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State Rep. Brad Raffensperger (R) won the runoff election for Georgia's secretary of state against former U.S. Rep. John Barrow (D). Barrow and Raffensperger advanced to a runoff following the November 6, 2018, general election to replace Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp (R), who ran for governor. Neither candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote in the general election. The runoff was held December 4, 2018.
Libertarian Smythe DuVal ran in the general election and was defeated.
This was one of seven open secretary of state seats Republicans were defending in 2018. Governing listed it as one of nine competitive secretary of state races of the year, with a rating of Lean Republican.
Going into the 2018 election, a Democrat had not won election to statewide office in Georgia since 2006.
Barrow represented a rural south Georgia district in the U.S. House from 2005 to 2015; he lost a re-election bid in 2014. Raffensperger was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in a 2015 special election.
In 2018, Georgia was a Republican triplex, meaning the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state were all Republicans. The party maintained that status following the runoff election; Republicans also won the gubernatorial and attorney general elections.
Georgia Secretary of State election, 2018, Barrow (D) v. Raffensperger (R) v. DuVal (L)
| Poll | Poll sponsor | John Barrow (D) | Brad Raffensperger (R) | Smythe DuVal (L) | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Georgia October 21-30, 2018 | Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Channel 2 | 42% | 41% | 5% | 11% | +/-3.0 | 1,091 |
| Cygnal October 27-30, 2018 | N/A | 45% | 47% | 6% | 1% | +/-4.4 | 504 |
| University of Georgia Sept. 30-Oct. 9, 2018 | Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Channel 2 | 36% | 41% | 6% | 15% | +/-2.8 | 1,232 |
Georgia Secretary of State election, 2018, Barrow (D) v. Raffensperger (R)
| Poll | John Barrow (D) | Brad Raffensperger (R) | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravis Marketing July 27-29, 2018 | 45% | 41% | 15% | +/-3.8 | 650 |
Secretary of State of Georgia, 2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Brian Kemp Incumbent |
57.5% | 1,452,554 | |
| Democrat | Doreen Carter | 42.5% | 1,075,101 | |
| Total Votes | 2,527,655 | |||
| Election results via Georgia Secretary of State | ||||
2010 Race for Secretary of State - General Election
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Party |  Brian Kemp
|
56.4% | |
| Democratic Party | Georganna Sinkfield | 39.4% | |
| Libertarian Party | David Chastain | 4.2% | |
| Total Votes | 2,552,722 | ||
Demographic data for Georgia
| Georgia | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population: | 10,199,398 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 57,513 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 51.2% | 50.8% |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 60.2% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 30.9% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 3.6% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.1% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 9.1% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 85.4% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 28.8% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $49,620 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 21.1% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Georgia. | ||
As of July 2017, Georgia's three largest cities were Atlanta (pop. est. 470,000), Columbus (pop. est. 200,000), and Augusta (pop. est. 200,000).
