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Run-off required in state senate race
By Ross Willis
Thursday, July 17, 2008 10:44 AM EDT
The Toccoa Record
Voters will have the chance to return to the polls on Aug. 5 to cast their ballots in a couple of run-off elections.
Although no local primary election races resulted in a run-off situation, Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate as well as Republican candidates for the Georgia Senate’s 50th District race are finding that their struggles will continue for approximately three more weeks before their futures are determined.
In Stephens County, incumbent Nancy Schaefer secured 51.84 percent ( 1,354 votes) of the vote — enough to secure her re-election without the need for a run-off. However, that percentage didn’t hold across the entire district, even though she won in six of the eight counties that make up the 50th District.
She claimed victory in Banks, Franklin, Hart, Rabun and Towns counties, in addition to her sizable win in Stephens. But, candidate Jim Butterworth, who landed 831 votes (31.81 percent) in Stephens County, claimed a win in Habersham County by enough of a margin to cut into Schaefer’s percentage and secure his spot in the run-off.
District-wide, Butterworth brought in 6,798 votes (40.7 percent) compared to Schaefer’s 6,289 votes (37.7 percent), even though he only one won one of the eight counties in the 50th District.
Like Butterworth, candidate Terry Rogers claimed a victory in only one county, White, but unlike his rival, that win wasn’t enough to carry him into the run-off round. In Stephens County, Rogers gained 427 votes (16.35 percent), and he received 3,612 votes (21.6 percent) across the district.
Five Democratic U.S. Senate candidates entered Tuesday’s primary election, but only two of them will move on to the next round of elections — the Aug. 5 run-off.
Although candidate Jim Martin secured the top spot in voting results in Stephens County with 736 votes (42.72 percent), he came in second to contender Vernon Jones in the state’s voting totals.
But, it doesn’t matter, because Martin did come in second across the state to secure his run-off spot against Jones next month.
In Stephens County, Jones placed third with 235 votes (13.64 percent) after second place finisher Dale Cardwell who received 529 (30.70 percent).
Josh Lanier brought down 132 votes (7.66 percent), and Rand Knight got 91 votes (5.28 percent) to round out the field.
However, the results varied significantly overall. Jones and Martin flip-flopped their first and second place finishes with Jones receiving 194,654 votes (40.3 percent) and Martin gaining 165,564 votes (34.3 percent). Cardwell landed a distant third with 77,624 votes (16.1 percent), and Knight and Lanier taking 25,287 votes (5.2 percent) and 19,552 votes (4.1 percent), respectively.
Jones and Martin will square off once again in the Aug. 5 run-off election, because neither of them managed to secure more than 50 percent of the votes cast. That means all those who cast Democratic ballots during the July 15 primary election will be able to return to the polls on Aug. 5 to vote in this run-off election.
In the only other race that will continue in the run-off election next month, two of the three Republican candidates vying for the 50th District state Senate seat will meet once again. And, as was shown in the U.S. Senate Democratic race, Stephens voters didn’t agree with voters from other counties.
Those who cast Republican ballots during the July 15 primary election will be able to return to the polls on Aug. 5 to vote in this run-off election. The winner of the run-off between Schaefer and Butterworth will serve as the next 50th District senator, as there are no Democratic contenders for the post.
The results of other district- and state-wide elections are as follows:
• U.S. Senate (Republican): Saxby Chambliss ran unopposed and gained 2,184 votes in Stephens County and 391,259 votes across the state. He will square off against the winner of the Aug. 5 run-off between Democratic candidates Jones and Martin.
• U.S. House, District 10, Republican: Incumbent Paul Broun defeated Barry Fleming in both Stephens County and throughout the District. Broun garnered 1,982 votes (78.09 percent) county-wide and 44,859 votes (71.0 percent) across the district compared to Fleming’s 556 votes (21.91 percent) in Stephens and 18,334 votes (29.0 percent) in District 10 as a whole.
Broun will move on to face Democratic challenger Bobby Saxson in the Nov. 4 general election. Saxson was unopposed during the primary election and earned 1,325 votes in Stephens County and 23,962 throughout the district.
• State House, District 28, Republican: Michael Harden was unopposed and received 1,963 votes in Stephens County and 4,201 votes at the district level. He will face Democratic incumbent Jeanette Jamieson, who was unopposed during the primary election, in November.
• State House, District 28, Democrat: Jeanette Jamieson (Inc.) was unopposed and received 1,775 votes across the county and 2,393 votes throughout the 29th District.
She will face Republican challenger Michael Harden, who also was unopposed during the primary, in the Nov. 4 general election.
• District Attorney, Mountain Circuit, Republican: Brian M. Rickman (In.c) was unopposed and received 1,902 votes in Stephens County and 8,070 votes in the Mountain Judicial Circuit. He will begin a new term in office in January, because no Democratic candidates qualified to seek election to that post.
• Public Service Commissioner, District 1, Republican: Incumbent H. Doug Everett handily defeated challenger Rick Collum in Stephens County as well as across the state. Everett garnered 1,361 votes (66.00 percent) in Stephens County and 239,354 votes (64.8 percent) throughout the state compared to Collum’s 701 votes (34.00 percent) in Stephens County and 129,816 votes (35.2 percent) throughout Georgia.
Everett will serve another term in that post, as there is no Democratic opposition for the seat.
• Public Service Commissioner, District 4, Republican: Lauren W. McDonald secured a narrow victory in Stephens County and across the state over candidate Pam Davidson. In Stephens County, McDonald gained 1,144 votes (56.13 percent) compared to Davidson’s 894 votes (43.87 percent). State-wide, McDonald earned 188,132 votes (52.3 percent) to Davidson’s 171,265 votes (47.7 percent).
McDonald will square off against Democrat Jim Powell who was victorious in his bid to move forward to the general election in November.
• Public Service Commissioner, District 4, Democrat: Jim Powell securely defeated Bob Indech in Stephens County with 1,377 votes (89.01 percent) compared to Indech’s 170 votes (10.99 percent). Similarly, he also received 336,025 votes (85.3 percent) to Indech’s 57,874 votes (14.7 percent) across Georgia.
Powell will face Republican McDonald in the Nov. 4 general election, as McDonald won out in the Republican contest for the post during the Tuesday, July 15, primary election.
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