2018 Georgia Secretary of State election

2018 Georgia Secretary of State election
Turnout	61.44% (first round); 22.98% (runoff)
	Raffensperger: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90%; Barrow: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90%; Tie: 50% No data
Secretary of State before election; Brian Kemp; Republican	Elected Secretary of State ; Brad Raffensperger; Republican

The 2018 Georgia Secretary of State election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the Secretary of State of Georgia. It was held concurrently with the 2018 gubernatorial election, as well as elections for the United States Senate and elections for the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Republican Incumbent Secretary of State Brian Kemp chose not to run for re-election and instead ran successfully for governor.^[1] Since no candidate received the requisite 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates, Democrat John Barrow and Republican Brad Raffensperger proceeded to a runoff on December 4, 2018.^[2]

At 22.98%, the runoff saw the lowest voter turnout out of any Georgia statewide election since the senate runoff of 1992.

In the runoff election, Raffensperger unexpectedly flipped rural counties Sumter and Warren, which were reliably Democratic counties that have not voted Republican on the presidential levels since 1972 for Warren, and 2004 for Sumter. However, both counties have been trending Republican in recent elections. Raffensperger also flipped Atlanta suburban counties Cobb and Newton, which have been trending away from Republicans in recent elections. As of 2022, this was the last time Cobb and Newton went Republican in a statewide race in Georgia.

Georgia has been a Republican triplex since 2011, meaning that its governor, attorney general, and secretary of state have all been members of the same party. The state maintained that status following this election, as Republicans won every statewide office. This was the first time in Georgia state history that any statewide executive election went to a second round.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Brad Raffensperger, state representative^[3]

Eliminated in runoff

David Belle Isle, Mayor of Alpharetta^[4]

Eliminated in primary

Buzz Brockway, state representative^[5]
Joshua McKoon, state senator^[6]

Declined

John Albers, state senator^[5]
Steve Gooch, state senator^[5]
Liz Hausmann, Fulton County Commissioner^[7]
Brian Kemp, incumbent secretary of state of Georgia (running for governor)^[1]
Michael Williams, State Senator (running for governor)^[8]^[9]

Endorsements

David Belle Isle

Tommy Allegood, Acworth Mayor
Boyd Austin, Dallas Mayor
Peter Banks, Barnesville Mayor
Billy Copeland, McDonough Mayor
Danny Dunagan Gainesville Mayor
Jamie Doss, Rome Mayor
Ken Gowen, Tunnel Hill Mayor
Alan Hallman, Hapeville Mayor
John Harley, Centerville Mayor
Donnie Henriques, Woodstock Mayor
Gene Hobgood, Canton Mayor
Bucky Johnson, Norcross Mayor
Joe Lockwood, Milton Mayor
Jack Longino, College Park Mayor
Steve Miller, Holly Springs Mayor
Dennis Mock, Dalton Mayor
Robert Price, Locust Grove Mayor
Tom Reed, Chattahoochee Hills Mayor
Rick Roberts, Ball Ground Mayor
Jim Sill, Mountain Park Mayor
Julie Smith, Tifton Mayor
Gary Thrower, Milledgeville Mayor
Vince Williams, Union City Mayor

^[10]

Buzz Brockway

State Representatives

Michael Caldwell, state representative^[11]

First round

Results

Republican primary results^[12]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brad Raffensperger	185,386	34.96%
	Republican	David Belle Isle	151,328	28.54%
	Republican	Joshua McKoon	112,113	21.14%
	Republican	Buzz Brockway	81,492	15.37%
Total votes			530,319	100.00%

Runoff

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	David Belle Isle	Brad Raffensperger	Undecided
Rosetta Stone^[13]	June 7, 2018	400	± 4.9%	24%	42%	34%

Results

Republican primary runoff results^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brad Raffensperger	331,127	61.74%
	Republican	David Belle Isle	205,223	38.26%
Total votes			536,350	100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

John Barrow, former U.S. Representative^[15]

