Ahead of the June 16 runoff and the called special session for redistricting the day after, a State Senate seat in Gwinnett County is proving to be extremely consequential.
As of 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Secretary of State (SOS) turnout data shows Republicans have turned in 15,275 ballots to Democrats' 9,737. 75 non-partisan ballots have also been turned in.
That means Republicans make up 60.9% of the electorate so far in a county that has been relatively safe for Democrats in recent memory.
Why this matters
As Access North Georgia reported back in April, Senate District 7 (which covers Lawrenceville to Peachtree Corners), was unique as it had concurrent primaries and a special election.
That special election was to fill out the unexpired term of Nabilah Parkes, who resigned during the legislative session to run for Lieutenant Governor.
In the special election for Parkes' remaining term on May 19, Republican real estate broker Aizaz Shaikh finished first with 33.7% of the vote, and Democrat Adrienne White got 33.4% of the vote. Private school Principal Astrid Ross (D) just missed the cut with roughly 33% of the vote.
The winner between Shaikh and White will hold the seat during an important special called legislative session that seeks to redraw Georgia's political maps.
"Gwinnett County is a beautiful, diverse county. We have gone through gerrymandering many times," White told Access North Georgia on Friday. "I cannot speak for my opponent's position on this; however, we know that it is the Republicans that are bringing bills to the state legislature to gerrymander maps."
In a social media post on Thursday, Shaikh said he was canvassing and reminding people about the runoff.
"Make sure you get out there, cast your ballot, and let's keep Shaikhing things up," he said.
Opponents band together for canvassing efforts
White told Access North Georgia there would be "the biggest canvas this district has ever seen" according to White Saturday in Duluth at 10:30 a.m.
State Rep. for District 97 Ruwa Romman (D-Duluth) and civil rights attorney Rahul Garabadu (D) are in the Democratic Primary Runoff for the full-term of Senate District 7. They are both canvassing for White this weekend.
"Both campaigns will have my campaign literature," White told Access North Georgia. "I'm very grateful to both of them for understanding how tied our campaigns are and ... playing as nicely as opponents can."
Romman called the situation a "five alarm fire." She and Garabadu are hosting canvasses in downtown Duluth at 3167 Main St. Saturday. State Senator Rashaun Kemp (D-Atlanta) will also be in attendance.
"Adrienne is a phenomenal candidate who deserves our support - we all need to support her to defend this seat from the Republicans," Garabadu said in a social media post.
Romman posted links for White's canvass on Saturday as well as Sunday in Lawrenceville.
"We are on track to lose this seat in the special election. It’s why my team and I have had this race on our literature as soon as it went into a runoff. We need *everyone* to come out!" Romman said in a social media post.
Runoff information
If you stayed home for the primary election, you are free to choose either party's runoff to vote in on June 16 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you voted in the Republican or Democratic Primary, you have to vote in that party's runoff.
The elections to watch in Duluth, Lawrenceville, and Peachtree Corners is:
- Democratic Runoff: Romman vs. Garabadu
- Special Election: White vs. Shaikh
"Every time something feels a little hard, never give up, never give in, and that that is where we are right now," White told Access North Georgia.
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