ATLANTA — The candidates in a Democratic runoff for Georgia's 10th Congressional District are still Tabitha Johnson-Green and Jessica Fore, after a recount demanded by third-place finisher Phyllis Hatcher didn't allow Hatcher to overtake Fore for second place.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger certified the recounted results on Tuesday, said spokesperson Walter Jones.
Johnson-Green led the May 24 primary with 42% of the vote. With no one winning a majority, Georgia law called for a runoff. Hatcher and Fore both got about 19% of the vote, with Hatcher finishing only 137 votes behind Fore in the initial results, narrowly missing second place and the runoff. Under Georgia law, Hatcher was allowed to seek a recount in the district, which covers all or part of 18 counties east of Atlanta, including Athens.
However, the new tally opened the gap a bit wider, adding four votes to Fore's total and subtracting two from Hatcher's total.
If the results had changed so close to Tuesday's election, it's unclear how officials would have handled it. Early in-person and mail-in absentee votes had already been cast in the election, with Clarke County opening early voting last week and other counties opening it Monday.
Johnson-Green is a nurse who was the Democratic nominee in the previous configuration of the district in 2018 and 2020. Fore is an Athens real estate agent and musician.
The 10th District seat, which was redrawn by Georgia state lawmakers in redistricting and has a strong Republican tilt, has no incumbent seeking reelection. Republican U.S. Rep. Jody Hice instead made a failed bid to unseat Raffensperger in the May 24 primary. Republicans Mike Collins and Vernon Jones are contesting a runoff on the Republican side.