ATLANTA – Republicans were headed toward sweeping the races for Georgia’s constitutional offices Tuesday night, leading all seven down-ballot contests from lieutenant governor down to insurance and labor commissioner.
With 85% of the vote counted as of 10:45 p.m., state Sen. Burt Jones, R-Jackson, was ahead of Democrat Charlie Bailey, 52.1% to 45.9%, according to unofficial results. Libertarian Ryan Graham picked up 2% of the vote.
Jones was the only Republican on the statewide ticket who took part in former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. He served on an alternate slate of electors that was poised to hand the state’s 16 electoral votes to Trump if any of the lawsuits filed on behalf of Trump after Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia had moved forward.
Bailey ran unsuccessfully for attorney general four years ago and was planning to again this year before he changed his mind and decided to become a candidate for lieutenant governor.
Republican Attorney General Chris Carr was on his way to winning a second full term as Georgia’s top lawyer. Carr was leading Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan, D-Atlanta, 52.6% to 46%. Libertarian Martin Cowen was third at 1.4%.
Then-Gov. Nathan Deal appointed Carr attorney general in 2016. He was elected to a full four-year term two years later.
GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger had built up a solid lead over Democratic state Rep. Bee Nguyen, D-Atlanta, 53.9% to 43.4%. Libertarian Ted Metz trailed at 2.7%.
Raffensperger burnished his image as a political straight shooter when he refused to intervene in the 2020 presidential election after Trump called him in early January of last year and urged him to “find” the 11,780 votes the then-president needed to carry Georgia.
In the race for state School Superintendent, Republican Richard Woods was leading Democratic challenger Alisha Thomas Searcy 54.8% to 45.2%. Woods was first elected superintendent in 2014.
Incumbent state Insurance Commissioner John King was headed toward winning a first full term in that office, leading Democratic challenger Janice Laws Robinson 54.7% to 45.3%. Gov. Brian Kemp appointed then-Doraville Police Chief King to the post in 2019 after then-Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck was indicted for fraud and money laundering.
State Sen. Tyler Harper, R-Ocilla, was leading the race for agriculture commissioner, 53.7% to 44.3%, over Democrat Nakita Hemingway. Libertarian David Raudabaugh was running third at 2%.
Current Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black opted not to seek reelection and instead launched an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate.
State Sen. Bruce Thompson, R-White, was on his way to being elected labor commissioner over Democratic state Rep. William Boddie of East Point. Thompson had 52.8% of the vote compared to 44.8% for Boddie. Libertarian Emily Anderson was third with 2.4% of the vote.
The seat is being vacated by Republican Labor Commissioner Mark Butler, who decided not to run for a fourth term.
If all of the Republicans hold their margins of victory above 50%, they would avoid runoffs next month. No Democrat has won a constitutional office in Georgia since 2006.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.