Political Scientists weigh in on the Georgia primaries

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - With the stage now set in Georgia, political analysts are getting a better sense for what November will hold.

Experts, expecting lots of eyes to be on the Peach State following a number of races.

This election holds a lot of weight as some experts believe there may be a shift from red to blue in Georgia and with such high early voting numbers, it seems residents believe this too.

In a primary season that saw record voting totals in Georgia residents had no trouble making their voices heard.

“And no one expected that because there was such an outcry that there was going to be voters suppression and that black voters were not going to go because they changed a lot of things,” said USF retired Political Scientists Emeritus Susan MacManus. “But this is such a monumental race that guess what, people are voting in large numbers and it’s been impressive.”

Another unexpected development in the race was how the sitting governor was challenged by a member of his own party, David Perdue.

Perdue challenging Brian Kemp and while the two fought for votes, democrat Stacey Abrams ran unopposed in her primary.

”Usually what you would see is and incumbent would be walking back into the primaries without issues and then the challenging party would be the ones where people would be fighting it out and now we see the opposite as Stacey Abrams has gone effectively unchallenged,” explained Valdosta State University Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Bernard Tamas.

But now the table is set. The Associated Press calling the race in favor of Kemp early Tuesday evening setting up a monumental rematch that will determine the fate of Georgia’s political landscape.

”I mean I think it’s going to be close and nobody knows what’s going to happen. These are two formidable candidates who have both built real organizations with both building real political skills,” shared Dr. Tamas. “It’s rare to see this kind of a battle developing.”

Making for an epic race once again between Abrams and Kemp come November.

“I can ensure you, even in the general election, that is going to be one of the most watched races on election night November 8th,” exclaimed MacManus.