The November ballot for the lieutenant governor election will officially be set June 16 after both party primaries on Tuesday ended with no singular candidate gaining at least 50% of the vote.
Former state Senator Nabilah Parkes and state Senator Josh McLaurin will go head-to-head for the Democratic nomination, while former state Senator John F. Kennedy and state Senator Greg Dolezal vie for the Republican nomination.
The Democrats
Both primaries were close, with Sen. McLaurin receiving less than 2% more votes than Parkes in the Democratic primary. The final count was 41.4% to Parkes' 39.5%, according to the Associated Press.
The June runoff could go either way, considering the closeness of Tuesday's race, but a few factors could sway voters one way or another.
Soon after Parkes announced her decision to step down from her Senate position to focus on her lieutenant governor campaign this spring, McLaurin publicly criticized her for leaving in the middle of a term.
Parkes' recent media coverage due to her decision, and her condemnation of a political ad by Republican candidate Sen. Dolezal, put her in the minds of voters, which could work out in her favor or be a disadvantage.
McLaurin touted his ability to work across the aisle and maintain the respect of the Republican majority assembly, which Parkes used as a point of criticism, saying he works too closely with Republicans.
The Republicans
The Republican primary was slightly less close, with more candidates taking votes away from the top two. Kennedy had 27.3% of the votes compared to Sen. Dolezal's 23.1%, with three other candidates getting double-digit percentages in the final count.
Dolezal has most recently been known for his strong position on a Sharia law ban in Georgia, which Republicans have taken on throughout the past several months.
During his campaign for lieutenant governor, he released a campaign ad showing Muslims terrorizing Georgians, which received a lot of criticism from Democrats and some Republicans, including Democratic candidate Parkes, who said the ad factored into her decision to run for the position.
Kennedy has taken a slightly more moderate position on issues, while still sticking to the main positions of the party.
