Primary Results: Stacey Abrams Wins Democratic Nomination For Georgia Governor [FULL WINNERS LIST]

Stacey Abrams was one of several winners in Tuesday’s primary elections, and she got one step closer to making history in the process.

Primary Election Winners May 22 2018

Abrams, 44, won Georgia’s gubernatorial Democratic primary to become the first black woman to become a major party’s nominee for governor. Abrams — a former Congresswoman in the state — easily defeated Stacey Evans, another former Georgia lawmaker, with around 76.5% of the vote. Abrams, a Yale Law School graduate backed by several well-known Democrats and liberal organizations, is considered a key figure to help Democrats regain a foothold in the South in November’s midterms.

In November, Abrams will thus face either Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle — the Republican who earned the most votes on Tuesday (38.9%) — or Secretary of State Brian Kemp. Kemp and Cagle will compete for the GOP nomination in a runoff election on July 24. Gov. Nathan Deal can’t run because of term limits.

Abrams was one of several liberal women who won primaries on Tuesday. In one of Kentucky’s Democratic congressional races, former U.S. Marine pilot Amy McGrath defeated Lexington Mayor Jim Gray with 48.7% of all votes.

In Texas, 70-year-old gay Latina Lupe Valdez — a former Dallas County Sheriff — won the Democratic nomination for governor with 53.1% of the vote in a runoff. She defeated Andrew White, a businessman who has been outspoken in criticizing current Gov. Greg Abbott several times during his campaign, including after a contest Abbott eventually cancelled in the wake of a school shooting in Santa Fe that saw 10 people killed last week. Abbott, who is running for re-election, won the Republican primary on March 6.

Female Democratic House primary winners in Texas included Lorie Burch (District 3), Jana Lynne Sanchez (District 6), Lizzie Pannill Fletcher (District 7), Gina Ortiz Jones (District 23), Julie Oliver (District 25) and Mary Hegar (District 31).

In Arkansas, former Teach for America executive director Jared Henderson won the Democratic primary for governor with 63.4% of the vote. Incumbent Gov. Asa Hutchinson is believed to have strong chances of being re-elected in November in the heavily Republican state after handily defeating Jan Morgan with 69.8% of all votes on Tuesday. Morgan is a conservative former television host who associated her campaign with President Donald Trump‘s “America First” platform.

Democrats Mike Lee and Susan Inman were the party’s nominees for Arkansas Attorney General and Secretary of State, respectively, after running uncontested.

The lone female Democratic congressional primary winner in Arkansas on Tuesday was Hayden Shamel, who ran uncontested in District 4.

Several minorities also won Democratic primaries on Tuesday, including Chintan Desai in Arkansas’ First House District (uncontested), and Sri Kulkarni, who won the runoff in Texas’ 22nd House District with 62.1%.

Also in Texas, political fundraising consultant Bunni Pounds lost the Fifth House District Republican primary to state Rep. Lance Gooden, who earned 53 % of votes. Pounds was believed to have strong chances of winning the GOP-leaning state’s Fifth District after receiving support from vice president Mike Pence. Sen. Ted Cruz and retiring Republican Texas Congressman Jeb Hensarling also backed Pounds. Pence is rumored to be forming his own Republican base and has Trump associates concerned because of this.

Former Barack Obama administration official Colin Allred won Texas’ 32nd House District primary with 69.5%.

Article by Pablo Mena

Writer for uPolitics.com. NY Giants and Rangers fan. Film and TV enthusiast (especially Harry Potter and The Office) and lover of foreign languages and cultures.