Graves Wins Again; Linder Aide Captures GA-07
For the fourth time in three months, Tom Graves (R) has defeated ex-state Sen. Lee Hawkins (R), 55-45% in this northwest GA CD, and has won the right to run for a full term in the fall. He's virtually assured victory in this heavily GOP CD, as no Dem has filed to run.
Just two months ago, Graves defeated Hawkins 56-44% in the special election to fill Rep. Nathan Deal's (R) seat. Hawkins' strategy in the primary runoff didn't change much from the special election runoff. He ran against the incumbent Graves by calling him a "liar" and and a "fraud," and charged that Graves was being sued for bank fraud. Graves accused Hawkins of supporting the stimulus and donating to Dems.
In the end, the attacks weren't able to do much damage; and incumbency really didn't help Graves. While he won a sweeping victory by carrying all but one of the 15 counties in the CD, he failed to significantly improve upon his special election victory.
And in the open seat race to replace retiring Rep. John Linder (R), Linder ex-CoS Rob Woodall (R) topped minister Jody Hice (R), 55-45%, and like Graves, will be the overwhelming favorite in the fall in this 60% McCain CD. Hice was backed by several Tea Party orgs, but Woodall followed up his surprise first-place finish to run away with the runoff victory.
Woodall became famous for helping Linder champion the "Fair Tax," so it's likely that may be one of his pet issues in Congress, as it was Linder's.
Just as in the state's GOP GOV runoff, Huckabee picked sides in this race; he picked the winner, Woodall.