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8:45 a.m.
Georgia voters settled several of the state’s most closely watched primary contests on Tuesday, setting up high-profile November matchups for U.S. Senate, governor and other statewide offices.
Turnout for the runoff was significantly lower at around 500,000 voters compared to the 1.5 million who voted in the May primary.
The governor’s race produced the night’s biggest surprise as billionaire Rick Jackson defeated Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the Republican runoff despite Jones’ endorsements from President Donald Trump and outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp. Jackson will face Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in the general election.
Republicans also finalized nominations for several statewide offices, including victories by Greg Dolezal for lieutenant governor and Tim Fleming for secretary of state.
In the Republican U.S. Senate runoff, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, who Trump endorsed, defeated former football coach Derek Dooley to win the GOP nomination and advance to a November showdown with Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff.
In metro Atlanta’s most closely watched local race, attorney and former Fulton County commissioner Mo Ivory defeated incumbent Robb Pitts in the Democratic runoff for chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, ending Pitts’ tenure atop the county government. Ivory will face Republican Eric Tatum in November.
To see a full list of results from yesterday’s primary, check out this link.
This wraps up our coverage of the primary runoff. Thank you for following our live coverage.
Wednesday, June 17, 7:25 a.m.
Mo Ivory toppled incumbent Robb Pitts to win the Democratic primary runoff for chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. Ivory claimed 46,794 votes, or 66%, to Pitts’ 24,152, or 34%.
Pitts, who has been in local politics for decades, served on the Atlanta City Council and as the city council president before his tenure on the Fulton County Commission. He has served as chairman for more than eight years.
Ivory, who quit her commission seat after one year to run for chair, received the endorsement of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Sheriff Pat Labatt and Fulton DA Fanni Willis.
10:45 p.m.
We’re wrapping up our coverage for the evening, but we will be back in the morning with additional results and updates. One local race we still have our eye on is the contest between Mo Ivory and incumbent Robb Pitts for Fulton Commission Chair. Ivory is leading, but there are still more than 200 precincts to count. Thank you for following today’s coverage!
10:28 p.m.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones has conceded the GOP gubernatorial runoff to upstart challenger Rick Jackson.
“We came up short,” he told supporters, according to the AJC. “We had a great election day. We just didn’t have enough runway to get it all the way there.”
Despite President Trump’s endorsement and a last-minute endorsement from Gov. Brian Kemp, Jones couldn’t get over the finish line. Jones spent $35 million of his own money in the primary, while Jackson spent at least $110 million of his own fortune.
Both candidates had launched a series of increasingly bitter and personal attack ads leading up to today’s runoff.
10:12 p.m.
Fulton County precincts are beginning to report results. Mo Ivory (Fulton County chair), Jodi Merriday (District 3 Commission seat), and Helen Willis (District 5 Commission seat) are maintaining their leads over primary challengers.
According to live results, 210 out of 437 precincts have partially reported. More than half, or 227 precincts, have not reported.
9:58 p.m.
Polling precincts in Fulton County closed almost three hours ago; however, no polling precincts have reported any Election Day votes, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s results page.
According to advance voting and absentee by mail numbers, about 17,100 Republican and 34,400 Democratic ballots have been counted so far.
9:50 p.m.
Georgia’s 7th Senate District has a special election to finish the remainder of state Rep. Nabilah Parkes’ vacated term. Parkes lost the Democratic runoff for lieutenant governor to Josh McLaurin.
With 27 of 33 precincts reporting, it appears Democrat Adrienne White will defeat Republican Aizaz Shaikh.
9:40 p.m.
Greg Dolezal has bested John Kennedy in the GOP Lt. Governor runoff and will face Democrat Josh McLaurin in November.
9:34 p.m.
In the Democratic runoff for the District 3 Fulton County Commission seat, Jodi Merriday leads Lee Morris by about 650 votes with 4,507 ballots cast.
In May, Morris won a plurality of votes at 32%, while Merriday won 28%. In that primary, 21,581 ballots were counted, according to Fulton County.
With so few votes in, it’s too early to call. Fulton has yet to release any Election Day results.
In the Democratic primary for the District 5 Fulton County Commission seat, Helen Willis leads Sojourner Grimmett by 1,800 votes with 10,632 ballots cast.
9:28 p.m.
NBC and other news outlets have called the GOP gubernatorial runoff for billionaire businessman Rick Jackson, defeating Trump and Kemp-endorsed current Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. Jackson got fewer votes in the May 19 primary, so his comeback is sure to send ripples across the nation. Jackson will face Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in November.
