And then there were two. Tom Graves and Lee Hawkins emerged as the top vote-getters in a crowded field in Tuesday’s special election in Georgia’s 9th Congressional District to finish Nathan Deal’s term in the United States House of Representatives. The men now advance to a special runoff election on June 8. The winner will represent the district in Washington through December.
Neither the fact that a runoff is necessary nor the identity of the opponents in the June election is a real surprise. A runoff was pretty much assured shortly after Mr. Deal resigned in March to seek election as Georgia’s governor. The presence of six Republicans, one Democrat and one independent in the race made it extremely unlikely that any candidate could obtain the majority of votes required to win office. That proved to be the case in balloting that attracted more voters than predicted across the 15-county district.
Those most familiar with District 9 politics tabbed Mr. Graves and Mr. Hawkins as front-runners from the beginning. Both have served in the state’s General Assembly and consequently had higher visibility and name recognition than others in the special election. That obviously served them well in the short campaign prior to Tuesday’s vote.
What is surprising, though, is the strong showing of Steve Tarvin, a Chickamauga resident and political novice. He finished in third place and carried Catoosa and Walker counties. He got more votes than Mr. Hawkins in Dade, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield counties. A strong showing in Hall County, Mr. Hawkins’ home, propelled him into second place. Chris Cates finished fourth, followed by Mike Freeman, Bill Stephens, Bert Loftman and Eugene Moon.
The just concluded election marks Mr. Tarvin as a formidable candidate in elections to come. Indeed, Tuesday’s special election was a prelude to several more.
First, there is the June runoff to determine whether Mr. Graves or Mr. Hawkins fills out Mr. Deal’s term. In the July 20 regular primary, candidates will vie for the chance to serve a full term in the U.S. House. That field is full. The six Republicans in Tuesday’s special election have qualified for the July primary. A seventh Republican, who did not enter Tuesday’s election, is also on the ballot. At the moment, there are no Democrats in the July race.
District 9 voters will have at least two and possibly more opportunities to consider the suitability of Mr. Graves, Mr. Hawkins and others for congressional office between now and November. By then, they should be extremely familiar with the candidates and their views. The choice of a representative likely will turn on which candidate’s views most closely match those of the voters in the heavily Republican and extremely conservative district.