University professor Carolyn Bourdeaux won her Democratic House runoff in Georgia on Tuesday, becoming the latest woman to rack up a primary victory, although another female candidate fell short in another Democratic race.
Bourdeaux, a professor at Georgia State University, is projected to advance to the November election after beating Democratic rival David Kim, the son of South Korean immigrants and founder of a tutoring company, according to the Associated Press.
With 97 percent of precincts reporting, Bourdeaux edged out Kim with 51.9 percent of the vote, compared to her rival’s 48.1 percent.
Bourdeaux, who previously ran the Georgia Senate’s budget office, will face Rep. Rob Woodall (R-Ga.), who hasn’t faced a serious challenge since he took office in 2011.
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The runoff win by Bourdeaux comes after Georgia Democrats elected former statehouse Democratic leader Stacey Abrams as their gubernatorial candidate in the fall, making her the first black woman nominated for governor by a major party.
Abrams will go on to face secretary of State Brian Kemp, who beat out Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle in the runoff for the Republican gubernatorial nomination on Tuesday.
Both Georgia’s 6th and 7th districts held runoffs on Tuesday night; both are a top priority for Democrats as they look to take over the House.
The 6th district, in Atlanta’s suburbs, could be the easier race. President Trump won Rep. Karen Handel’s (R) district by fewer than 2 points in 2016. The Cook Political Report rates the district as “lean Republican.”
Handel won her seat by beating Democratic rising star Jon Ossoff in a House special election last year that received outsized attention as Democrats made a huge play for the GOP-leaning seat and sought to make it an early referendum on president Trump.
Handel clinched the seat by fewer than 4 points.
The 7th district will be more challenging for Democrats. Trump carried Rep. Rob Woodall’s (R) district by a little more than 6 points in 2016, but the district’s demographics have dramatically changed over the years with an influx of immigrants.
Cook rates the 7th District contest as “likely Republican.”
Women are performing well in midterm primaries across the country, especially in the Democratic party, leading some analysts to call 2018 as the year of the woman. Among the most high-profile winners was Alexandria Ocasia-Cortez who stunned the political word by beating Democratic incumbent Joseph Crowley in a primary in New York last month.
–Updated at 10:50 p.m.