Georgia's 10th congressional district special election, 2007
Encyclopedia
On June 19, 2007, the U.S. state of Georgia
held a special election to fill a vacancy in Georgia's 10th congressional district
. A runoff
was held on July 17 with Paul Broun
defeating Jim Whitehead by less than 1%.
Charlie Norwood
. Norwood won reelection in 2006
with 67% of the vote.
Since this is a nonpartisan special election, all candidates for the election were listed alphabetically, though their party affiliations are noted on the ballot. According to Georgia law, to win outright, a candidate needed a majority vote; since no candidate won more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers competed in a runoff election on July 17, 2007.
Democratic
Republican
Jim Whitehead and Paul Broun
was held on July 17. Democrat
James Marlow, the third place finisher, had the right to request a recount within 48 hours of the official certification of the election results on June 25, 2007, due to the very small difference in total votes for himself and Broun, but did not do so.
The official returns for the June 19 election and the July 17 run-off are:
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
held a special election to fill a vacancy in Georgia's 10th congressional district
Georgia's 10th congressional district
Georgia's 10th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. Located in the northeastern part of the state, the district includes the cities of Athens, Evans, Augusta, Watkinsville, and Toccoa...
. A runoff
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
was held on July 17 with Paul Broun
Paul Broun
Paul Collins Broun, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party and the Tea Party Caucus.-Early life, education and career:...
defeating Jim Whitehead by less than 1%.
History
The vacancy was created by the death of incumbent RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Charlie Norwood
Charlie Norwood
Charles Whitlow Norwood, Jr., D.D.S. was an American politician and dentist, serving as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 until his death...
. Norwood won reelection in 2006
United States House elections, 2006
- House of Representatives prior to the election :As of November 7, 2006, the U.S. House of the 109th Congress was composed of 229 Republicans, 201 Democrats and 1 Independent . There were also four vacancies...
with 67% of the vote.
Since this is a nonpartisan special election, all candidates for the election were listed alphabetically, though their party affiliations are noted on the ballot. According to Georgia law, to win outright, a candidate needed a majority vote; since no candidate won more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers competed in a runoff election on July 17, 2007.
Official candidates
The following candidates were on the June 19 ballot. They are listed here alphabetically: first by party, then by name.DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
- Denise Freeman - BaptistBaptistBaptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
minister and 1998United States House elections, 1998The U.S. House elections in 1998 were part of the midterm elections held during President Bill Clinton's second term. They were a major disappointment to the Republican Party, which was expecting to gain seats due to the embarrassment Clinton suffered during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, and the...
/2000 Democratic nominee - James Marlow - Yahoo!Yahoo!Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
Marketing executive - Evita Paschall - AttorneyLawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
- Paul BrounPaul BrounPaul Collins Broun, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party and the Tea Party Caucus.-Early life, education and career:...
- PhysicianPhysicianA physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments... - Bill Greene - Conservative activist
- Mark Myers - Realtor & previous candidate
- Nate Pulliam - Former soldier in the US Army & Realtor
- Erik Underwood - Former Congressional Aide & Political consultant
- Jim Whitehead - St. SenatorGeorgia SenateThe Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly .-Composition:According to the state constitution of 1983, this body is to be composed of no more than 56 members elected for two-year terms. Current state law provides for 56 members...
, 2005–2007
Election results
No candidate received a majority in the June 19 election so a runoff between RepublicansRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Jim Whitehead and Paul Broun
Paul Broun
Paul Collins Broun, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party and the Tea Party Caucus.-Early life, education and career:...
was held on July 17. Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
James Marlow, the third place finisher, had the right to request a recount within 48 hours of the official certification of the election results on June 25, 2007, due to the very small difference in total votes for himself and Broun, but did not do so.
The official returns for the June 19 election and the July 17 run-off are:
| Candidates | General Election, June 19 | Run-Off Election, July 17 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Percent | Votes | Percent |
| Jim Whitehead | Republican | 23,555 | 43.51% | 23,135 | 49.58% |
| Paul Broun | Republican | 11,208 | 20.70% | 23,529 | 50.42% |
| James Marlow | Democratic | 11,010 | 20.34% | ||
| Denise Freeman | Democratic | 2,574 | 4.76% | ||
| Evita Paschall | Democratic | 1,778 | 3.28% | ||
| Bill Greene | Republican | 1,635 | 3.02% | ||
| Nate Pulliam | Republican | 913 | 1.69% | ||
| Jim Sendelbach | Libertarian | 710 | 1.31% | ||
| Mark Myers | Republican | 378 | 0.70% | ||
| Erik Underwood | Republican | 376 | 0.70% | ||
Democratic
- Denise Freeman for Congress web site
- James Marlow for Congress web site
- Evita Paschall for Congress web site