Doctor and veteran Rich McCormick and lawyer Jake Evans will face off again in a runoff election after becoming the top two contenders for the Republican U.S. District 6 spot.
McCormick got 43.15 percent and Evans got 23.03 percent as of 3 p.m. Wednesday.
There will be a runoff election on June 21, since neither Evans or McCormick was able to garner more than 50 percent of the vote.
Votes are still being counted in Fulton County, the northern part of which is included in District 6.
“My family and our campaign is humbled by the support of voters in the 6th district last night. But our work is not done. I have never backed down from a fight and I look forward to finishing this mission with you on June 21,” said Dr. Rich McCormick on Twitter.
DCN has not yet received comments from Evans.
Other Republican District 6 candidates garnered the following projected vote percentages:
Third: Mallory Staples, 8.95%
Fourth: Meagan Hanson, 8.4%
Fifth: Eugene Yu, 6.52%
Sixth: Blake Harbin, 3.67%
Seventh: Byron Gatewood, 2.96%
Eighth: Suzi Voyles, 2.33%
Ninth: Paulette Smith, .99%
Third: Mallory Staples, 8.95%
Fourth: Meagan Hanson, 8.4%
Fifth: Eugene Yu, 6.52%
Sixth: Blake Harbin, 3.67%
Seventh: Byron Gatewood, 2.96%
Eighth: Suzi Voyles, 2.33%
Ninth: Paulette Smith, .99%
“My family and our campaign is humbled by the support of voters in the 6th district last night. But our work is not done. I have never backed down from a fight and I look forward to finishing this mission with you on June 21,” said Dr. Rich McCormick on Twitter.
Jake Evans pointed to his campaign’s momentum thus far in a Wednesday statement.
“The time is now for a new generation of leaders to put a stop to the radical Biden/Pelosi agenda, attack inflation and restore American principles back to our institutions,” Evans said. “I will deliver on these issues while never forgetting my first job is serving the people of metro Atlanta and North Georgia.”
The winner of the Republican runoff will face Democrat Bob Christian in the Nov. 8 election.
Democrat Bob Christian presumably won his primary for the District 6 seat with a projected 55.55 percent of the vote, while Wayne White got 45.45 percent.
“From there, it’s just a march on to Washington D.C.,” Christian said at his watch party. “I feel great at the moment.”
Christian elaborated that he and his campaign’s plan now is to focus on things that matter to District 6 voters, as opposed to his opponents, particularly on the Republican side.
“They’re still talking about how much they can be like [President] Trump,” he said, later adding, “They (voters) have a choice about somebody that actually cares about what’s happening in the sixth District and is looking for those solutions, versus somebody who wants to scream and yell and fight culture wars, not trying to focus on what you and I care about.”
Wayne White highlighted the greater-than-expected turnout in an email to DCN, saying that happened despite heavier press coverage of the District 6 GOP candidates.
White added that the majority of District 6 citizens believe in background checks for firearm purchases, supporting NATO and Ukraine and protecting Social Security and Medicare.
“As the voters see the facts that Bob Christian better represents traditional American values than Rich McCormick, be prepared to see him (Christian) prevail in November,” White said.
During May 1 debates hosted by The Atlanta Press Club and aired by GPB, Rich McCormick and Jake Evans each shared different emphases on issues including voting, government spending and infrastructure.
As a lawyer who’s previously argued for elections integrity in court, Evans has promoted a scale back in absentee voting, prosecution of voter fraud, election audits, lawyer immunity and ID requirements.
During the debate, McCormick mentioned his experience with narrow vote counts in the last U.S. House election. He also spoke on inflation and healthcare costs, military spending and the necessity of maintaining road infrastructure with increasing traffic to areas like Forsyth County.
At that time, Evans also echoed the importance of ensuring that District 6 roads can handle traffic and help maintain sustainable growth.
During a forum hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Forsyth County, Christian emphasized supporting school teachers and studying why more states don’t participate in the public health care option, Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
Christian also called clean electricity and more electricity infrastructure in general key for growing areas like District 6.