Eliminated in primary

Dee Dawkins-Haigler, former state representative and candidate for the State Senate in 2016^[7]
RJ Hadley, former Rockdale County Tax Commissioner and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2010^[4]

Declined

Teresa Tomlinson, Mayor of Columbus^[16]^[17]
David Worley, Georgia State Elections Board member, former Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia and nominee for GA-06 in 1990^[5]^[7]

Results

Democratic primary results^[18]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Barrow	264,864	51.48%
	Democratic	Dee Dawkins-Haigler	151,963	29.54%
	Democratic	RJ Hadley	97,682	18.99%
Total votes			514,509	100.00%

Libertarian convention

Candidates

Nominee

J. Smythe DuVal, registered nurse and medical I.T. entrepreneur^[19]

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
Governing magazine^[20]	Lean R	June 4, 2018

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Brad Raffensperger (R)	John Barrow (D)	Smythe DuVal (L)	Undecided
20/20 Insights (D-Southern Majority)^[21]	October 31 – November 2, 2018	614	± 4.0%	42%	48%	3%	7%
Cygnal (R)^[22]	October 27–30, 2018	467	± 4.4%	47%	45%	6%	2%
University of Georgia^[23]	September 30 – October 9, 2018	1,232	± 2.8%	41%	37%	6%	15%
Public Policy Polling^[24]	October 5–6, 2018	729	± 3.0%	43%	41%	–	16%
Gravis Marketing^[25]	July 27–29, 2018	650	± 3.8%	41%	45%	–	15%

Results

2018 Georgia Secretary of State election^[26]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Brad Raffensperger	1,906,588	49.09%	−8.38
	Democratic	John Barrow	1,890,310	48.67%	+6.14
	Libertarian	Smythe DuVal	86,696	2.23%	N/A
Total votes			3,883,594	100.0%

Runoff

2018 Georgia Secretary of State runoff election^[27]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Brad Raffensperger	764,855	51.89%	−5.58
	Democratic	John Barrow	709,049	48.11%	+5.58
Total votes			1,473,904	100.0%
	Republican hold

References

^ ^a ^b Bluestein, Greg (March 31, 2017). "Brian Kemp enters race for governor". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on March 31, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
^ "11 Alive: Georgia's Secretary of State race will go to a runoff on Dec. 4". Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
^ Hassinger, Mike (April 4, 2017). "New Entrant For Secretary Of State". GeorgiaPol.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
^ ^a ^b Bluestein, Greg (April 24, 2017). "Alpharetta mayor announces candidacy for Georgia Secretary of State". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Bluestein, Greg (March 13, 2017). "Buzz Brockway to seek Secretary of State gig in 2018". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
^ Salzer, James (July 6, 2017). "Georgia's "religious liberty" senator joins Secretary of State race". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bluestein, Greg (March 29, 2017). "Vogtle fallout: Ending reactor project, loss of thousands of jobs on table". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
^ Bluestein, Greg (July 5, 2016). "An early Donald Trump backer aims for higher office in Georgia". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
^ Bluestein, Greg (June 2, 2017). "Pro-Trump loyalist Michael Williams enters governor race". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on June 1, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
^ "Release: Belle Isle Campaign for Secretary of State Announces Endorsements From Across Georgia". davidbelleisle.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
^ Michael Caldwell. "I could not be more excited to support @votehunterhill for Governor, @GeoffDuncanGA for Lt. Governor and @buzzbrockway for Secretary of State. Please consider these great, Conservative Georgians when you hit the ballot box today and Tuesday! #gapol #gahouse #gagop #gop". Twitter. Archived from the original on June 2, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
^ "General Primary and Nonpartisan General Election". Georgia Secretary of State. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
^ Rosetta Stone
^ "General Primary and Nonpartisan General Election Runoff". Georgia Secretary of State. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
^ Bluestein, Greg (September 25, 2017). "John Barrow aims for comeback with bid for Georgia secretary of state". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
^ Williams, Chuck (April 12, 2017). "Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson weighs run for governor, secretary of state". Ledger-Enquirer. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
^ Williams, Chuck (May 10, 2017). "Mayor Teresa Tomlinson makes decision on running for 2018 statewide office". Ledger-Enquirer. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
^ "General Primary and Nonpartisan General Election". Georgia Secretary of State. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
^ "J. Smythe DuVal for Secretary of State". Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
^ Jacobson, Louis (June 4, 2018). "Secretary of State Races Are More Competitive and Important Than Ever". Governing. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
^ 20/20 Insights (D-Southern Majority)
^ Cygnal (R)
^ University of Georgia
^ Public Policy Polling
^ Gravis Marketing
^ "November 6, 2018 General Election". GA - Election Night Reporting. Georgia Secretary of State. November 10, 2018. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
^ "December 4, 2018 General Election Runoff". GA - Election Night Reporting. Georgia Secretary of State. December 4, 2018. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2018.

