Georgia's 2014 elections U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • Secretary of State • Other executive offices • State Senate • State House • State ballot measures • School boards • Judicial • Candidate ballot access

2016→ ←2012

Georgia Down Ballot State Executive Elections

Primary Date: May 20, 2014

Runoff Date July 22, 2014

General Election Date: November 4, 2014

Georgia State Executive ElectionsTop Ballot Governor • Lieutenant Governor •Secretary of State •Attorney General Down Ballot Superintendent, Insurance Commissioner, Agriculture Commissioner, Labor Commissioner, Public Service Commissioner

Six down ballot state executive positions were up for election in the state ofGeorgia in 2014:state schools superintendent,insurance commissioner,commissioner of agriculture,commissioner of labor and two seats on thepublic service commission.

The general election was held onNovember 4, 2014, following a primary onMay 20 and a runoff where necessary onJuly 22. Georgia election law requires a candidate to earn at least 50 percent of the primary election vote in order to automatically move on with the party's nomination.^[1] If no candidate reaches that threshold, the two candidates with the highest number of votes compete in a runoff, which, effective 2014, takes place "on the Tuesday of the ninth week" following the primary. The timetable was revised under House Bill 310 and signed into law byGov.Nathan Deal in January 2014; Prior to 2014, runoffs were regularly held three weeks after the preceding primary.^[2]

Going into the 2014 electoral cycle, all six down ballot positions were occupied by Republicans. Five of the incumbents were running for re-election. The exception, currentGeorgia State Superintendent of SchoolsJohn Barge (R), opted to run forgovernor against GOP incumbentNathan Deal.^[3] He lost to Deal in the primary.

District 4Public Service CommissionerBubba McDonald (R) was the only incumbent from the down ballot races to face a primary challenge. McDonald defeated two challengers to secure the Republican nomination on May 20. He defeated uncontested Democratic nomineeDaniel Blackman in the general election.

CurrentGeorgia Insurance and Safety Fire CommissionerRalph Hudgens defeatedDemocratLiz Johnson andLibertarianTed Metz in November. Johnson defeated opponentKeith Heard in theDemocratic primary by a commanding margin of 40 percent.

Neither superintendent primary produced a definitive victor in the primary and went to runoffs. The top two finishers in each field ran against each other on July 22:Alisha Thomas Morgan andValarie Wilson for the Democrats;Mike Buck andRichard Woods for the Republicans.^[4] Wilson was declared the Democratic nominee late on election night, however the Republican race was too close to call. With 100 percent precincts reporting as of July 24, Woods led Buck by about 725 votes of almost 397,800 cast, not accounting for provisional ballots. The results of the runoff fell inside the 1 percent margin needed to warrant a recount. The recount concluded on Thursday, July 31, confirming Woods as the official winner.^[5][6][7][8] Woods defeated Wilson in the general election.

Aprimary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Georgia utilizes anopen primary system, in which any voter can participate in a political party's primary election regardless of their partisan affiliation. A candidate must win a majority of votes cast in the primary in order to win the election. If no candidate wins an outright majority, a runoff primary is held between the top two vote-getters.^[9][10]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, seethis article.

State Superintendent of Schools

Candidates

General election

• Valarie Wilson
• Richard Woods

Filed for other office

• John Barge -Incumbent

Primary Runoff

Primary Election

Results

General election

Superintendent of Georgia, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Richard Woods	55.1%	1,391,005
	Democratic	Valarie Wilson	44.9%	1,132,886
Total Votes				2,523,891
Election results viaGeorgia Secretary of State

Primary runoff

Republican runoff

Georgia State Superintendents of Schools, Republican Primary Runoff, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Richard Woods	50.1%	199,441
Mike Buck	49.9%	198,741
Total Votes		398,182
Election results viaGeorgia Secretary of State.

Democratic runoff

Georgia State Superintendents of Schools, Democratic Primary Runoff, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Valarie Wilson	54.4%	73,740
Alisha Thomas Morgan	45.6%	61,882
Total Votes		135,622
Election results viaGeorgia Secretary of State.

Primary election

Republican primary

Georgia Superintendent of Schools, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Mike Buck	19.5%	91,435
Richard Woods	16.8%	78,542
Mary Kay Bacallao	15.3%	71,810
Ashley Bell	15%	70,065
Nancy Jester	10.9%	51,211
Fitz Johnson	7.7%	35,862
Allen Bowles Fort	6.3%	29,504
Sharyl Dawes	5.4%	25,468
Kira Willis	3.1%	14,584
Total Votes		468,481
Election results viaGeorgia Secretary of State Election Results.

