Runoff Rundown: State Senate edition
There are two State Senate runoffs, one in Augusta to replace Bill Jackson in District 24, and another to challenge incumbent JaNice Van Ness in district 43.
The Augusta runoff pits former House member and 2012 John Barrow challenger Lee Anderson against newcomer and military veteran Greg Grzybowski. Anderson’s website is a bit short of policy statements, so I’ll suggest you check out the post I did about them from his Congressional race. Anderson pulled about 30% of the vote in a five-way primary, with Grzybowski slipping into the runoff by only a couple hundred votes. The common wisdom on a race like this is that someone in Anderson’s position should win, but getting 30% in a district that had him as their Congressional nominee indicates some weakness. It is possible that an Army veteran who has made his service the centerpiece of his campaign could be successful in this race. I wouldn’t be surprised if Grzybowski pulled this off.
Senate District 43 was held by Ron Ramsey until his judicial appointment triggered a special election in the district last fall. Republican JaNice Van Ness ran a fantastic campaign and was able to upset Tonya Anderson in a very strong district. Anderson is back to take another run at it, but is challenged by Dee Dawkins-Haigler. This will come down to who messaged better. Anderson had the lead in the primary, I’d expect Dawkins-Haigler to at least narrow the gap.