1992 United States Senate election in Georgia

Last updated

1992 United States Senate election in Georgia
Flag of the State of Georgia (1956-2001).svg
  1986 November 3, 1992 (first round)
November 24, 1992 (runoff)
1998  
  Paul Coverdell - R-GA.jpeg Wyche Fowler (D-GA) (cropped).jpg
Nominee Paul Coverdell Wyche Fowler
Party Republican Democratic
First round1,073,282
47.67%
1,108,416
49.23%
Runoff 635,118
50.65%
618,774
49.35%

1992 United States Senate election in Georgia results map by county.svg
1992 United States Senate runoff election in Georgia results map by county.svg
Coverdell:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Fowler:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%

U.S. senator before election

Wyche Fowler
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Paul Coverdell
Republican

The 1992 United States Senate election in Georgia was held on November 3, 1992. In the general election, which occurred simultaneously with the presidential election, incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Wyche Fowler received more votes, but did not achieve a simple majority. Under Georgia law, this demanded a runoff. Paul Coverdell, the former Director of the Peace Corps, edged out Fowler in the November 24 runoff by a narrow margin, flipping the seat to the Republicans. It was the first Senate runoff election to be held in Georgia since runoffs were first mandated in 1964. This was the third consecutive United States Senate election in Georgia for this seat in which the incumbent United States Senator from Georgia lost re-election.

Contents

Republican primary

The general primary was held July 21, 1992. [1] A run-off between the top two Republican contenders was held on August 11, in which Paul Coverdell defeated Bob Barr.

Candidates

Results

Results [2] for the first round showed that since Paul Coverdell did not win a majority of the vote, a runoff was held between him and Barr. Coverdell subsequently won the runoff.

1992 Georgia U.S. Senate Republican primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Paul Coverdell100,01637.05%
Republican Bob Barr65,47124.25%
Republican John Knox64,51423.90%
Republican Charlie Tanskley32,59012.07%
Republican Dean Parkison7,3522.72%
Turnout 269,943100.00%
1992 Georgia U.S. Senate Republican primary election runoff
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Paul Coverdell 80,435 50.49%
Republican Bob Barr 78,88749.51%
Turnout 159,332100.00%

General election

Candidates

Results

Initial

As no candidate reached a majority on November 3, a runoff election was held on November 24, which Coverdell won.

Georgia United States Senate election, 1992
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Wyche Fowler (incumbent) 1,108,416 49.23%
Republican Paul Coverdell 1,073,282 47.67%
Libertarian Jim Hudson69,8783.10%
Write-In Votes 110.00%
Majority35,1341.56%
Turnout 2,251,587

Run off

Georgia United States Senate election runoff, 1992
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Paul Coverdell 635,118 50.65%
Democratic Wyche Fowler (incumbent)618,77449.35%
Majority16,3441.30%
Turnout 1,253,892
Republican gain from Democratic

Aftermath

The Georgia Legislature, then controlled by Democrats, changed the state's laws requiring a run-off election only if the winning candidate received less than 45% of the vote. In the 1996 Senate election, the winner, Democrat Max Cleland won with only 48.9% (1.4% ahead of Republican Guy Millner) thus avoiding a run-off. In 2005 after Republicans took control of the legislature, the run-off requirement was changed back to 50%. [3]

The result of this election would later repeat in reverse in the 2020-2021 regular Senate election in Georgia, with Republican David Perdue winning the first round but falling less than one percent below the 50% threshold required to avoid a runoff, and then being defeated in the runoff by Democrat Jon Ossoff with a similar one point margin. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Coverdell</span> American politician (1939–2000)

Paul Douglas Coverdell was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Georgia from 1993 until his death in 2000. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the director of the Peace Corps from 1989 to 1991 under President George H. W. Bush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denise Majette</span> American politician (born 1955)

Denise Lorraine Majette is an American politician from the state of Georgia. A Democrat, she represented Georgia's 4th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2003 to 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyche Fowler</span> American politician and ambassador

William Wyche Fowler Jr. is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat. He is a member of the Democratic Party and served as a U.S. Senator from Georgia from 1987 to 1993. He had previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977 to 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Georgia (U.S. state)</span> Overview of the procedure of elections in the U.S. state of Georgia

Elections in Georgia are held to fill various state and federal seats. Regular elections are held every even year. The positions being decided each year varies, as the terms of office varies. The State Senate, State House and U.S. House will typically be up for election, as all of those positions have two-year terms. Special elections are held to fill vacated offices. Georgia is one of seven states that require a run-off election if no candidate receives a majority of the vote in a primary election. Uniquely, Georgia requires a run-off election for state and congressional offices if no candidate wins a majority of the vote in a general election; only Louisiana has a similar requirement, but it operates under a different election system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1992 United States Senate elections</span>

The 1992 United States Senate elections, held November 3, 1992, were elections for the United States Senate. The 34 seats of Class 3 were contested in regular elections, along with special elections to fill vacancies. They coincided with Bill Clinton's victory in the presidential election. This was the first time since 1956 that the balance of the Senate remained the same.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States Senate election in Georgia</span>

The 2008 United States Senate election in Georgia took place on November 4, 2008. The run off election took place on December 2, 2008. Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss, first elected in 2002, sought re-election to his position as a United States Senator from Georgia. He was challenged by Democratic nominee Jim Martin and Libertarian nominee Allen Buckley. After a runoff election on December 2, Chambliss was elected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980 United States Senate election in Georgia</span>

The 1980 United States Senate election in Georgia was held on November 4, 1980. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator and former Governor of Georgia Herman Talmadge ran for reelection to a fifth term, but lost narrowly to Mack Mattingly, Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 United States Senate election in Georgia</span>