Democratic primary

Georgia Superintendent of Schools, Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Valarie Wilson	32.6%	96,849
Alisha Thomas Morgan	26.4%	78,460
Denise Freeman	18.3%	54,428
Tarnisha Dent	13.5%	40,007
Jurita Forehand Mays	5.7%	16,818
Rita Robinzine	3.6%	10,609
Total Votes		297,171
Election results viaGeorgia Secretary of State Election Results.

Duties

The superintendent is charged by state law to "carry out and enforce all the rules and regulations of the State Board of Education and the laws governing the schools receiving state aid." Additionally, he is directed to make recommendations to the board on matters related to the "welfare and efficiency" of the public school system.^[29]

Campaign finance

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of$1,056,970 during the election. This information was last updated on May 12, 2015.^[30]

Campaign Contribution Totals
Candidate	Office	Result	Contributions
Valarie Wilson	Georgia Superintendent		$319,616
Fitz Johnson	Georgia Superintendent		$289,532
Alisha Thomas Morgan	Georgia Superintendent		$237,289
Ashley Bell	Georgia Superintendent		$51,058
Richard Woods	Georgia Superintendent		$48,829
Mike Buck	Georgia Superintendent		$26,400
Nancy Jester	Georgia Superintendent		$25,206
Kira Willis	Georgia Superintendent		$23,172
Allen Bowles Fort	Georgia Superintendent		$21,823
Denise Freeman	Georgia Superintendent		$5,600
Rita Robinzine	Georgia Superintendent		$4,200
Mary Kay Bacallao	Georgia Superintendent		$2,020
Tarnisha Dent	Georgia Superintendent		$1,375
Sharyl Dawes	Georgia Superintendent		$850
Jurita Forehand Mays	Georgia Superintendent		$0
Grand Total Raised			$1,056,970

Race background

In the May 20 primary election, neither of the Democratic and Republican fields forGeorgia State Superintendent of Schools produced a candidate with at least 50 percent of the vote in their respective primaries.^[31] As a result, the top two vote-getters from each race ran in a runoff on July 22 to decide who would advance to the general election: state Rep.Alisha Thomas Morgan and former Decatur School Board ChairwomanValarie Wilson for the Democrats; chief academic officer for the state Department of EducationMike Buck and Irwin County educatorRichard Woods for the Republicans.^{[32][33][34][35]}

Wilson was declared the Democratic nominee forGeorgia State Superintendent of Schools over state Rep.Alisha Thomas Morgan late on May 20, while the GOP runoff between Buck and Woods was too close to call.^{[36][37][38][39]} With 100 percent precincts fully reported the day after, excluding provisional ballots, Woods led by less than 730 votes out of about 397,800 cast—well below the one percent margin Georgia election law deems necessary to conduct a recount.^[40][38] On Thursday, July 31, the ensuing recount concluded that Woods had won the race by 713 votes.^[41]

Outgoing incumbentJohn Barge, a Republican first elected Georgia's state schools chief in 2010, decided to forgo a possible re-election bid for superintendent in 2014, instead setting his sights on thegovernorship. After being defeated byNathan Deal in the GOP primary, Barge was unable to join in the superintendent ballot.^[42][43]

On November 4, Woods was elected to replace Barge as superintendent. He defeated Wilson by a margin of more than 10 percentage points.^[44]

Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner

Candidates

General election

• Ralph Hudgens -Incumbent^[45]
• Liz Johnson^[46]
• Ted Metz^[47]

Lost in the primary

• Keith Heard^[48]

Results

General election

Insurance Commissioner of Georgia, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ralph HudgensIncumbent	54.9%	1,382,551
	Democratic	Liz Johnson	41.7%	1,050,883
	Libertarian	Ted Metz	3.4%	86,427
Total Votes				2,519,861
Election results viaGeorgia Secretary of State

Primary election

Republican primary

• Uncontested

Democratic primary

Georgia Insurance Commissioner, Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Liz Johnson	69.9%	203,318
Keith Heard	30.1%	87,437
Total Votes		290,755
Election results viaGeorgia Secretary of State Election Results.

