Georgia's 9th congressional district special election, 2010

Georgia's 9th congressional district special election, 2010

June 8, 2010

Candidate Tom Graves Lee Hawkins Party Republican Republican Popular vote 22,684 17,499 Percentage 56.5 43.5

Representative before election Nathan Deal Republican Elected Representative Tom Graves Republican

The 2010 special election for the 9th congressional district of Georgia was held on May 11, 2010 to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of Republican U.S. Representative Nathan Deal, who wished to concentrate on his campaign for Governor of Georgia. As no candidate received a majority in the special election, a runoff was held on June 8, 2010. The special election had originally been scheduled for April 27, but was postponed for the benefit of military and overseas voters.^[1]

Background

Nathan Deal announced he was running for governor on May 1, 2009,^[2] and announced on March 1 that he would resign from Congress effective March 8 to pursue his candidacy.^[3] He was, however, persuaded to postpone his resignation until after voting on the Senate health care reform bill and health care reconciliation bill.^[4] On March 21, less than 10 minutes after the final vote, he officially resigned.^[5]

Candidates

The following candidates have qualified for the ballot:^[6]

Republicans

• Chris Cates, cardiologist and Emory University medical professor
• Tom Graves, State Representative in District 12
• Lee Hawkins, State Senator in District 49
• Bert Loftman, neurosurgeon
• Bill Stephens, Vice President of Southern Highlands LLC and former Georgia State Senate Majority Leader
• Steve Tarvin, CEO of Crystal Springs Print Works Inc.

Democrat

• Mike Freeman, Episcopal minister

Independent

• Eugene Moon, marketing manager for Gainesville Welding and Rendering Equipment Inc.

Primary Results

2010 Georgia 9th Special Primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tom Graves	18,307	35.4
	Republican	Lee Hawkins	12,003	23.2
	Republican	Steve Tarvin	7,939	15.3
	Republican	Chris Cates	6,132	11.8
	Democratic	Mike Freeman	2,887	5.6
	Republican	Bill Stephens	2,083	4.0
	Republican	Bert Loftman	1,292	2.5
	Independent	Eugene Moon	1,123	2.2

Run-off Results

No candidate won a majority of votes on May 11, so a runoff election was held between the two leading candidates, Lee Hawkins and Tom Graves.^[7]

2010 Georgia 9th Special Run-off

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tom Graves	22,684	56.5
	Republican	Lee Hawkins	17,499	43.5

References

1. "Ga. special election moved to May". Politico. 24 March 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
2. Bill Torpy (August 1, 2009). "Congressman Deal steps up for governor's race". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
3. "Georgia GOP Rep. Nathan Deal leaving House for governor race". Boston Herald. March 1, 2010. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
4. Montopoli, Brian (March 4, 2010). "GOP Rep. Nathan Deal Postpones Retirement to Fight Health Bill". CBS News. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
5. 2010 Congressional Record, Vol. 156, Page H2169 and H2170
6. "Qualified Candidates for Congressional District 9". Georgia Secretary of State. April 29, 2010. Retrieved April 29, 2010.
7. "6/8/2010 - Summary". Sos.georgia.gov. Retrieved 2010-08-21.