Georgia, Chatham County candidates begin campaigns for 2022 primary, midterm elections

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This week, two local candidates announced runs for statehouse positions in the 2022 elections. More will come forward in the next couple of months.

The window to qualify for the 2022 races opens March 7 and closes on March 11. Yet many candidates the 2022 primary on May 24 are already on the campaign trail.

As the midterms approach, here are the races to keep an eye on.

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More: Chatham delegation: 2022 Georgia legislative session could be quick, but explosive

Governor

The governor’s race will likely be the loudest in Georgia this year, with two of the state’s most prominent Republicans, Gov. Brian Kemp and former Sen. David Perdue, facing off for the GOP nomination.

David Perdue, left, Gov. Brian Kemp
David Perdue, left, Gov. Brian Kemp

One of them will take on Georgia’s most prominent Democrat, Stacey Abrams. If it’s Kemp, it will be a rematch of the 2018 gubernatorial election.

Abrams is currently running unopposed for the Democratic nomination, but on the GOP side, the primary will resolve one of the ideological holdovers from the 2020 election: Kemp’s refusal to take steps to overturn Georgia’s election results, despite pressure from former President Donald Trump to do so.

Stacey Abrams speaks to Biden supporters as they wait for former President Barack Obama to arrive and speak at a rally on Nov. 2 in Atlanta.
Stacey Abrams speaks to Biden supporters as they wait for former President Barack Obama to arrive and speak at a rally on Nov. 2 in Atlanta.

Kemp fell out of favor with Trump after that, and this year, Perdue got an endorsement from the former commander in chief. A group of 25 conservative state senators sent a letter to Perdue asking him not to run against Kemp, but Perdue declined.

More: Buddy Carter isn't picking sides in Georgia governor's race. He just wants GOP to beat Abrams.

More: As Stacey Abrams returns to the fold, so do her grassroots organizers

More: Savannah Sen. Ben Watson among those who asked David Perdue not to run against Brian Kemp

Georgia General Assembly

At least two of the Chatham County delegation's nine seats are expected to be open this year. Longtime Sen. Lester Jackson is running for higher office - Georgia Labor commissioner - and Rep. Derek Mallow has announced his candidacy for Jackson's Senate post, opening his seat.

Democrat Anne Westbrook, who lost the District 163 runoff to Mallow in 2020 by 19 votes, announced she’d be running for the position again this year.

Anne Allen Westbrook
Anne Allen Westbrook
Rep. Derek Mallow is a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. He represents the citizens of House District 163, which includes portions of Chatham County.
Rep. Derek Mallow is a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. He represents the citizens of House District 163, which includes portions of Chatham County.
Sen. Lester Jackson
Sen. Lester Jackson

More announcements will likely come in the next few weeks.

House 165 Rep. Edna Jackson, the newest local legislator in the Georgia Capitol, won her seat in a special election in November. But she’s only been elected to fill out the late former Rep. Mickey Stephens’ term, which also ends after this year.

Georgia House 165 Rep. Edna Jackson is sworn in at the Georgia Capitol on Wednesday.
Georgia House 165 Rep. Edna Jackson is sworn in at the Georgia Capitol on Wednesday.

Jackson hasn’t said whether she’ll run again in 2022.

More: House Rep. Derek Mallow announces his run for Georgia Senate seat

More: Anne Westbrook announces candidacy for Savannah's District 163 in the Georgia House

More: Edna Jackson is the new House 165 Rep. Will she run again? Make the redistricting vote?

U.S. House

Chatham County will have a say in a couple of federal races as well.

Longtime Rep. Buddy Carter doesn’t have any conservative opponents for the primary yet, but the Democratic nominees are lining up.

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter

Joyce Marie Griggs, the Democratic nominee Carter ran against in 2020, is running again. p

Savannah Lawyer Wade Herring, spurred to run after Carter’s vote to not certify the 2020 presidential election, has out-fundraised all of Carter’s previous Democratic opponents since he announced his run last year.

A third Democrat has joined the race as well: Richmond Hill resident Michelle Munroe, a retired Army veteran and former CEO of Winn Army Community Hospital.

U.S. Senate

The 1st District congressional race won’t be the only federal contest on the ballot. Incumbent Raphael Warnock is currently unopposed on the Democratic side and will likely face another Trump-endorsed challenger in former Georgia Bulldogs football standout Herschel Walker. Walker faces a primary challenge from three other Republicans, including longtime Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black.

More: Buddy Carter has never raised less than $1.2 million in a 1st District race. Can Wade Herring win?

More: Q&A: Rep. Buddy Carter says Jan. 6 riot was 'stupid,' but was 'politicized and weaponized' by Democrats

More: Q&A: First District candidate Wade Herring recalls Jan. 6, the day he decided to run for office

More: Herschel Walker's U.S. Senate run will clear the GOP field - and deny him blockers

Lieutenant Governor

Savannahian Jeanne Seaver announced her run for lieutenant governor last year, positioning herself as an ally of Trump and as critical of current Republican leadership.

Jeanne Seaver
Jeanne Seaver

Seaver has worked with both Kemp and Trump in the past; she led the local chapter of Women for Trump and also campaigned with Kemp in 2018.

The lieutenant governor race will feature a packed primary, with Seaver up against a field that includes Georgia Senate leaders Burt Jones and Butch Miller. Miller is the Senate president pro tempore. On the Democratic side, 2018 attorney general candidate Charlie Bailey is among five candidate running for the post.

The incumbent, Geoff Duncan, is not running for re-election.

More: 'It's the Trump party now': Savannah Republican announces run for lieutenant governor

More: Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan hopes his GOP 2.0 can bring Republican tone back to pre-Trump levels

Will Peebles is the enterprise reporter for Savannah Morning News. He can be reached at wpeebles@gannett.com and @willpeeblessmn on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Meet the candidates for Georgia, Chatham County's 2022 midterm election