Duties

The commissioner is administrative head of the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, which both regulates the state's insurance industry and oversees state fire safety initiatives.

Campaign finance

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of$1,142,975 during the election. This information was last updated on May 12, 2015.^[49]

Campaign Contribution Totals
Candidate	Office	Result	Contributions
Ralph Hudgens	Georgia Insurance Commissioner		$1,109,186
Liz Johnson	Georgia Insurance Commissioner		$21,177
Keith Heard	Georgia Insurance Commissioner		$6,950
Ted Metz	Georgia Insurance Commissioner		$5,662
Grand Total Raised			$1,142,975

Commissioner of Agriculture

Candidates

General election

• Gary Black -Incumbent
• Chris Irvin^[50]

Results

General election

Agriculture Commissioner of Georgia, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Gary BlackIncumbent	58.3%	1,462,039
	Democrat	Christopher Irvin	41.7%	1,047,339
Total Votes				2,509,378
Election results viaGeorgia Secretary of State

Primary election

Republican primary

• Uncontested

Democratic primary

• Uncontested

Duties

The commissioner manages the Georgia Department of Agriculture, which regulates and promotes the produce ofGeorgia's agricultural industry.

According to the department's website, "the Georgia Department of Agriculture regulates, monitors, or assists with the following areas: grocery stores, convenience stores, food warehouses, bottling plants, food processing plants, pet dealers and breeders, animal health, gasoline quality and pump calibration, antifreeze, weights and measures, marketing of Georgia agricultural products domestically and internationally, pesticides, structural pest control, meat processing plants, seed quality, Vidalia onions, state farmers markets, plant diseases, nurseries and garden centers, fertilizer and lime, potting soil; feed, boll weevil eradication, apiaries, Humane Care for Equines Act, bottled water, and other responsibilities."^[51]

Campaign finance

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of$921,817 during the election. This information was last updated on May 12, 2015.^[52]

Campaign Contribution Totals
Candidate	Office	Result	Contributions
Gary Black	Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture		$878,622
Chris Irvin	Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture		$43,195
Grand Total Raised			$921,817

Commissioner of Labor

Candidates

General election

• Mark Butler -Incumbent
• Robbin Shipp^[53]

Results

General election

Labor Commissioner of Georgia, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mark ButlerIncumbent	56.9%	1,427,662
	Democratic	Robbin Shipp	43.1%	1,079,898
Total Votes				2,507,560
Election results viaGeorgia Secretary of State

Primary election

Republican primary

• Uncontested

Democratic primary

• Uncontested

Duties

The commissioner is the administrative head of the Georgia Department of Labor, which implements the state's labor regulations, operates its unemployment insurance and workforce development programs, and produces research and statistics regarding the state's labor market.

Campaign finance

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of$229,584 during the election. This information was last updated on May 12, 2015.^[54]

Campaign Contribution Totals
Candidate	Office	Result	Contributions
Mark Butler	Georgia Labor Commissioner		$151,801
Robbin Shipp	Georgia Labor Commissioner		$77,783
Grand Total Raised			$229,584

Public Service Commission (Two seats)

See also:Georgia Public Service Commission

Candidates

General election (District 1)

• H. Doug Everett -Incumbent
• John Monds^[55]

General election (District 4)

• Bubba McDonald -Incumbent
• Daniel Blackman^[56]
• Robin Aaron Gilmer^[57]

Lost in the primary (District 4)

• Craig Lutz^[58]
• Doug Kidd^[59]

Results

General election

Public Service Commissioner of Georgia, District 1, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Doug EverettIncumbent	68.3%	1,532,652
	Libertarian	John Monds	31.7%	710,408
Total Votes				2,243,060
Election results viaGeorgia Secretary of State

Public Service Commissioner of Georgia, District 4, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Bubba McDonaldIncumbent	53.4%	1,341,182
	Democratic	Daniel Blackman	41.7%	1,048,917
	Libertarian	Robin Aaron Gilmer	4.9%	122,326
Total Votes				2,512,425
Election results viaGeorgia Secretary of State

Primary election

Republican primary

Georgia Public Service Commissioner, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Bubba McDonaldIncumbent	62.3%	318,930
Doug Kidd	20.8%	106,738
Craig Lutz	16.9%	86,429
Total Votes		512,097
Election results viaGeorgia Secretary of State Election Results.