The 1996 United States Senate election in Georgia was held on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Democratic United States Senator Sam Nunn decided to retire instead of seeking a fifth term. Democratic Secretary of State Max Cleland won the open seat over Republican businessman Guy Millner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 United States Senate elections</span>

The 2014 United States Senate elections were held on November 4, 2014. A total of 36 seats in the 100-member U.S. Senate were contested. Thirty-three Class 2 seats were contested for regular six-year terms to be served from January 3, 2015, to January 3, 2021, and three Class 3 seats were contested in special elections due to Senate vacancies. The elections marked 100 years of direct elections of U.S. senators. Going into the elections, 21 of the contested seats were held by the Democratic Party, while 15 were held by the Republican Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1992 United States presidential election in Georgia</span> Election in Georgia

The 1992 United States presidential election in Georgia took place on November 3, 1992, and was part of the 1992 United States presidential election. Voters chose 13 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1992 United States elections</span>

The 1992 United States elections elected state governors, the President of the United States, and members of the 103rd United States Congress. The election took place after the Soviet Union crumbled and the Cold War ended, as well as the redistricting that resulted from the 1990 census. Often considered "The Year Of The Woman," these elections brought an increased number of female politicians to Washington such as Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Carol Moseley Braun (D-IL). Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas defeated incumbent President George H. W. Bush and businessman Ross Perot in the presidential election. The Democratic Party maintained their control of both chambers of Congress. This is the first Democratic trifecta since the Republican victory in the 1980 elections and the last one during the 20th century and the last one overall until 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Georgia state elections</span>

A general election was held in the U.S. state of Georgia on November 4, 2014. All of Georgia's executive officers were up for election as well as a United States Senate seat, all of Georgia's fourteen seats in the United States House of Representatives and all seats in both houses of the Georgia General Assembly. Primary elections were held on May 20, 2014. Primary runoffs, necessary if no candidate wins a majority of the vote, were held on July 22, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 United States Senate elections</span>

The 2020 United States Senate elections were held on November 3, 2020, with the 33 class 2 seats of the Senate contested in regular elections. Of these, 21 were held by Republicans, and 12 by Democrats. The winners were elected to 6-year terms from January 3, 2021, to January 3, 2027. Two special elections for seats held by Republicans were also held in conjunction with the general elections: one in Arizona, to fill the vacancy created by John McCain's death in 2018; and one in Georgia, following Johnny Isakson's resignation in 2019. These elections ran concurrently with the 2020 United States presidential election in which incumbent president Donald Trump lost to Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–21 United States Senate election in Georgia</span>

The 2020–21 United States Senate election in Georgia was held on November 3, 2020, and on January 5, 2021, to elect the Class II member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Georgia. Democrat Jon Ossoff defeated incumbent Republican Senator David Perdue in the runoff election. The general election was held concurrently with the 2020 presidential election, as well as with other elections to the Senate, elections to the U.S. House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States Senate elections</span>

The 2022 United States Senate elections were held on November 8, 2022, concurrently with other midterm elections at the federal, state and local levels. Regularly scheduled elections were held for 34 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate, the winners of which will serve six-year terms beginning with the 118th United States Congress. Two special elections were held to complete unexpired terms. While pundits considered the Republican Party a slight favorite to gain control of the Senate, Senate Democrats outperformed expectations and expanded the majority they had held since 2021, gaining one seat for a functioning 51–49 majority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Georgia's 6th congressional district special election</span>

A special election to determine the member of the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 6th congressional district was held on April 18, 2017, with a runoff held two months later on June 20. Republican Karen Handel narrowly defeated Democrat Jon Ossoff in the runoff vote, 51.8% to 48.2%. Handel succeeded Tom Price, who resigned from the seat following his confirmation as United States Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Trump administration. The runoff election was necessary when no individual candidate earned the majority of votes in the election on April 18. Ossoff received 48.1% of the vote in the first round, followed by Handel with 19.8%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Ossoff</span> American politician and filmmaker (born 1987)

Thomas Jonathan Ossoff is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Georgia since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Ossoff was previously a documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States Senate election in Georgia</span>

The 2022 United States Senate election in Georgia was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the U.S. Senate to represent the state of Georgia. Incumbent Democratic senator Raphael Warnock won his first full term in office, defeating Republican former football player Herschel Walker. Under Georgia's two-round system, Warnock was re-elected in a runoff election on December 6 after neither candidate received over 50% of the vote on November 8.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia</span>

The 2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia was held on November 3, 2020, and on January 5, 2021, to elect the Class III member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Georgia. Democrat Raphael Warnock defeated appointed incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler. The first round of the election was held on November 3, 2020; however, no candidate received a majority of the vote, so the top two candidates—Warnock and Loeffler—advanced to a runoff on January 5, 2021, which Warnock won narrowly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Georgia state elections</span>

Several elections took place in the U.S. state of Georgia in 2022. The general election was held on November 8, 2022. A runoff election for one of Georgia's seats in the United States Senate was held on December 6, 2022. The runoff was scheduled because none of the candidates for Senate received 50% of the statewide vote in the general election. In addition to the Senate seat, all of Georgia's seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election. Also up for election were all of Georgia's executive officers and legislative seats, as well as one seat on the Georgia Public Service Commission. The Republican Party decisively won every single statewide office in Georgia except for the Federal Senate race which narrowly went Democratic in 2022.

References

  1. 1992 Republican Primary OurCampaigns
  2. "Our Campaigns - GA US Senate - R Primary Race - Jul 21, 1992".
  3. "Runoff system a Southern relic". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. August 10, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  4. "Jon Ossoff Wins Georgia Runoff, Handing Democrats Senate Control". National Public Radio . January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2022.