GA Secretary Of State Election Results: Brad Raffensperger Wins

ATLANTA, GA — Republican Brad Raffensperger defeated Democrat John Barrow Tuesday night in Georgia's Secretary of State runoff over John Barrow. With 96 percent of precincts reporting to the Georgia Secretary of State's office at 10:30 pm, Raffensperger led Barrow by a 54 to 46 percent margin, or 718,391 votes to Barrow's 626,458. The Associated Press called the race for Raffensperger shortly before 10:30 pm.

Raffensperger's victory continues the GOP's complete domination of every statewide elected office that the party has held in Georgia since 2002.

Raffensperger never trailed Barrow, a former Georgia congressman, throughout Tuesday night. Both men were running for the seat once held by Brian Kemp, who defeated Stacey Abrams last month in the nation's most watched governor's race. Abrams endorsed Barrow, and accused Kemp of voter suppression tactics during the campaign.

In the other statewide runoff, Republican Chuck Eaton was reelected to his Public Service Commission district 3 seat, defeating Democrat Lindy Miller

Some metro Atlanta polls remained open past the statewide 7 p.m. closing time because of problems at those polls. In Fulton County, the Joseph McGhee Tennis Center on Beecher Court in SW Atlanta will close at 7:15 p.m. because it did not open at 7 a.m.. Life Center Ministries on Mt. Vernon Road in Dunwoody closed at 8 p.m. Officials said while the facility opened on time, the poll manager misplaced supplies, which halted voting for an hour.

In Cobb County, Teasley Elementary was locked down briefly because of reports of a man with a gun approaching the school. While the threat proved to be unfounded, the lockdown caused a delay in voting. That poll remained open until 7:20 p.m.

Barrow urged voters to stay in line past 7 p.m. so they can cast their ballot.

Abrams said Kemp, while secretary of state, deliberately engaged in tactics and policies designed to suppress minority votes, while Kemp pointed to Georgia's record-breaking number of registered voters as proof those allegations were false.

SEE ALSO: Polling Place At Cobb School To Be Open Late After Lockdown

Now, Raffensperger is faced with the challenge of reforming Georgia's national reputation as a hotbed of voter suppression and voting machines that are more than 15 years old.

SEE ALSO:

• Georgia's New Secretary Of State Makes History
• Stacey Abrams Filing Lawsuit Over Alleged Election Mismanagement
• Abrams: Brian Kemp Will Be Certified Winner Of GA Governor's Race
• Senator, 14 Others Arrested At Capitol Protest Over GA Election
• Georgia Election Officials Told To Count Absentee Ballots

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Image Brad Raffensperger