DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – There were no surprises in Tuesday’s general primary election in Dawson County. District 9 State Rep. Kevin Tanner (R-Dawson) easily beat back a challenge from Forsyth County’s Mark Hajduk, winning 80.88 percent of the votes (1,929) to Hajduk’s 456 votes.

Tanner’s victory was widely anticipated. He is the highly respected former Dawson County Manager, as well as a former firefighter and chief deputy for the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office. He also had a sizable geographic advantage because 90 percent of the voting population resides in Dawson County.

County Commissioner Sharon Fausett

Former Deputy Fire Chief Tim Satterfield and District 3 County Commissioner Sharon Fausett can now take a deep breath and wait to take the oath of office in January. Neither Satterfield, who will replace Jimmy Hamby on the Board of Commissioners, nor Fausett had a primary challenger.

At-large Board of Education member William S. Wade will also return to that post. Wade was unopposed.

District 3 Board of Education member Karen Armstrong defeated her primary challenger, Joe Stapp, winning 1,825 votes to 786.

School Board member Karen Armstrong

House Speaker David Ralston defeated Margaret Williamson 5,750 to 2,009 in the race for Georgia House District 7.

District 51 State Senator Steve Gooch did not have a primary opponent.

In the up ballot, statewide elections that drew most of the voters to the polls, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp will face a runoff. In a five-candidate field, Cagle won by a slight margin over Kemp by receiving 39 percent of the votes (227,170 total votes) to Kemp’s 26 percent or 150,051 total votes.

The winner of that race will face Democrat Stacey Abrams in the November General election. Abrams easily defeated her rival Stacey Evans, winning 76 percent of the vote statewide.

There will also be a runoff in the Lieutenant Governor’s race where David Shafer fell just shy of a clear win. Shafer pulled in a majority of the votes, 256,230, but it was not enough to avoid a runoff with Geoff Duncan in July. Duncan received 27 percent of the votes (140,741).

The winner of that runoff will face Democrat Sarah Riggs Amico in November. Amico pulled in 56 percent of the votes (245,325) defeating opponent Triana James who received 44 percent.

Campaigns have not ended for Brad Raffensperger or David Belle Isle as they will also face off in a November runoff for secretary of state. Raffensperger received 35 percent of the votes (178,502), moving him into top position. Belle Isle received 29 percent or 145,915 total votes.

Democrat John Barrow will face the winner of that runoff in November. Barrow was able to make a clean win with 52 percent over challengers Dee Dawkins-Haigler and Rakeim Hadley.

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