Results in for key state, local elections in Georgia primaries

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Results for Georgia’s 2024 primary election are in.

Polls closed at 7 p.m.

>> CLICK HERE FOR FULL ELECTION RESULTS

The Georgia Secretary of State’s Office held a press conference following polls closing in Tuesday’s election.

On a busy election day on Tuesday, the Georgia Secretary of State My Voter Page website went offline for about an hour due to heavy traffic.

The office said the website was offline because the website vendor, Salesforce, wasn’t prepared to handle the number of people on the site at the same time. The site has been restored.

Gabe Sterling, the office’s chief operating officer, said almost 160,000 page views had been logged by around 3 p.m. at the My Voter Page, which he described in a social media post as “heavy traffic.” He also said overall wait times on Tuesday were less than a minute across Georgia.

>> Extended coverage on ANF+ right here, FireTV, AppleTV, Roku and YouTube starting at 7:30 p.m

Late Tuesday afternoon, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said the primary was on track to record 1.1 million votes, including early votes. He also confirmed Sterling’s less-than-one-minute-in-line wait times.

Raffensperger - a Republican who has been mentioned as a possible Georgia gubernatorial candidate in 2026 - said the U.S. Postal Services presented several unspecified challenges in terms of the state’s absentee early voting process. “They’ll have to step their game up for the fall,” Raffensperger said.

Many local positions were up for grabs across the state. In some counties, voters helped decide their next sheriff or district attorney.

“I think that’s all part of being an American citizen, that you should be out there and want to have the best people for your area to do the job,” said a Cobb County resident who voted on Tuesday.

One open congressional seat and challenges to the men and women who are overseeing Donald Trump’s indictment and the nation’s most notorious jail were all on the ballot Tuesday.

Georgia’s 3rd congressional district - stretching from southwest metro Atlanta down to Columbus - had five Republicans and two Democrats seeking the right to represent their party this November to replace the retiring U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson.

Fulton County’s DA Fani Willis, Sheriff Pat Labat and Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee were all facing primary challenges. Willis is the district attorney who brought down a series of historic indictments against Trump and 17 others on charges they engaged in a criminal conspiracy to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election.

Fani Willis defeated Christian Wise Smith, setting up a Nov. 5, 2024, race against Republican Courtney Kramer. Willis was declared the night’s first winner by the Associated Press, which called the race shortly after 7:30 p.m.

Scott McAfee defeated Robert Patillo and Tiffani Johnson. McAfee is the jurist who drew the nation’s 45th president’s case, while Labat wants another term overseeing the administration of the Fulton County Jail, which has gained national attention for its overcrowded conditions and inmate deaths and injuries.

Incumbent Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat is one step closer to reelection. He took 54 percent of the vote. Labat will not face a GOP challenge this November, meaning a victory effectively secures election to the office.

In DeKalb County, three candidates were seeking to succeed Michael Thurmond as CEO. The race now heads to a runoff between Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and Larry Johnson.

Full primary election results from Atlanta News First

All of Georgia’s 14 congressional districts will be contested this fall, but the November ballot has already been set for four metro Atlanta congressional races.

In District Four, longtime Democratic incumbent Hank Johnson faced no primary competitor. Nor did Republican Eugene Yu, meaning they will meet on Nov. 5, 2024, in a district that Johnson has represented since 2007.

Downtown Atlanta’s 5th district is represented by U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, a Democrat who succeeded the legendary John Lewis in 2020 after his death. Republican John Salvesen is running unopposed for a district that covers three-quarters of the city of Atlanta. Williams is also chair of the Georgia Democratic Party.

In northern metro Atlanta’s 7th district, Republican congressman Rich McCormick had no opposition; nor did Democrat Bob Christian. Independent candidate Charles King will also face them in November.

In the 9th, U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde has represented the northeast Georgia district since 2021. With no Republican opposition in the heavily GOP-leaning district, he is facing Democrat Tambrei Cash this November.

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