9:12 p.m.: Dexter Fisher has won the runoff for the Athens-Clarke County Commission District 5 seat by a two-to-one margin over Matt Pulver.
Fisher won 1,013 votes, or 66%, to Pulver’s 516, or 34%. Precinct 6D (Fire Station #4) and the small portion of Precinct 5C (Chase Street Elementary) that’s in District 5 were fairly evenly split. Fisher dominated in precincts 5A (Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary), 5D (ACC Fleet Management) and 6B (Georgia Square Mall). Precincts do not exactly match up to commission districts because local officials opted not to change the precinct lines after once-a-decade redistricting in 2012 and 2022 to avoid voter confusion over where they cast ballots.
Fisher was the heavy favorite going into the runoff, having come within 22 votes of winning the three-way May race outright. Pulver was a distant second with 28% of the vote.
8:35 p.m.: With Precinct 5A (Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary) now reporting, Dexter Fisher has maintained his 40-point lead over Matt Pulver. Fisher has 629 votes to Pulver’s 269.
8:09 p.m.: This might be an early night, folks. Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report has already called the Republican 10th Congressional District primary for Mike Collins.
Collins has 78% of the vote with 5.6% of precincts reporting. Tabitha Johnson-Green leads Jessica Fore 63%-37% in the Democratic primary.
Also, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution projects that Bee Nguyen will win the Democratic primary for secretary of state.
7:31 p.m.: Dexter Fisher holds a large lead over Matthew Pulver in the Commission District 5 race after early voting results were released. Fisher received 69% of the 587 absentee and in-person advance votes cast, while 31% voted for Pulver.
The only local runoff is a closely watched one because it could decide whether progressives or moderates control the Athens-Clarke County Commission. Fisher is a self-described moderate Democrat who is supported by most Republicans, while Pulver is a progressive along the lines of Tim Denson, who currently represents the northwest Athens district.
Athens’ Republican legislators redrew and renumbered the districts this year based on 2020 Census data, preventing Denson and two other progressive commissioners from running for re-election.
It’s still very early, but Mike Collins holds an 80%-to-20% lead over Vernon Jones in the 10th Congressional District Republican primary. On the Democratic side, Tabitha Johnson-Green and Jessica Fore are virtually tied, with Johnson-Green holding a lead of less than 200 votes.
In Democratic runoffs for statewide races, the leaders are: Charlie Bailey for lieutenant governor, Bee Nguyen for secretary of state, Janice Laws Robinson for insurance commissioner and William Boddie Jr. for labor commissioner.
Like what you just read? Support Flagpole by making a donation today. Every dollar you give helps fund our ongoing mission to provide Athens with quality, independent journalism.
