Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop fights to defend Georgia seat

U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., is shown in this file photograph speaking during a commemoration ceremony for the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which abolished slavery in the United States, Dec. 9, 2015, in Emancipation Hall on Capitol Hill in Washington. The congressman is seeking reelection for his Georgia's 2nd Congressional District seat. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

This article was updated at 9:16 p.m.

Georgia’s senior congressman faced his toughest Republican challenger in more than a decade Tuesday as voters decided whether to give Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop a 16th term amid high inflation and low approval of President Joe Biden.

Bishop’s showdown with GOP newcomer Chris West was the only competitive U.S. House race in the Deep South after congressional maps across the region were redrawn last year to give most seats a lopsided advantage for one party or the other.