Democrats head to runoff in top Georgia House race

Democrats are heading to a runoff in Georgia’s 7th Congressional District, home of one of the nation’s most closely watched House races.

Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux, who narrowly lost her race for the same seat by 0.2 percentage points in 2018, leads the rest of the primary field by 30 points, with 46 percent of the vote. However, since no candidate broke 50 percent in the race, she will face state Rep. Brenda Lopez Romero in an Aug. 11 runoff. 

“I am very grateful for the support the campaign received from across this district, from people of all backgrounds and walks of life,” Bourdeaux said in a statement Wednesday. “It’s time for our party to come together and go into November united against a Republican party that has lost its moral bearings, and I’m honored to once again be the top Democratic candidate in the 7th District.”

Democrats are eager to try to flip the seat, which is being vacated by Rep. Rob Woodall (R). Woodall’s seat is on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) target list, though the DCCC has not made an endorsement in the race.

Tuesday’s results mark another disappointment for progressives, who had rallied behind political consultant Nabilah Islam. Islam garnered only 13 percent of the vote, coming in third place.

Bourdeaux, who will likely enter the runoff as the favorite, will be forced to spend further resources on the intraparty race rather than gear up for the general election. The victor of the runoff will face off against Rich McCormick, a former military pilot and an emergency medicine physician.

The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election handicapper, rates the race in the Atlanta-area district as a “toss up.”