Former Atlanta City Council and Georgia House Rep. Keisha Sean Waites has defeated DeAndre Mathis in the Democratic runoff for insurance commissioner and will face Republican incumbent John King in November.
9:20 p.m.
The AJC has called the GOP runoff for the District 5 seat on the Georgia Public Service Commission for Josh Tolbert, who was competing against Bobby Mehan.
State Sen. Josh McLaurin (D-Sandy Springs) has defeated Nabilah Parkes in the Democratic primary for Georgia lieutenant governor.
Keisha Sean Waites has defeated DeAndre Mathis in the Democratic primary for Georgia Insurance Commissioner.
9:13 p.m.
Mo Ivory is leading the incumbent Robb Pitts in the Democratic primary runoff for Fulton County chair, with 65% of about 36,000 votes. So far, only some advanced voting and absentee by mail votes have been counted.
Ivory won a plurality of votes in the May 20 primary. She is endorsed by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. District 5 Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr., who failed to advance in the primary, endorsed Pitts.
Ivory resigned from the District 4 seat on the Fulton County Commission in March, citing her run to unseat the two-term incumbent Pitts.
Related story:
• Fulton County Democratic primary runoff debate: Robb Pitts vs. Mo Ivory
9:10 p.m.
Tony Kozycki has won the Democratic nomination in Georgia’s 7th Congressional District and will face Republican U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick in November.
9:05 p.m.
In the DeKalb County Board of Education District 4 race, with 19 of 25 precincts reporting, Tracy L. Brisson has 5,506, or 68% of the votes, to Sonja Payne Szubski’s 2,578 votes with 31.9%.
8:55 p.m.
Nikki Porcher has won the Democratic runoff for Georgia Labor Commissioner, defeating opponent Michelle “Michi” Sanchez. Porcher will face Republican incumbent Bárbara Rivera Holmes in November.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said approximately 580,000 voters cast ballots for today’s runoff.
8:45 p.m.
GOP Secretary of State candidate Tim Fleming had defeated former state lawmaker Vernon Jones, according to the Associated Press.
8:30 p.m.
NBC News has called the GOP U.S. Senate runoff for Mike Collins, who will go head-to-head with incumbent Democratic Jon Ossoff in November.
Collins, endorsed by President Trump, defeated former football coach Derek Dooley, endorsed by Gov. Brian Kemp. At 8:30 p.m., the vote count was nearing 220,000 for Collins to Dooley’s 181,000.
Also, the AJC reports Democrat Ruwa Romman has defeated Rahul Garabadu in the Dist. 7 State Senate contest.
8 p.m.
The story of the night so far is billionaire Rick Jackson’s big early lead against Trump and Kemp-endorsed Burt Jones in the GOP gubernatorial runoff. Jackson has more than 178,000 votes to Jones’ 127,000.
7:15 p.m.
We’ve got live election results at this link. Bookmark the link for regular updates and be sure to keep following this blog as results come in and races are called in the runoff.
7 p.m.
Polls have closed across Georgia. We’ll have a link for live results up shortly as the vote count begins.
6:40 p.m.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said during an early evening briefing that the state’s primary runoff has run smoothly on election day.
Republican turnout continued to outpace Democrats with 309,000 Republican ballots cast compared to 150,000 Democratic ones.
With no lines at most polling places, or at most a five-minute wait, Raffensperger applauded the poll workers.
Polls are closing shortly at 7 p.m. Check back as results start to come in.
3:45 p.m.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said during an afternoon briefing that voter turnout was expected to hit 300,000 by 2:30 p.m.
Republican turnout stood at 179,000, while Democratic turnout was at about 77,000 just before 2 p.m.
Raffensperger said a precinct in Cobb County opened 16 minutes late, while another in Paulding was interrupted by a fire alarm, and both may stay open past 7 p.m.
With rainy weather and early voting, lines have been nonexistent at polling places across the state.
“It’s just really running smoothly today,” Raffensperger said at the briefing.
2:07 p.m.
For the DeKalb County Board of Education candidates running to represent Tucker and surrounding areas in District 4, the May 16 primary resulted in a runoff. While no candidates received the necessary 50% of the vote to win, Tracy Brisson and Sonja Szubski garnered the most votes, earning a spot in June’s runoff election.
Brisson led Tuesday’s election with 37.31% of the vote, compared to Szubski’s 21.22%. Both candidates have said they don’t agree with the system’s Student Assignment Plan process that proposed closing or consolidating dozens of schools.
Brisson said during a May 7 candidate forum that student performance should be prioritized over a buildings-first approach when considering which schools to close and that performance data should be regularly presented to the board.
