ATLANTA -- The countdown is on to November 6, the day voters will decide who will be the next leaders to hold office. Some women are key players in a few races.
One of the most contested battles in the July 24 election was the Republican runoff race for governor. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle conceded to Secretary of State Brian Kemp about an hour and a half out the polls closed. Kemp will have to face Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams in the general election.
She's not the only woman in the spotlight this election season.
"I think this is the breath of fresh air that Georgia needs and is looking for. It certainly will continue to make buzz," said Tracey Adkison, President of the League of Women Voters of Georgia.
"As we have a conversation about the record number of women running for office this year, we also start to talk about the historic underrepresentation of women in politics," said Kelly Dittmar, Scholar at the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University.
"We need more women and more diversity of them in office," she said.
One of the races voters are watching closely is for a Congressional office that covers some of Atlanta's northern suburbs.
Lucy McBath is hoping to represent Georgia's 6th Congressional District this fall. She beat Kevin Abel on Tuesday night in the runoff. The Democratic nominee said she is fueling her campaign by turning her grief into action.
Six years ago, her son Jordan Davis, was killed during an encounter with Michael Dunn. Dunn used Florida’s stand-your-ground law as his defense. He was not found guilty of murder in his first trial.
In an October 2014 retrial, Dunn was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Below is a statement she sent 11Alive about her campaign:
“I am honored to have the confidence of the people of Georgia’s 6th Congressional District to represent them this fall. Six years ago, I never thought my life would have taken me here. My life was changed in an instant when a senseless act of gun violence cost me my son. But I decided to turn my grief into action and go to work to try to save lives by pushing our lawmakers to find common sense solutions to reduce gun violence.
That journey has taken me to this point, where I am going to work to unite the people of this district to work to bring change to Washington. Reducing gun violence is my calling, and will be a key focus. As a two time breast cancer survivor, I will fight to protect and expand access to healthcare, especially for women. This district – and this race – is key to fixing Washington by bringing people together to solve our nation’s problems.” - Lucy McBath
McBath is fighting for U.S. Rep. Karen Handel's seat. Handel was sworn into office in June 2017 after defeating Democrat Jon Ossoff during a special election. This was known as the nation’s most expensive congressional race.
Handel is the only woman of the Georgia Congressional delegation and the first Republican woman to elected to represent Georgia in the U.S. Congress.
"Women are 20 percent of all members of Congress, 1 in 5," said Dittmar. "They are 6 governors of all governors nationwide. Women are still less than a quarter of all U.S. House Candidates. Though some people have called it a wave, we are still seeing under-representation exist."
Handel's campaign released a statement Wednesday about the upcoming November election:
“In little more than a year in Congress, I have help to lead the way in fostering greater financial security for hardworking Americans, ensuring safer communities and schools, rebuilding our military and keeping our promises to our veterans, and reaffirmed our commitment to Israel,” said Congressman Karen Handel.
“Thanks to historic tax cuts and aggressive regulatory relief, the economy is booming once again” Handel added. “There are more job openings than ever before, and wages are increasing. Here in Georgia’s 6th District, the tax cuts are having a real impact. The average family of four will realize a tax cut of more than $4,400.”
“As the general campaign progresses, the voters of the 6th District will have a choice,” said Campaign Manager Mason Rainey. “Karen Handel has deep roots in our community and a record of actually delivering results for the working families of East Cobb, North Fulton, and DeKalb Counties. Ms. McBath, on the other hand — like Jon Ossoff last summer — has been bought and paid for by money from out-of-state donors with no connection to our community.
“Sixth District voters want someone they know” Rainey continued. “The voters of the 6th District are not going to turn over this seat to an occasional area resident that works for a special interest, dark money SuperPac and couldn’t be bothered to vote in last year’s election or for years before. We’re confident that voters will once again choose the candidate they know and who knows them — and that’s Karen Handel.”
"You want representation in office that reflects the community you're serving," said Adkison.
Another woman in the spotlight is Carolyn Bourdeaux, who beat David Kim in the Democrat U.S. House District 7 runoff race Tuesday. She will have to face Republican incumbent Rob Woodall in November.
"We don't have to run on the fact that we are women, or would be the first woman, we have wonderful, strong qualities that we have to offer," Adkison said.
Election day is less than four months away.
