Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Sheriff Patrick Labat are just two of the metro Atlanta incumbent candidates who won by a landslide Tuesday night in contests marred by political scandal.
U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath also overwhelmed her Democratic primary challengers. Superior Court Clerk Ché Alexander defeated former Atlanta City Council member Keisha Sean Waites by a near-20-point margin.
In total, the victories showed the power of incumbency in local politics, according to Stephanie Ali, policy director for the New Georgia Project, a nonpartisan voter engagement group.
Ali said name recognition and voter familiarity make it difficult for challengers to defeat incumbent candidates, even if they’ve been involved in high-profile scandals.
“Incumbency is always going to have a huge impact in low-turnout elections like a primary,” Ali said. “Incumbency is generally a huge predictor for victory in these primaries.”
Unofficial vote totals show Willis received a whopping 87% of votes cast in the Fulton County district attorney’s race against Christian Wise Smith despite an alleged corruption scandal involving her former subordinate Nathan Wade.
Local Black leaders, including Bishop Reginald Jackson, rallied support for Willis after she was targeted by Republicans looking to oust her over her racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and his allies.
Willis is one of only two local prosecutors in the country with unprecedented criminal cases pending against Trump. She’ll take on Republican lawyer and former Trump White House intern Courtney Kramer in November.
Fulton County has an overwhelmingly Democratic electorate, but Willis signaled she’s not taking the general election race lightly.
“The campaign does not end tonight. It begins tonight,” Willis said during an election night watch party in Buckhead.
Labat also brought baggage to last night’s primary in the form of a spate of inmate deaths amidst unsanitary conditions inside the Rice Street Jail.
He still gained more than 54% of votes cast in the Fulton County Sheriff’s race, despite facing criticism for the deaths and additional violence at the county jail. Challenger Joyce Farmer led the rest of the field, coming in a distant second with more than 22% of the vote.
Fulton County voters like Adamsville resident Alden Hughley told Capital B Atlanta they don’t blame Labat for the jail condition and inmate abuse problems he so far has failed to solve.
“He inherited the problem that is going on now,” Hughley said of Labat early Tuesday evening after voting for him at the C.T. Martin Natatorium and Recreation Center. “It’s long overdue for a new facility for housing the prisoners.”
Down goes Broady
Willis’ endorsement may have helped her subordinate, Deputy Fulton County District Attorney Sonya Allen, defeat Cobb County District Attorney Flynn Broady Jr. in the most noteworthy incumbent loss of the night.
Both Allen and Broady are Black. Allen secured nearly 55% of votes cast in her matchup with Broady, who four years ago became the first Democrat in decades to win a Cobb County DA’s race.
Berry wins in key West Atlanta primary
Georgia House District 56 candidate Bryce Berry was in a mood for celebration Tuesday night after scoring an unofficial landslide Democratic primary victory in a noteworthy West Atlanta race.
Endorsements from notable Democratic Party allies Billy Mitchell, who serves as chair of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus, and outgoing House Democratic Minority Leader James Beverly appear to have helped Berry, who’s only 22 years old, secure more than 54% of votes cast in the race with 100% of precincts reporting, according to unofficial vote totals.
His closest rival was Adelina Merello, who received about 20% of the vote.
Berry is now set to take on party-switching GOP incumbent Meisha Mainor in a general election race he’s favored to win in November. Political insiders regard District 56 and its 47% Black electorate as one of the most progressive territories in Georgia. No Republican has ever won an election there, according to Mitchell.
A tearful Berry celebrated his victory with family and friends at the Prime on Peachtree restaurant in Midtown.
“I am so incredibly honored and humbled,” Berry told Capital B Atlanta over the phone. “I thank the people of this district for voting for me.”
Ali noted that Berry was just one of multiple young men of color who triumphed in primary races that were expected to be more competitive and possibly lead to runoff elections.
Community organizer Gabriel Sanchez was one of the few challengers who managed to upset an incumbent Tuesday night, defeating state House Rep. Teri Anulewicz, D-Smyrna, by an unofficial 23-point margin in a District 42 Democratic primary matchup.
“These are young men who have put in the work and really kind of threw off predictions that they wouldn’t have outright won their races,” Ali said. “It’s a really good sign that young men of color can win races outright through their hard work.”
