Election 2020: Local Updates

Athens-Clarke County voters have handed an overwhelming victory to John Q. Williams in the race for Clarke County Sheriff: Democrat Williams defeated Republican Robert Hare in the race to replace veteran Sheriff Ira Edwards, who was defeated in a primary this past June.

Jesse Houle has defeated Chad Lowery in a special election to fill the unexpired term of the late Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Jerry NeSmith. NeSmith died in June, two days before defeating Houle to win what would have been a third term. With his death and with Houle the only other candidate on the ballot, he has been declared the winner for a full four-year term that will begin in January.

There were Tuesday reelection wins for the two Republicans in the Athens House delegation: Marcus Wiedower defeated Democrat Jonathan Wallace. Representative Houston Gaines held off challenger Mokah Johnson. Athens state Senators Bill Cowsert and Frank Ginn were also reelection winners on Tuesday.

Former Watkinsville Mayor Amrey Harden wins without a runoff in the special election to fill the unexpired term of the late Oconee Co Commissioner Bubber Wilkes. Voters in Oconee County have reelected Commission Chairman John Daniel and Oconee County School Board members Tim Burgess. Mike Ransom also won a seat on the Oconee County Board of Education.

Athens gun shop owner Andrew Clyde has won the race to replace Hall County Congressman Doug Collins, who left the House to run for US Senate: Republican Clyde defeated Gainesville Democrat Devin Pandy. Jody Hice wins another term as 10th District Congressman, defeating Democrat Tabitha Johnson-Green in Tuesday’s election. Republican Hice, who represents most of Athens in the US House, was first elected to Congress in 2014.

Hall County Congressman Doug Collins has conceded defeat to Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler: she advances to a January runoff against Atlanta Democrat Raphael Warnock. With less than ten percent of the vote to count in Georgia’s other US Senate contest, Republican incumbent David Perdue is just above the threshold he would need to avoid a runoff with Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff.

It looks like incumbent Democrat Lucy McBath has defeated Republican challenger Karen Handel in Georgia’s sixth congressional district, while Democrat Carolyn Bordeaux appears to have defeated Republican rival Rich McCormick in Georgia Seven.

Governor Brian Kemp, still in quarantine because of exposure to coronavirus, voted Tuesday, putting his absentee ballot in a drop box outside City Hall in Winterville.

There were delays in vote counting in Fulton County after a water main break soaked a room in which ballots were stored: elections officials in Atlanta say no ballots were damaged. A software glitch caused Tuesday night delays in vote counting in Gwinnett County.

For a complete list of live election results, click here.

Live updates from WGAU’s Twitter feed:

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