Four Georgia U.S. House Races Already Getting Expensive

Candidates in Georgia’s four most competitive congressional races are raising and spending millions as they look toward June 9 primaries or November general elections.

Two of the high-dollar races are in the 6th District and 7th District in suburban Atlanta, races both the Democratic and Republican parties are targeting nationally. Two more are Republican primaries for open seats in northeast Georgia’s 9th District and northwest Georgia’s 14th. Those big fields are likely to go to party runoffs now set for August, producing strong favorites for the general election.

In the 6th District, Democratic U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath raised more than $1 million and spent $450,000, according to Federal Election Commission reports filed this week covering the period from Jan. 1 to March 31. She has $2.6 million in cash on hand as she seeks to win a second term. Her top Republican challenger, Karen Handel, raised $282,000 and has $966,000 on hand. Handel held the seat briefly after a special election but lost to McBath in 2018 when seeking a full term.