2010 Georgia state elections

A general election was held in the U.S. state of Georgia on November 2, 2010. All of Georgia's executive officers were up for election, as well as a United States Senate seat, all of Georgia's thirteen seats in the United States House of Representatives and all seats in both houses of the Georgia General Assembly. Primary elections were held on July 20, 2010. Primary runoffs, necessary if no candidate wins a majority of the vote, were held on August 10, 2010. General runoffs were held on November 30, 2010. In the 2010 general election in Georgia, Republican candidates won all statewide executive offices, the U.S. Senate seat up for election, majorities in both state legislative chambers, and eight out of 13 U.S. House seats. == United States Senate == == United States House of Representatives == == Governor == Incumbent governor Sonny Perdue was ineligible to seek re-election due to term limits. The Republican primary featured four candidates who received over 15% of the vote in the first round: former Secretary of State Karen Handel, former U.S. Representative Nathan Deal, former Georgia State Senator Eric Johnson, and Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine. Handel, Deal, and Johnson all resigned their offices during or shortly before the campaign. Because no candidate received a majority of the vote, the race went to a runoff between the top two candidates, Handel and Deal. Deal won the runoff narrowly, with a margin of about 0.4%, or 2,519 votes out of 579,551 cast. The Democratic nomination was won easily by former Governor Roy Barnes without a runoff; his most prominent opponent was Attorney General Thurbert Baker. In the general election, Deal defeated Barnes, becoming just the third Republican to be elected governor of Georgia, after Perdue and Reconstruction-era Governor Rufus Bullock. == Lieutenant governor == Incumbent lieutenant governor Casey Cagle was seeking reelection. Carol Porter won the Democratic nomination. === Republican primary === Casey Cagle, incumbent lieutenant governor of Georgia ==== Primary results ==== === Democratic primary === Tricia Carpenter McCracken, journalist Carol Porter, businesswoman and wife of state house minority leader DuBose Porter ==== Primary results ==== === Libertarian === Dan Barber, self-employed Rhonda Martini, dentist, dropped out due to family issues === General election === == Secretary of state == Incumbent Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who succeeded Karen Handel after she resigned to focus on her gubernatorial bid, sought election to a full term and won the Republican primary on July 20. Georganna Sinkfield defeated Gail Buckner in a runoff for the Democratic nomination. === Republican primary === Brian Kemp, incumbent secretary of state of Georgia Doug MacGinnitie, former Sandy Springs councilman ==== Primary results ==== === Democratic primary === Gail Buckner, state senator Gary Horlacher, attorney Michael Mills, public relations consultant Angela Moore, businesswoman Georganna Sinkfield, state representative ==== Primary results ==== === Libertarian === David Chastain, aeronautics industry analyst === General election === == Attorney general == Incumbent Attorney General of Georgia Thurbert Baker retired from his position to run for governor of Georgia. Ken Hodges won the Democratic nomination, while Sam Olens defeated Preston Smith in a runoff for the Republican nomination. === Democratic primary === Ken Hodges, former Dougherty circuit district attorney Rob Teilhet, state representative ==== Primary results ==== === Republican primary === Sam Olens, chairman of the Cobb County Commission Preston Smith, state senator Max Wood, former U.S. attorney ==== Primary results ==== === Libertarian === Don Smart, attorney === General election === == State school superintendent == Incumbent Superintendent of Education Kathy Cox originally intended to seek re-election, but on May 17 announced that she would resign effective July 1, 2010 in order to take a position as CEO of a new non-profit, the U.S. Education Delivery Institute in Washington D.C. William Bradley Bryant was appointed by Gov. Perdue to fill the vacancy, but failed to qualify to run in the November election as an independent. Joe Martin and John Barge won the Democratic and Republican nominations, respectively. === Republican primary === John Barge, school system administrator Richard Woods, school administrator ==== Primary results ==== === Democratic primary === Beth Farokhi, university administrator Joe Martin, former school board president Brian Westlake, teacher ==== Primary results ==== === Libertarian === Kira Willis, teacher === General election === == Commissioner of insurance == Incumbent Commissioner of Insurance John Oxendine was retiring from his position to run for governor of Georgia. Ralph Hudgens defeated Maria Sheffield in a runoff for the Republican nomination, while Mary Squires was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. === Republican primary === Dennis Cain, insurance agent Rick Collum, Colquitt County magistrate judge Seth Harp, state senator Ralph Hudgens, state senator Tom Knox, state representative John Mamalakis, insurance agent Stephen Northington, insurance agent Gerry Purcell, health benefits consultant Maria Sheffield, attorney ==== Primary results ==== === Democratic primary === Mary Squires, former state senator ==== Primary results ==== === Libertarian === Shane Bruce, blogger === General election === == Commissioner of Agriculture == Incumbent Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin was retiring in 2010. Gary Black won the Republican nomination, while J.B. Powell was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. === Democratic primary === J.B. Powell, state senator ==== Primary results ==== === Republican primary === Gary Black, Georgia Agribusiness Council president Darwin Carter, former Reagan Administration USDA official ==== Primary results ==== === Libertarian === Kevin Cherry === General election === == Commissioner of labor == Incumbent Commissioner of Labor Mike Thurmond was retiring from his position to run for the United States Senate. Darryl Hicks narrowly won the Democratic nomination, according to unofficial results, while Mark Butler easily won the Republican nomination. === Republican primary === Mark Butler, state representative Melvin Everson, state representative ==== Primary results ==== === Democratic primary === Terry Coleman, deputy commissioner of agriculture and former state house speaker Darryl Hicks, attorney, lobbyist, community activist ==== Primary results ==== === Libertarian === Will Costa === General election === == Public Service Commission == In 2010, one seat on the Georgia Public Service Commission was up for election. Though candidates must come from the districts that they wish to represent on the commission, they are elected statewide. === District 2 (Eastern) === Incumbent Public Service Commissioner Bobby Baker (R) was retiring in 2010. Tim Echols defeated John Douglas in a runoff for the Republican nomination, while Keith Moffett was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. ==== Republican primary ==== Joey Brush, developer John Douglas, state senator Tim Echols, non-profit executive Jeff May, state representative ===== Primary results ===== ==== Democratic primary ==== Keith Moffett ===== Primary results ===== ==== Libertarian ==== Jim Sendelbach, psychotherapist and 2007 10th Congressional district House candidate ==== General election ==== == Georgia General Assembly == All 56 seats in the Georgia State Senate and 180 seats in the Georgia House of Representatives were up for election. == Judicial elections == One seat on the Georgia Supreme Court and three seats on the Georgia Court of Appeals were up for nonpartisan statewide elections. Of these, two were contested: Supreme Court justice David Nahmias faced challengers in his bid for reelection while lawyer Chris McFadden was elected to an open seat on the Court of Appeals. === Georgia Supreme Court, Nahmias seat === ==== Candidates ==== Tammy Lynn Adkins David Nahmias, incumbent justice Matt Wilson ==== General election ==== === Georgia Court of Appeals, Johnson seat === ==== Candidates ==== James Babalola Antoinette Davis Stan Gunter Adrienne Hunter-Strothers Chris McFadden David N. Schaeffer ==== General election ==== == Ballot measures == Six statewide ballot measures appeared on the ballot. == References == == External links == Elections Division Archived 2010-11-02 at the Wayback Machine at the Georgia Secretary of State AJC: Statewide Primary Election results AJC: Statewide Primary Runoff results Candidates for Georgia State Offices at Project Vote Smart Georgia Polls at Pollster.com Georgia Congressional Races in 2010 campaign finance data from OpenSecrets Georgia 2010 campaign finance data from Follow the Money