Republicans Keep State House, Senate Seats In Cherokee

CANTON, GA — Voters in Cherokee County have chosen to keep the current leadership they have in the Georgia General Assembly, as the incumbent state legislators appear to have won their respective re-election battles.

Unofficial results show Rep. Michael Caldwell, Rep. Scot Turner, Rep. Mandi Ballinger and Rep. Wes Cantrell have all defeated their Democratic challengers in the Nov. 6 general election. Voters in unincorporated Cherokee County, Woodstock, Ball Ground, Holly Springs and Canton have also given the green light to serve alcohol at restaurants at 11 a.m. on Sundays instead of 12:30 p.m.

Caldwell, of Woodstock, defeated Democratic challenger Lillian Burnaman 17,893 to 7,688 votes for that seat while Turner, who represents District 21, won his fight for re-election against Democrat Melanie Whitfield with 19,383 votes. The Democrat received 6,563 votes in her bid against the Holly Springs resident.

For House District 22, Wes Cantrell, the Republican incumbent who also lives in Woodstock, defeated challenger Charles Ravenscraft while Ballinger, the Republican representing District 23, cruised to victory against Adam Wynn. Cantrell received 16,779 votes while Ravenscraft polled at 3,465 votes. For Ballinger, a Canton resident, she received 17,774 votes while Wynn garnered 5,965 votes.

State Rep. John Carson, who represents House District 46, was also re-elected in his contested race. Carson, who represents the district that encompasses extreme Southeast Cherokee County and parts of Northeast Cobb, was re-elected with 16,707 votes while his Democratic challenger, Karin Sandiford, received 9,887 votes.

Republicans were also victorious in the Georgia Senate races. With 100 percent of the vote in for the Senate District 14 race, incumbent Republican Bruce Thompson defeated Democrat Rachel Kinsey with 49,735 votes to the challenger's 19,977 votes. Senate District 14 represents parts of Bartow and Cherokee counties.

Incumbent Republican Sen. Brandon Beach, who represents Senate District 21, has also held on to his seat representing eastern Cherokee County and Alpharetta and Milton. With all precincts reporting, Beach defeated Democrat Nicole Cash with 61,470 votes. Nash received 25,806 votes in the election.

John Albers was re-elected to Georgia's 56th District with 41,787 to Democrat Ellyn Jeager's 37,728 votes with 100 percent of the precincts reporting their numbers.

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Residents who want their mimosas and Bloody Mary's a little earlier on Sundays have also proven victorious in Cherokee County, as voters where the question was on the ballot approved the measure. The proposal to allow restaurants to serve alcohol by the drink at 11 a.m. on Sunday was approved in unincorporated Cherokee and Canton, Ball Ground, Holly Springs and Woodstock.

Cherokee voters approved the question 71,379 to 32,046 while in Ball Ground the measure passed 633 to 358. The Brunch Bill question passed 6,590 to 2,745 in Canton; 3,709 to 1,388 in Holly Springs and 3,813 to 1,251 in Woodstock.

At the federal level, Rep. Barry Loudermilk cruised to victory in his re-election bid in the 11th Congressional District. With 100 percent of precincts reporting in the district, Loudermilk leads Democrat Flynn Broady with 186,791 votes while the Democrat received 111,629 votes. The 11th Congressional District includes Bartow and Cherokee counties and parts of Cobb and North Fulton counties.

The race for governor remains tight, as Republican Brian Kemp continues to hold a dwindling lead over Democrat Stacey Abrams in that historic election to become the next leader of the Peach State. In other Congressional races, 6th Congressional District incumbent Republican Karen Handel holds a very slim lead over Democrat Lucy McBath. In the 7th Congressional District, incumbent Republican Rep. Rob Woodall maintains his lead over Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux.

All results are unofficial until they are certified, which will occur later this week. Return to Patch for updates.

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