Voters will have their say Tuesday on who they want to be their next governor. Fourteen people want to replace Republican Sonny Perdue, who can’t seek another term because of term limits. Polls remain open until 7 pm. Be sure to take appropriate identification such as state or government issued ID. Examples of acceptable identification include a Georgia Driver’s License (even if it’s expired), a US passport, military or tribal photo ID.
On the Democratic side, former Gov. Roy Barnes is the clear front-runner. The biggest question in this race is whether Barnes — who’s looking to reclaim the job he lost in 2002 — will earn the 50 percent plus one of the vote needed to avoid a runoff. The latest poll shows Barnes has 59-percent of voter support; therefore, the only thing that could hold him back is whether enough of his supporters turn out to for the election. Barnes’ stiffest competition is Attorney General Thurbert Baker, running to become Georgia’s first African-American governor.
The Republican race is considered a toss up. Karen Handel has bounced to the top because of the endorsement of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. The latest poll has her tied with former U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal, who captured the endorsement of former Congressman Newt Gingrich. Polls show State Insurance Commissioner, John Oxendine, is in third place. A runoff is a near certainty in the GOP contest.
Every statewide office is also up for grabs, along with the state House’s 180 seats and the state Senate’s 56 spots. For Congress, three Democrats are facing opposition in the primary. On the Republican side, newly elected Rep. Tom Graves faces five challengers. And eight GOP contenders are vying to replace Republican Rep. John Linder, who is retiring after nine terms.
To find out where you need to vote, log onto www.sos.ga.gov/elections/.
