2018 Georgia lieutenant gubernatorial election explained

Election Name:	2018 Georgia lieutenant gubernatorial election
Country:	Georgia (U.S. state)
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	No
Previous Election:	2014 Georgia state elections#Lieutenant governor
Previous Year:	2014
Next Election:	2022 Georgia lieutenant gubernatorial election
Next Year:	2022
Election Date:	November 6, 2018
Image1:	File:GeoffDuncan2018 (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:	Geoff Duncan
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	1,949,456
Percentage1:	51.63%
Nominee2:	Sarah Riggs Amico
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	1,823,118
Percentage2:	48.37%
Map Size:	240px
Lieutenant Governor
Before Election:	Casey Cagle
Before Party:	Republican Party (United States)
After Election:	Geoff Duncan
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)

The 2018 Georgia lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the lieutenant governor of Georgia, concurrently with the 2018 gubernatorial election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

Then-incumbent Republican lieutenant governor Casey Cagle chose to not run for re-election in order to run for governor.

Republican primary

Candidates

Advanced to runoff

• Geoff Duncan, state representative^{[1] [2]}
• David Shafer, state senator^[3]

Defeated in primary

• Rick Jeffares, state senator^[4]

Declined

• Brandon Beach, state senator (endorsed Jeffares)^[5]
• Jim Butterworth, former state senator and former adjutant general of the Georgia National Guard
• Casey Cagle, Lieutenant Governor of Georgia (running for Governor)^[6]
• Bill Cowsert, Majority Leader of the Georgia State Senate^{[7] [1]}
• Tim Echols, Georgia Public Service Commissioner^[7]
• Steve Gooch, state senator (endorsed Jeffares)^{[8] [9] [10]}
• Burt Jones, state senator (endorsed Jeffares)^{[7] [1] [11]}
• Rick Knox^[12]
• Butch Miller, state senator (endorsed Shafer)^{[7] [1] [13]}
• Allen Peake, state representative^{[14] [15]}

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	class=small	Sample size	Margin of error	Geoff Duncan	Rick Jeffares	David Shafer	Undecided
University of Georgia	April 19–26, 2018	507	± 4.4%	align=center	12%	7%	align=center	14%	align=center	65%

Runoff

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Sarah Riggs Amico, businesswoman^[16]
• Triana Arnold James, small businessowner, and veteran^[17]

Declined

• Stacey Evans, state representative (running for Governor)^{[1] [18]}
• Ken Hodges, former Dougherty County District Attorney and nominee for attorney general in 2010 (running for the Georgia Court of Appeals)^{[19] [20]}
• Ronnie Mabra, former state representative^{[21] [22]}
• Jon Ossoff, investigative filmmaker^[23]
• Doug Stoner, Smyrna City Councilman and former state senator (running for the Public Service Commission)^[3]

Results

General election

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Geoff Duncan (R)	Sarah Riggs Amico (D)	Undecided
University of Georgia	September 30 – October 9, 2018	1,232	± 2.8%	align=center	45%	39%	15%
Landmark Communications	October 1, 2018	964	± 3.2%	align=center	48%	46%	6%
Gravis Marketing	July 27–29, 2018	650	± 3.8%	41%	align=center	43%	15%

By congressional district

Duncan won 9 of 14 congressional districts.^[24]

District	Duncan	Riggs Amico	Representative
		58%	42%		Buddy Carter
		45%	55%		Sanford Bishop
		65%	35%		Drew Ferguson
		21%	79%		Hank Johnson
		13%	87%		John Lewis
		49.9%	50.1%		Lucy McBath
		51%	49%		Rob Woodall
		65%	35%		Austin Scott
		80%	20%		Doug Collins
		63%	37%		Jody Hice
		61%	39%		Barry Loudermilk
		59%	41%		Rick W. Allen
		24%	76%		David Scott
		76%	24%		Tom Graves

Irregularities

There was a significant drop-off in votes between the election for governor, which counted 3,939,409 votes, to the lieutenant governor election, with 3,780,304 votes. The undervote, larger than that seen in other statewide races, was found by the Coalition for Good Governance to have occurred in predominantly African American neighborhoods, but only with touchscreen voting machines, not absentee ballots. The change in votes was statistically significant compared to the typical smaller undervote in white areas.^{[25] [26]}

