This year’s filing deadline for candidates running for Congress in Georgia was March 8, 2024.
Fifty-five candidates are running for Georgia’s 14 U.S. House districts, including 30 Democrats and 25 Republicans. That’s 3.9 candidates per district, lower than the 5.9 candidates per district in 2022 and the 5.5 in 2020.
This is the first election to take place after Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) signed revised congressional maps into law on Dec. 8, 2023.
Here are some other highlights from this year’s filings:
- The 3rd Congressional District is the only open district, meaning no incumbents filed to run. That’s one less than in 2022, when two seats were open. There were three open seats in 2020, none in 2018, one in 2016, and three in 2014.
- Incumbent Drew Ferguson (R-3rd) is not running for re-election because he is retiring from public office.
- As a result of redistricting in Georgia, two incumbents are running for re-election in different districts than the ones they currently represent. Lucy McBath (D-7th) is running in the 6th Congressional District and Rich McCormick (R-6th) is running in the 7th Congressional District.
- Nine candidates—seven Democrats and two Republicans—are running for the 13th Congressional District, the most candidates running for a seat this year.
- Twelve primaries—eight Democratic and four Republican—are contested this year. Seventeen primaries were contested in 2022, 16 primaries were contested in 2020, and 13 were in 2018.
- Three incumbents—two Democrats and one Republican—are in contested primaries, the fewest this decade.
- Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all 14 districts, meaning no seats are guaranteed to either party
Georgia and three other states – Idaho, Kentucky, and Oregon – are holding primary elections on May 21.
In Georgia, a candidate must receive a majority of votes in order to win a primary election. If no candidate wins an outright majority of votes cast, a runoff primary between the top two vote-getters is held.
By Briana Ryan | Ballotpedia via The Center Square
