2020 Georgia's 5th congressional district special election
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A special election filled the remainder of the term in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district in the 116th United States Congress. Incumbent representative John Lewis, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December 2019, died on July 17, 2020, during his 17th term.[1][2][3]
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September 29, 2020
December 1, 2020 (runoff) | ||||||||||||||||
Georgia's 5th congressional district | ||||||||||||||||
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  Hall: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Franklin: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 50% No votes | ||||||||||||||||
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Background
As established by the Constitution of Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp ordered a special election to fill out the remainder of Lewis's term for September 29, 2020.[4] Since no candidate reached 50% on September 29, there was a special runoff election on December 1.[5] This meant that the runoff election took place four weeks after the regular election for a full two-year term. The runoff winner would thus serve for just one month covering the holiday season.
On July 20, 2020, the state Democratic Party announced that State Senator Nikema Williams would replace Lewis on the November ballot,[6] which she won with over 300,000 votes (85%). Williams did not run in the special election to serve the remainder of Lewis's term.[7]
Candidates
Democratic Party
Advanced to runoff
- Robert Michael Franklin Jr., former president of Morehouse College (2007–2012) and professor at Emory University[8]
- Kwanza Hall, former Atlanta City Councilman (2006–2017) and 2017 Atlanta mayoral election candidate[8]
Eliminated in blanket primary
- Barrington Martin II, educator, 2020 candidate in Georgia's 5th congressional district[8]
- Mable Thomas, state representative and former Atlanta City Councilwoman (1997–2003)[8]
- Keisha Waites, former state representative (2012–2017), 2020 candidate in Georgia's 13th congressional district[8]
Declined
- Meria Carstarphen, former Superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools (2014–2020)[8]
- Nikema Williams, state senator and chairwoman of the Georgia Democratic Party (opted to run in the general election instead)[8]
Libertarian Party
Eliminated in blanket primary
- Chase Oliver, customer service specialist and activist[8]
Independent
Eliminated in blanket primary
- Steven Muhammad, community organizer[8]
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[9] | Safe D | August 21, 2020 |
| Inside Elections[10] | Safe D | August 21, 2020 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[11] | Safe D | July 23, 2020 |
| Politico[12] | Safe D | July 6, 2020 |
| Daily Kos[13] | Safe D | August 17, 2020 |
| RCP[14] | Safe D | June 9, 2020 |
| Niskanen[15] | Safe D | July 26, 2020 |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kwanza Hall | 11,104 | 31.75% | |
| Democratic | Robert Michael Franklin Jr. | 9,987 | 28.55% | |
| Democratic | Mable Thomas | 6,692 | 19.13% | |
| Democratic | Keisha Waites | 4,255 | 12.17% | |
| Democratic | Barrington Martin II | 1,944 | 5.56% | |
| Libertarian | Chase Oliver | 712 | 2.04% | |
| Independent | Steven Muhammad | 282 | 0.8% | |
| Total votes | 34,967 | 100.00% | ||
Runoff
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kwanza Hall | 13,450 | 54.27% | |
| Democratic | Robert Michael Franklin Jr. | 11,332 | 45.73% | |
| Total votes | 24,782 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||