Kemp Routs Cagle in Georgia GOP Gubernatorial Runoff

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp moved on to the general election after easily defeating the state's Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle in Tuesday's Republican gubernatorial runoff election. Recent polling had indicated that Kemp had moved ahead in the race, but none foresaw Kemp's 39% margin of victory. 

Kemp will meet Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams in the general election. Abrams is attempting to become the first black female governor in the nation's history. The most recent poll of the race, conducted by SurveyUSA, showed Kemp with a two point lead, well within the margin of error. It will be interesting to see if/how that margin changes now that the GOP nomination has been decided.

In the 6th district Democratic runoff, gun control advocate Lucy McBath defeated businessman Kevin Abel by 7.5%. McBath meets incumbent Republican Rep. Karen Handel in November. Handel will be seeking her first full term after winning a high-profile special election over Jon Ossoff in 2017. Handel will start out the favorite; although this is likely to be one of the most competitive districts in the state.

Meanwhile, in the 7th district Democratic runoff, college professor Carolyn Bourdeaux edged businessman David Kim for the nomination. Bourdeaux will face off against Republican Rep. Rob Woodall in November. This district is seen as a tougher 'get' for Democrats - Woodall is a four-term incumbent who won re-election by 21% in 2016. Trump won here by 7%, while his margin in the adjacent 6th district was under 2% over Hillary Clinton.