district (District 9) only had one worker and there were long lines because of it. He said another location is "apparently not even open." 11Alive is working to verify this.
10 a.m. | Fulton County officials to provided an election day update:
9:55 a.m. | Fulton County has a website dedicated to wait times. As of now, nothing is showing more than 30 minutes. Check it out here.
8:40 a.m. | An issue at Creel Park in College Park (Fulton County) has been resolved. According to our reporter on scene, there was an issue with the polling pads which caused a 30 minute delay.
8:15 a.m. | We are hearing of some reports of delays at polling locations in Fulton County due to likely technical issues. We have reached out to officials for comments.
7 a.m. | The polls are open across the state. So far, so good. If you see any issue, let us know. You can text us at 404-885-7600.
The polls will close at 7 p.m. At that point, 11Alive will begin tracking results as the returns come in from around the Peach State.
There was robust turnout so far in the Peach State ahead of important primary elections that will determine who appears on the November general election ballots - record turnout, in fact.
State elections official Gabriel Sterling reported over the weekend that more than 850,000 votes were cast in the early voting period.
Sec. of State Brad Raffensperger told 11Alive last week the record turnout is "fantastic."
"What it shows is that it’s never been easier to vote in Georgia, but we have the appropriate guardrails, securities in place," he said. "When you have strong security that elevates people’s confidence in the process. So now, we have photo ID for all absentee voting. We have 17 days of early voting. Just Thursday and Friday left to go…but we’re already seeing numbers pushing 200 percent higher than what in 2020."
