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Thursday 24 May 2018

Georgia Democrat challenges racial barrier in governor race

By BILL BARROW him and others same-sex
Associated Press marriage licenses.
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia David Ermold had wanted
Democrats gave Atlanta to face Republican Kim
lawyer Stacey Abrams a Davis, who went to jail
chance to become the first three years ago for deny-
black female governor in ing marriage licenses in the
American history on a pri- aftermath of an historic U.S.
mary night that ended well Supreme Court decision
for several women seeking legalizing same-sex mar-
office. riage.
Abrams set new historical
marks with a primary victory ARKANSAS' HEALTH CARE
Tuesday that made her the PREVIEW
first black nominee and first While Washington fixates
female nominee for gover- on the daily developments
nor of either majority party in the Russia election med-
in Georgia. dling investigation, Demo-
Voters also picked nomi- cratic congressional can-
nees in Kentucky, Arkansas didates insist they'll win in
and Texas ahead of the No- November arguing about
vember midterms. A closer Democratic candidate for Georgia Governor Stacey Abrams smiles as she speaks during an bread-and-butter issues like
look at key story lines: election-night watch party Tuesday, May 22, 2018, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) health care.
Arkansas state Rep. Clarke
GEORGIA GOVERNOR'S Georgia Republicans who and former intelligence of- Mayor Jim Gray to ad- Tucker captured Demo-
RACE were accustomed to cen- ficer, got Democrats' nod vance to a fall campaign crats' congressional nomi-
Democrats were set to trist, business-aligned gov- to face Republican Rep. against Republican Rep. nation in a Little Rock-
nominate a woman for ernors who rarely flouted Will Hurd in November. Andy Barr. based district by telling his
governor either way, with Atlanta-based behemoths Jones would be the first National Democrats once story as a cancer survivor.
Stacey Abrams and Stacey like Delta and Coca-Cola. openly lesbian congress- touted Gray as one of their Though he faced a crowd-
Evans battling it out in a Some GOP figures wor- woman from her state. best recruits in their efforts ed primary field, his real tar-
pitched primary fight. ried the GOP gamesman- Hurd is black. for a House majority. They get all along has been Re-
But the 44-year-old Abrams ship on immigration and Former NFL player Colin All- said in recent weeks they'd publican Rep. French Hill,
stood out in her bid to be gay rights, in particular, al- red won a battle of two at- be happy with McGrath, who voted many times to
the nation's first African- ready had ensured Geor- torneys and former Obama but the race still shaped up repeal the 2010 Affordable
American woman to lead gia wouldn't land Amazon's administration officials in as a battle between rank- Care Act.
a state. The former state second headquarters. a metro-Dallas House dis- and-file activists and the The Arkansas district may
General Assembly leader trict. Allred, who is black, party establishment. not be at the top of Dem-
was insistent that the way TEXAS CONGRESSIONAL topped Lillian Salerno and McGrath was making her ocrats' national target list,
to dent Republican domi- RUNOFFS will face Republican Rep. first bid for public office, but it's the kind of district
nation in Georgia wasn't Texas had three House Pete Sessions in November. among a handful of female the party might have to win
by cautiously pursuing the runoffs that will be key to The Democratic Congres- Naval Academy graduates to be assured of regaining
older white voters who whether Democrats can sional Campaign Commit- running for Congress this House control in Novem-
had abandoned Demo- flip the minimum 24 GOP- tee lined up behind Allred year. ber.
crats over recent decades. held seats they would need after the group's initial fa- Gray also lost a 2016 Sen- The state's Republican gov-
Rather, she wanted to for a majority in next year's vorite failed to make the ate race. ernor, Asa Hutchinson, dis-
widen the electorate by Congress. All three were runoff. In eastern Kentucky's Row- patched primary opposi-
attracting young voters among 25 districts national- Among Republicans, Texas an County, voters denied tion as he sought another
and nonwhites who hadn't ly where Trump ran behind Sen. Ted Cruz showed off the Democratic nomina- term. Democrats nomi-
been casting ballots. Hillary Clinton in 2016. Dem- his endorsement muscle, tion to a gay candidate nated former Teach for
She will test her theory as ocrats nominated women with his former chief of staff, who wanted to challenge America executive Jared
the underdog against ei- in two of the districts and a Chip Roy, winning a com- the local clerk who denied Henderson.q
ther Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle black man in the third. petitive runoff for a San An-
or Secretary of State Brian Attorney Lizzie Fletcher far tonio-area congressional
Kemp, who will meet in outpaced activist Laura seat opened by the retire-
Republican runoff in July. Moser in a metro-Houston ment of Rep. Lamar Smith.
Cagle led a five-man Re- congressional contest that In the governor's race,
publican field, with Kemp became a proxy for Demo- Democrats tapped former
qualifying for the second crats' fight between liberals Dallas County Sheriff Lupe
spot after a campaign that and moderates. National Valdez to take on Repub-
was a sprint to the right on Democrats' campaign lican incumbent Greg Ab-
everything from immigra- committee never endorsed bott in November. Valdez is
tion to support for President Fletcher, but released op- Texas' first openly gay and
Donald Trump. position research against first Latina nominee for gov-
Kemp promised to keep Moser amid fears that she ernor.
pulling in that direction, was too liberal to knock
with Cagle trying to bal- off vulnerable Republican DEMS BATTLE IN KENTUCKY
ance the demands of a Rep. John Culberson in the Voters in a central Ken-
conservative primary elec- fall. tucky congressional district Republican candidate for Georgia Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, left,
torate with his support from In a San Antonio-Mexican opted for retired Marine of- speaks with supporters during an election-night watch party in
the business establishment. border district, Gina Ortiz ficer and fighter pilot Amy Gainesville, Ga., Tuesday, May 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Todd Kirk-
The scenario worried some Jones, an Air Force veteran McGrath over Lexington land)