Democratic primary

• Uncontested

Duties

Public service commissioners are responsible for making regulations coveringGeorgia's electric, gas, telecommunications and intrastate transportation firms. State law also gives the commission the power to hear complaints against public utilities, require utilities to maintain certain services or facilities and "examine the affairs" of utilities and "keep informed of their general condition."^[60]

Campaign finance

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of$86,624 during the election. This information was last updated on May 12, 2015.^[61]

Campaign Contribution Totals
Candidate	Office	Result	Contributions
Doug Everett	Georgia Public Service Commissioner District 1		$86,624
John Monds	Georgia Public Service Commissioner District 1		$0
Grand Total Raised			$86,624

Campaign finance

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of$232,598 during the election. This information was last updated on May 12, 2015.^[62]

Campaign Contribution Totals
Candidate	Office	Result	Contributions
Bubba McDonald	Georgia Public Service Commissioner District 4		$184,648
Doug Kidd	Georgia Public Service Commissioner District 4		$18,460
Craig Lutz	Georgia Public Service Commissioner District 4		$17,096
Daniel Blackman	Georgia Public Service Commissioner District 4		$8,900
Robin Aaron Gilmer	Georgia Public Service Commissioner District 4		$3,494
Grand Total Raised			$232,598

Key deadlines

Ballotpedia reports

To learn more about developments in these races, check out the following news articles from Ballotpedia:

• Republican superintendent runoff poised for recount: Georgia state executive elections review, 2014
• Primary runoff preview: Georgia state executive official elections, 2014
• Superintendent primaries both headed to runoff: Georgia state executive primary elections review
• Primary preview: Georgia state executive elections, 2014

Recent news

Commissioner of Agriculture

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Georgia + Agriculture + Commissioner + election"

Commissioner of Labor

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Georgia + Labor + Commissioner + election"

Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Georgia + Insurance + Commissioner + election"

Public Service Commission

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Georgia + Public + Service + Commission + election"

Superintendent of Schools

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Georgia + Superintendent + election"

See also

• Georgia state executive official elections, 2014
• Georgia elections, 2014
• State executive official elections, 2014
• Georgia State Superintendent of Schools
• Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner
• Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture
• Georgia Commissioner of Labor
• Georgia Public Service Commission

External links

Suggest a link

• Georgia State School Superintendent
• Office of Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner
• Georgia Department of Agriculture
• Georgia Department of Labor
• Georgia Public Service Commission

Footnotes

v • e 2014 state executive official elections Governor Alabama •Alaska •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Iowa •Kansas •Maine •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Nebraska •Nevada •New Hampshire •New Mexico •New York •Ohio •Oklahoma •Oregon •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Tennessee •Texas •Vermont •Wisconsin •Wyoming Lieutenant Governor Alabama •Alaska •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Florida •Georgia •Hawaii •Idaho •Illinois •Iowa •Kansas •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Nebraska •Nevada •New Mexico •New York •Ohio •Oklahoma •Pennsylvania •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Texas •Vermont •Wisconsin Secretary of State Alabama •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Georgia •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Nebraska •Nevada •New Mexico •North Dakota •Ohio •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Vermont •Wisconsin •Wyoming Attorney General Alabama •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Idaho •Illinois •Iowa •Kansas •Maryland •Massachusetts •Michigan •Minnesota •Nebraska •Nevada •New Mexico •New York •North Dakota •Ohio •Oklahoma •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Texas •Utah •Vermont •Wisconsin Down ballot offices Alabama •Arizona •Arkansas •California •Colorado •Connecticut •Delaware •Florida •Georgia •Idaho •Illinois •Indiana •Iowa •Kansas •Louisiana •Maryland •Massachusetts •Minnesota •Missouri •Montana •Nebraska •Nevada •New Mexico •New York •Ohio •Oklahoma •Rhode Island •South Carolina •South Dakota •Texas •Vermont •Wisconsin •Wyoming Election information Ballot access for major and minor party candidates •List of General Election Candidates •Filing deadlines and primary dates •Elected Officials Running for a Different office

	v • e State ofGeorgia Atlanta (capital)
Elections	What's on my ballot? |Elections in 2026 |How to vote |How to run for office |Ballot measures
Government	Who represents me? |U.S. President |U.S. Congress |Federal courts |State executives |State legislature |State and local courts |Counties |Cities |School districts |Public policy