There’s nothing predictable about Election Day. Sure, some candidates are odds-on favorites to win, and do. But there are always a handful of races and issues that produce surprises. So it was Tuesday in Georgia, where there were a few stunners and several close calls in statewide balloting.
The biggest surprises were in races between Walker County Sole Commissioner Bebe Heiskell and Paul Shaw, and between incumbent Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney Herbert “Buzz” Franklin and Doug Woodruff. Franklin won by 43 votes. Heiskell triumphed by less than 250. Shaw says he will seek a recount. Woodruff likely will do the same.
That’s each candidate’s right, though such requests often do not fare well. Woodruff appears to have a stronger case with less than 50 votes separating the candidates for a post that serves four counties. A recount that shifts even a few votes and the addition of heretofore uncounted provisional or military ballots could change the outcome.
Shaw’s effort seems less viable given the margin of Heiskell’s victory. Indeed, even the question of a recount in the commissioner’s race is permissible remains to be determined.
Elsewhere in Northwest Georgia, incumbents generally fared well, though there were a couple of mild upsets and a few races — most notably for sheriff in both Catoosa and Dade counties – that will require runoffs later this month. Issues on the ballots seemed to follow form as well.