Raffensperger stuns Hice by winning Georgia GOP secretary of state race; Democrats to runoff

'Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger didn't just survive the Donald Trump-driven backlash against him over the 2020 election - he parlayed it into a primary victory.

Raffensperger avoided a runoff Tuesday in the Republican primary for Georgia secretary of state, besting U.S. Congressman Jody Hice, the Trump-endorsed candidate, and three others. Raffensperger received 52% of the vote, 18 percentage points better than Hice.

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Raffensperger has been a lightning rod within the Republican Party since rebuffing Trump's requests to "find 11,780 votes" in the wake of the 2020 presidential election. The number is a reference to Trump's losing margin against Joe Biden.

Trump has challenged election results in several states decided by a narrow number of votes and engaged in a vendetta this election cycle against fellow Republicans who refused to support those efforts. Hice backs Trump's claims of a "rigged election" and was among a group of Georgia congressmen to condemn Raffensperger following the 2020 election.

Hice has served four terms in the U.S. House representing Georgia's 10th District.

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Raffensperger will face a yet-to-be determined Democrat, as that race is headed to a runoff. Bee Nguyen, a Georgia House member, was the top vote getter in a five-candidate primary, garnering 43% of the vote. She'll face Dee Dawkins-Haigler, who was a distant second with 19% of the vote.

Nguyen, the first Asian American Democratic woman ever elected to the Georgia General Assembly, is considered a rising star in Georgia politics.

The general election is Nov. 8.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Raffensperger wins GOP secretary of state runoff Democrats to runoff