On Tuesday, Georgia voters went to the polls for primary elections in a slew of statewide and local races. For the most part, the elections were uneventful. Many of the congressional candidates from both parties ran unopposed, and most of the nonpartisan judicial races were simply a matter of choosing the incumbent and moving on.
There were a few notable and interesting stories. Fulton County Democrats chose the chaotic and corrupt status quo in District Attorney Fani Willis, while the hotly contested GOP race in the 3rd District to replace the retiring Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.) will go to a runoff. Even some local races made ripples; in my home county, the Republican primary for one county commission seat served as a massive repudiation of the corrupt old boys’ club of the past.
By contrast, the most consequential election in the Peach State, the one in which the stakes were highest, nearly fell under the radar. I wrote about the Supreme Court election that pitted incumbent Justice Andrew Pinson, a fair-minded young jurist, against John Barrow, a slimy former Democrat congressman who pledged to politicize the court if voters elected him to a spot on it. Gov. Brian Kemp (R-Ga.) appointed Pinson and actively campaigned for his reelection.
Other than my piece, the only coverage of the race I could find was puff pieces in the Associated Press and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that highlighted how Barrow planned to push for radical pro-abortion policies on the Georgia Supreme Court. The AP’s Jeff Amy touted a potential Barrow win as a victory for abortion rights when he wrote, “Barrow said he believes Georgians have a state constitutional right to abortion and that voters would boost their chances of restoring broader access to abortion by doing something they’ve never done before: defeating an incumbent state justice.”
Related: The Most Important Election in Georgia Is One That Many Voters Could Overlook
Barrow made abortion such a centerpiece of his campaign that his signs read “Vote for Choice.” When the state Judicial Qualifications Commission sent him a letter instructing him that campaigning in such a partisan fashion violated ethics rules, Barrow sued so that he could keep hawking radically unrestricted abortion. A judge rejected his suit.
Thankfully, Georgia voters did the right thing and reelected Pinson. The outcome was close in some counties, but overall, Pinson won by eight points.
Congratulations to Justice Andrew Pinson on his resounding victory in tonight’s election to the Georgia Supreme Court!
— Brian Kemp (@BrianKempGA) May 22, 2024
I’m confident he will continue to uphold the rule of law, serve Georgians with honesty and integrity, and keep our state moving in the right direction!
BREAKING: Conservative Georgia Supreme Court Justice Andrew Pinson has defeated his Democrat challenger to retain his seat on the Supreme Court. Democrats used abortion and came no where close to winning
— George (@BehizyTweets) May 21, 2024
🔴54% Andrew Pinson
🔵46% John Barrow
This is simply because Georgia is a… pic.twitter.com/S8BKcNbH1I
This victory is a resounding show of support for Justice Andrew Pinson and the rule of law. It’s also a massive political victory for @BrianKempGA, his network, and the faith community. Pro-lifers stood up and were heard, and @FrontlineGA is proud to have played our part. #gapol https://t.co/NTB0bnrV8l
— Cole Muzio (@ColeMuzio) May 22, 2024
Erick Erickson wrote on Wednesday morning that Barrow “got curb stomped by a novice candidate with no war chest or major name ID. Had John Barrow won, this would be major national news. It would have been heralded as another win for abortion rights in America. Instead, it is a signal that abortion is not going to be the issue in Georgia in November that it has been in other states.”
“That’s the big story and because of how it went, you won’t hear much about it,” he added.
As I noted above, PJ Media was one of the few outlets to point out how critical the Georgia Supreme Court election was. What we do here at PJ Media is important, and your support allows us to do what we do.
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