Szubski said she believes that a cluster-by-cluster approach should be taken, with successes duplicated in other areas.
1:20 p.m.
Poll workers at Peachtree Middle School in Dunwoody report a slow day with only 87 ballots cast at 12:40 p.m.
11:30 a.m.
Nearly 120,000 Georgians have cast ballots this morning in the primary runoff, according to Deputy Secretary of State Matthew Tyser.
Tyser said 70% of ballots cast have been for Republican candidates, who have more horses in the runoff race, and 30% for Democrats.
The Secretary of State’s office is predicting 500,000 will cast ballots today in Georgia.
9:40 a.m.
Despite some rain, a little more than 100 people have voted at Mount Vernon Baptist Church in southern Sandy Springs. Polling place volunteers told Rough Draft Atlanta that there has been a steady stream of voters, with little wait.
9:20 a.m.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that one race from the May 19 primary remains in limbo even as voters cast ballots in today’s runoff.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger ordered a recount of the Republican primary for the District 3 Public Service Commission seat. Results from last month’s election show Fitz Johnson narrowly defeated Brandon Martin by fewer than 3,000 votes.
Martin asked for the recount, which must be completed by June 26. The winner will face Democratic incumbent Peter Hubbard, who defeated Johnson in a special election last year, in November.
8:25 a.m.
While much of the runoff focus is on the GOP contests, the Democratic primary runoff for chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners has become contentious over the last few weeks.
Longtime incumbent Robb Pitts is running against former commissioner and attorney Mo Ivory in one of metro Atlanta’s most closely watched local races.
Ivory led the May 19 primary with about 40% of the vote, while Pitts received roughly 35%. The winner is heavily favored in November in Democratic-leaning Fulton County and will oversee the county’s multibillion-dollar budget and key issues, including the troubled county jail, public health services, and infrastructure.
Pitts, who has served as commission chairman since 2017 and has decades of experience in county government, is campaigning on his record and institutional knowledge.
Ivory, who resigned her District 4 commission seat after one year to challenge Pitts, positioned herself as a reform candidate to bring new leadership to Fulton. She has called for greater accountability and has pushed for an independent review of county finances, while arguing that Fulton County needs a fresh approach to longstanding issues.
The campaign has become increasingly contentious, with the candidates clashing in several debates over management of the embattled county jail, spending priorities, and leadership style. Pitts has questioned whether Ivory views the chairmanship as a stepping stone to a higher office, while Ivory has argued that Pitts represents the status quo and that voters are ready for change.
Notably, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Fulton County DA Fanni Willis, and Sheriff Pat Labatt have all endorsed Ivory.
7:45 a.m.
Polls are open across Georgia.
Our media partner, Georgia Recorder, has these reminders if you’re going to vote today in the runoff: Voters will have to select a Democratic or Republican ballot and can only vote on candidates from that party and for non-partisan positions like judges. You can also choose a non-partisan ballot, but then you’ll only be able to vote in the non-partisan races.
If you pulled a Democratic or Republican ballot last month, you can only vote in that party’s primary in the runoff, but if you previously chose a non-partisan ballot or if you didn’t vote last month, you can choose either party’s ballot.
Whichever ballot you select in the primary, you can pick and choose candidates from either party in November.
On Election Day, voters can only cast a ballot at their assigned precincts. You can visit the Georgia secretary of state’s “My Voter Page” to view your precinct information and sample ballots. Bring ID to vote.
6:30 a.m.
Welcome to Rough Draft’s coverage of today’s primary runoff election. Polls are set to open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. across the state, with high-stakes contests that will decide which candidates will advance to the crucial midterm elections in November.
Today’s runoff includes several high-profile contests, including Republican nominations for governor and U.S. Senate.
The marquee contest is the Republican race for governor, where Lt. Gov. Burt Jones faces businessman Rick Jackson in a battle to succeed term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp. Jones, who led the primary field and has the backing of President Donald Trump and Kemp, is seeking to fend off Jackson, a political newcomer who spent heavily on the race. The winner will advance to face Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms in November.
Another closely watched runoff will determine the Republican challenger to Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff. U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley advanced from a crowded GOP primary after neither secured a majority. Collins, endorsed by Trump, has drawn support from rural and conservative voters, while Dooley has emphasized his appeal to suburban voters and has received support from allies of Kemp.
Republicans outpaced Democrats during last week’s early voting period, with more than 300,000 ballots compared to the Democrats’ 178,000.
Be sure to check back often for updates throughout the day and results this evening.