External links

Official campaign websites

• Geoff Duncan (R) for Lt. Governor
• Sarah Riggs Amico (D) for Lt. Governor

Notes and References

1. Web site: Geoff Duncan enters Lt Gov race. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bluestein. Greg. April 11, 2017. April 30, 2017. April 28, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170428172106/http://politics.blog.myajc.com/2017/04/11/georgia-2018-geoff-duncan-enters-lt-gov-race/. live.
2. Web site: Rep. Duncan announces Lt. Gov. campaign. Forsyth Herald. Sturgeon. Kathleen. April 26, 2017.
3. Web site: David Shafer is running for lieutenant governor. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bluestein. Greg. May 5, 2017. May 5, 2017. May 5, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170505154928/http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2017/05/05/georgia-2018-david-shafer-is-running-for-lieutenant-governor/. live.
4. Web site: Rick Jeffares joins race for lieutenant governor. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Gould Sheinin. Aaron. May 26, 2017. May 30, 2017. May 30, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170530051850/http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2017/05/26/rick-jeffares-joins-race-for-georgia-lieutenant-governor/. live.
5. Web site: State Rep. Geoff Duncan is Running for Lieutenant Governor. GeorgiaPol. Oldham. Rob. April 10, 2017. April 30, 2017. May 8, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180508121807/https://www.georgiapol.com/2017/04/10/state-rep-geoff-duncan-running-lieutenant-governor/. live.
6. Web site: Georgia 2018: Cagle launches governor campaign with pledge to add 500k jobs. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bluestein. Greg. April 29, 2017. April 30, 2017. April 29, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170429223910/http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2017/04/29/georgia-2018-cagle-launches-governor-campaign-with-pledge-to-add-500k-jobs/. live.
7. Web site: Former pro baseball player turned Georgia legislator makes pitch for higher office. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bluestein. Greg. November 18, 2016. November 18, 2016. November 19, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161119062525/http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2016/11/18/former-pro-baseball-player-turned-georgia-legislator-makes-pitch-for-higher-office/. live.
8. Web site: Sen. Steve Gooch may soon announce a run for Lt. Governor. Zpolitics. April 28, 2017. April 30, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170825193833/https://www.zpolitics.com/home/2017/4/28/sen-steve-gooch-may-soon-announce-a-run-for-lt-governor. August 25, 2017. dead.
9. Web site: Another Republican explores bid for lieutenant governor. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bluestein. Greg. June 14, 2017. July 6, 2017. July 19, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170719041438/http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2017/06/14/georgia-2018-another-republican-explores-bid-for-lieutenant-governor/. live.
10. Web site: Gooch Rules Out Run for New Office. The Dahlonega Nugget. Hall. Sharon. August 24, 2017. August 25, 2017. August 25, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170825191437/https://www.thedahloneganugget.com/news-subscribers/gooch-rules-out-run-new-office. live.
11. Web site: Burt Jones won't run for higher office. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bluestein. Greg. May 8, 2017. May 10, 2017. May 10, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170510231759/http://politics.blog.myajc.com/2017/05/08/georgia-2018-burt-jones-wont-run-for-higher-office/. live.
12. Web site: Republican Assembly focuses on religious liberty, candidates. Newnan Times-Herald. Skinner. Winston. August 12, 2017. August 23, 2017. August 24, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170824012334/http://times-herald.com/news/2017/08/republican-assembly-focuses-on-religious-liberty-candidates. live.
13. Web site: Shafer discusses lieutenant governor run to South Hall GOP. The Gainesville Times. Bowman. Nick. July 17, 2017. August 13, 2017.
14. Web site: Allen Peake for Lt. Gov?. Peach Pundit. Kremer. Will. July 27, 2015. September 23, 2016. September 27, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160927200312/http://www.peachpundit.com/2015/07/27/allen-peake-lt-gov/. live.
15. Web site: Peake won't run for lieutenant governor. The Telegraph. Lee. Maggie. February 3, 2016. September 23, 2016. October 12, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161012203210/http://www.macon.com/news/politics-government/article58193178.html. live.
16. Web site: A Democratic auto executive gears up for Georgia's No. 2 job. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bluestein. Greg. September 25, 2017. September 25, 2017. September 25, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170925181553/http://politics.blog.myajc.com/2017/09/25/a-democratic-auto-executive-gears-up-for-georgias-no-2-job-2/. live.
17. Web site: AROUND TOWN: Keeping it in the family; more candidates announce. MDJOnline.com. en. December 8, 2017. December 21, 2017. September 11, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200911153441/https://www.mdjonline.com/opinion/around_town/around-town-keeping-it-in-the-family-more-candidates-announce/article_19d1f834-dc5e-11e7-9b91-9b65ed1d87d5.html. live.
18. Web site: Stacey Evans launches a HOPE-themed campaign for governor. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bluestein. Greg. May 25, 2017. May 25, 2017. May 25, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170525115502/http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2017/05/25/georgia-2018-stacey-evans-launches-a-hope-themed-campaign-for-governor/. live.
19. Web site: Political Patter. Georgia Trend. Young. Neely. August 1, 2016. November 18, 2016. November 19, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161119063355/http://www.georgiatrend.com/August-2016/From-the-Publisher-Political-Patter/. live.
20. Web site: Ken Hodges passes on AG run to seek judgeship. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bluestein. Greg. March 29, 2017. April 12, 2017. April 13, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170413072221/http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2017/03/29/ken-hodges-passes-on-ag-run-to-seek-judgeship/. live.
21. Web site: Ex-Tech football player, a former lawmaker, eyes bid for Georgia's No. 2 job. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bluestein. Greg. May 26, 2017. May 30, 2017. May 30, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170530033702/http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2017/05/26/ex-tech-football-player-a-former-lawmaker-eyes-bid-for-georgias-no-2-job/. live.
22. Web site: Hunter Hill carries Cobb GOP straw poll of race for governor. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Hallerman. Tamar. July 5, 2017. July 6, 2017. July 8, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170708083643/http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2017/07/05/georgia-2018-hunter-hill-carries-cobb-gop-straw-poll-of-race-for-governor/. live.
23. Web site: Handel preps another 6th District campaign as Ossoff hints at comeback. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bluestein. Greg. August 3, 2017. August 13, 2017. August 13, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170813190042/http://www.myajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/handel-preps-another-6th-district-campaign-ossoff-hints-comeback/PsDYoQhTSRIsq6myncmmuO/. live.
24. Web site: DRA 2020. Daves Redistricting.
25. Web site: Exclusive: Thousands of Black Votes in Georgia Disappeared and No One Can Explain It. The Root. en-us. 2019-11-17. 2019-11-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20191118024529/https://www.theroot.com/exclusive-thousands-of-black-votes-in-georgia-disappea-1832472558. live.
26. Web site: Georgia voting irregularities raise more troubling questions about the state's elections. Zetter. Kim. POLITICO. en. 2019-11-17. 2021-10-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20211007005941/https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/12/georgia-voting-states-elections-1162134. live.