Democrat Bourdeaux flips Georgia House seat

Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux on Friday was projected to flip Georgia’s 7th Congressional District in the race to fill the seat of retiring Rep. Rob Woodall (R-Ga.).

The Associated Press called the race for Bourdeaux at 2 p.m. EST. Bourdeaux garnered over 51 percent of the vote with 100 percent of precincts reporting.  

Bourdeaux defeated Republican Rich McCormick, a former military pilot and emergency room physician, in the district that has long been held by a Republican. 

Bourdeaux declared victory in the race early Wednesday morning, telling her supporters “we finished the job” from two years ago when she first took on Woodall. 

“I got into this race because I believe all Georgians deserve affordable, quality health care, and because we need to get control of COVID-19 to get our children back in school and our economy back on track,” Bourdeaux said in a statement. “It is the honor of a lifetime to be your Congresswoman-elect, and I will carry your stories and experiences with me every day as we work together to build a brighter future for our children.”

Bourdeaux narrowly lost her election against Woodall in 2018, in one of the tightest races across the nation in the midterms. 

The district has long been represented by Republicans, but Gwinnett County, which makes up a large portion of the 7th District, has been shifting toward Democratic candidates in recent elections. 

Democrats had targeted 38 Republican seats as potential pickups, with their “red-to-blue” program. This is the first they’ve won. Republicans have won 28 of the 38 targeted.