External links

Official campaign websites

[kempenters-1] Bluestein, Greg (March 31, 2017). "Brian Kemp enters race for governor". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on March 31, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.

[2] "11 Alive: Georgia's Secretary of State race will go to a runoff on Dec. 4". Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2018.

[3] Hassinger, Mike (April 4, 2017). "New Entrant For Secretary Of State". GeorgiaPol.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2017.

[alpharettamayor-4] Bluestein, Greg (April 24, 2017). "Alpharetta mayor announces candidacy for Georgia Secretary of State". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2017.

[brockwaytoseek-5] Bluestein, Greg (March 13, 2017). "Buzz Brockway to seek Secretary of State gig in 2018". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.

[6] Salzer, James (July 6, 2017). "Georgia's "religious liberty" senator joins Secretary of State race". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2017.

[vogtle-7] Bluestein, Greg (March 29, 2017). "Vogtle fallout: Ending reactor project, loss of thousands of jobs on table". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.

[8] Bluestein, Greg (July 5, 2016). "An early Donald Trump backer aims for higher office in Georgia". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2016.

[9] Bluestein, Greg (June 2, 2017). "Pro-Trump loyalist Michael Williams enters governor race". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on June 1, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.

[10] "Release: Belle Isle Campaign for Secretary of State Announces Endorsements From Across Georgia". davidbelleisle.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2018.

[11] Michael Caldwell. "I could not be more excited to support @votehunterhill for Governor, @GeoffDuncanGA for Lt. Governor and @buzzbrockway for Secretary of State. Please consider these great, Conservative Georgians when you hit the ballot box today and Tuesday! #gapol #gahouse #gagop #gop". Twitter. Archived from the original on June 2, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2018.

[12] "General Primary and Nonpartisan General Election". Georgia Secretary of State. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2018.

[13] Rosetta Stone

[14] "General Primary and Nonpartisan General Election Runoff". Georgia Secretary of State. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2018.

[15] Bluestein, Greg (September 25, 2017). "John Barrow aims for comeback with bid for Georgia secretary of state". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.

[16] Williams, Chuck (April 12, 2017). "Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson weighs run for governor, secretary of state". Ledger-Enquirer. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2017.

[17] Williams, Chuck (May 10, 2017). "Mayor Teresa Tomlinson makes decision on running for 2018 statewide office". Ledger-Enquirer. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2017.

[18] "General Primary and Nonpartisan General Election". Georgia Secretary of State. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2018.

[19] "J. Smythe DuVal for Secretary of State". Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2018.

[20] Jacobson, Louis (June 4, 2018). "Secretary of State Races Are More Competitive and Important Than Ever". Governing. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2019.

[21] 20/20 Insights (D-Southern Majority)

[22] Cygnal (R)

[23] University of Georgia

[24] Public Policy Polling

[25] Gravis Marketing

[26] "November 6, 2018 General Election". GA - Election Night Reporting. Georgia Secretary of State. November 10, 2018. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2018.

[27] "December 4, 2018 General Election Runoff". GA - Election Night Reporting. Georgia Secretary of State. December 4, 2018. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2018.

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2018 Georgia Secretary of State election

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2018 Georgia Secretary of State election

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in runoff

Eliminated in primary

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Endorsements

First round

Results

Runoff

Polling

Results

Democratic primary

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