ATLANTA – The scramble to succeed Health Secretary Tom Price as Georgia congressman may quickly become a referendum on the popularity and agenda of Price’s new boss, President Donald Trump, while offering a preview of 2018’s midterm elections.
Democrats are looking for an upset in the GOP-leaning district where Trump underperformed among the affluent, well-educated residents of the northern Atlanta suburbs. Trump narrowly topped Democrat Hillary Clinton, but fell shy of a majority even as Price cruised to re-election with more than 60 percent of the vote.
It’s a dynamic Democrats must capitalize on around the country if they hope to reclaim a House majority next year, and it leaves a wide-open Republican field in Georgia to decide whether to run alongside the president or establish some independence from a White House off to a rocky start.
It could pose a particular challenge for one potential candidate, Price’s wife Betty, who now serves in the Georgia General Assembly.
Adding to the mix is a quirk of Georgia election law that makes special congressional elections a “jungle primary” with all candidates on the same ballot, regardless of party. If no candidate wins a majority on April 18, the top two finishers – again regardless of party – would advance to a second ballot set for June 20.