T-SPLOST falls in metro Atlanta; several incumbents unseated
UPDATE at 12:16 p.m.: My colleagues on the news side have now called the referendum as well, declaring T-SPLOST defeated in metro Atlanta. It’s on to Plan B. The one thing I can say with certainty: There will be a Plan B.
That’s it for tonight. More to come Wednesday.
UPDATE at 11:55 p.m.: At least four incumbent House members were defeated Tuesday by challengers:
- Charlice Byrd, R-Woodstock, lost 53-47 to Michael Caldwell;
- Steve Davis, R-McDonough, lost 65-35 to Dale Rutledge;
- Doug McKillip, an Athenian who went from being a member of the House Democratic leadership to a Republican who this year sponsored the so-called fetal pain anti-abortion bill, lost 50.4-49.6 to Regina Quick;
- Keith Heard, D-Athens, lost 55-45 to Spencer Frye.
In addition, there are two districts where House Democratic incumbents were paired against each other. Pat Gardner had a 63-37 lead over Rashad Taylor, while Simone Bell led Ralph Long 57-43.
And another six House incumbents were in real trouble: Judy Manning, R-Marietta; Yasmin Neal, D-Jonesboro; Glenn Baker, D-Jonesboro; Kip Smith, R-Columbus; and Jason Spencer, R-Woodbine, all were trailing late Tuesday night, and Pam Dickerson, D-Conyers, was headed for a runoff against Sharon Sawyer.
UPDATE at 11:30 p.m.: My prediction of a single-digit loss for metro Atlanta’s T-SPLOST is looking shaky. With two-thirds of the region’s precincts reporting, the tax is trailing by a whopping 18 28 percentage points, 64-36 (sorry, late-night math — KW). We shall see what the final margin is, but I feel safe in saying the tax has been defeated.
In other news, it would appear state Sen. Jack Murphy survived a tough primary challenge. Other endangered Senate incumbents (see previous update) were still having to sweat it out. Sens. Miriam Paris and Bill Heath, and probably Gail Davenport as well, appeared headed for runoffs.
UPDATE at 10:10 p.m.: A few incumbent state senators appear to be in some trouble tonight. With the caveat that it’s still early, with important parts of these districts still to report, the nervous ones tonight are:
- Majority Whip Cecil Station, R-Macon, who trails challenger Spencer Price 51-49 at the moment;
- Johnny Grant, R-Milledgeville, who trails Burt Jones 53-47;
- Miriam Paris, D-Macon, who trails former state Rep. David Lucas 48-47 (with a third candidate taking a handful of votes);
- Jack Murphy, R-Cumming, who has drawn criticism for remaining chairman of the Senate Banking Committee while being sued by the FDIC, leads Steve Voshall 50.2-49.8;
- Bill Heath, R-Bremen, a.k.a. the man who put longtime Speaker Tom Murphy out of politics, leads Bill Carruth 45-42 in another three-man race;
- Gail Davenport, D-Jonesboro, is trailing former state Sen. Gail Buckner 48-37 in a three-person race;
UPDATE at 9:44 p.m.: In congressional races, we appear to be headed to runoffs in a couple of GOP primaries.
In the newly created 9th District centered on Hall and Forsyth counties, state Rep. Doug Collins has 42 percent of the vote and radio talk-show host Martha Zoller 41 percent. There still are a number of counties still to fully report in that large, Northeast Georgia district.
In the 12th, which Republicans redrew last year to be much more favorable to their party against incumbent Democrat John Barrow, state Rep. Lee Anderson has an early lead in a four-way race. But the Augusta area, home to two of the challengers, has yet to report most of its results.
We might also see a Republican runoff in the 2nd, although incumbent Democrat Sanford Bishop is much safer in his redrawn district than he was in 2010, when he barely held onto his office. Whoever emerges from the GOP side is unlikely to give him nearly as tough a run this year.
Neither Hank Johnson (D) nor Phil Gingrey (R) nor Lynn Westmoreland (R), the only incumbents to face more than one primary challenger, seems likely to end up in a runoff. (Note: I left Westmoreland off that list originally. — KW)
UPDATE at 9:30 p.m.: Two and a half hours after the polls closed, we still don’t have a ton of clarity about how T-SPLOST is faring in metro Atlanta. That’s because Clayton, DeKalb and Fulton counties are just beginning to report the bulk of their returns. When they do, the 66-34 lead for the “no” vote will narrow considerably. I still look for disapproval of the sales-tax hike by single digits.
That said, the nightmare scenario for state officials seems to be unfolding: Metro Atlanta, for whom the T-SPLOST was created, will vote it down while it passes in other regions, tying the hands of state lawmakers in coming up with Plan B. The tax is currently ahead in the regions surrounding Augusta and Columbus, along with the one in rural southeast-central (ish) Georgia stretching from Wrightsville to Jesup. I still think the only option will be for another vote within a couple of years.
ORIGINAL POST:
Tonight — or early Wednesday morning — we’ll learn the fate not only of the T-SPLOST in metro Atlanta and 11 other regions around the state. We’ll also find out the winners in a number of elections for Congress and the statehouse, whether other races are going to runoffs, and how the ballot measures fared in the Democratic and GOP primaries.
I’ll update this post as the evening wears on. You can get results here.
– By Kyle Wingfield
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
456 comments Add your comment
Gimme Gimme Gimme
August 1st, 2012
9:11 am
Red Dawn@8:53
100% true although some have convinced themselves otherwise. Kind of like how they pretend Obama didn’t really extend the Bush tax cuts.
kayaker 71
August 1st, 2012
9:15 am
If companies do relocate their employees to Atlanta, they need to supply each one of them with a new Glock 23 with a laser sight, especially if they send their kids to GA Tech. Same is true for Macon.
Numbers-R-US
August 1st, 2012
9:16 am
I know better than to leave my door open at night out here in the wilderness. Black bears and coyotes and other animals will invite themselves in and rob you blind. Then there are the insects and the snakes and the rodents and the dust and the humidity and the heat. Why on earth would anyone leave their door open.
independent thinker
August 1st, 2012
9:16 am
I voted No after watching the proponents trot out Andy Young to bring out Black voters for T-
Splost. This is the guy as mayor who pushed for the presidential parkway in the early eighties saying it would increase property values around it. But suburbanites who have no crime, no school problems, no mass transit and keep their doors open 24/7 will remain in their surreal bubble and choke on the traffic-Kinda makes me kind of happy since I live intown and commute on Marta.. By the way what’s up with that heroin explosion in Cherokee county- Marta riders make it up there?
stands for decibels
August 1st, 2012
9:18 am
I will be glad to take air readings up here north of Canton
NORTH of Canton?
Yeah, I imagine the air is better when you’re hell and gone from where a viable suburban community exists, sure. For those who are within reach of civilization it might be a different story.
independent thinker
August 1st, 2012
9:20 am
Hey Middle of the Road – glad to see you suburbanites live in a surreal bubble-no crime, no pollution,perfect schools, no minority politicians , no traffic prolems and no criminals rifding mass transit. What’s up with that heroin explosion in Cherokee County? Marta riders make it up there too?
stands for decibels
August 1st, 2012
9:20 am
And just so it’s clear, I’m well OTP myself, and those suburban communities face the same air quality and crime issues that folks ITP face. which was the point I was making, earlier.
Jose
August 1st, 2012
9:32 am
woke up this morning………….. took me 2x as long to drive to work…….. then found out my job had left atlanta so i was out of work…….
guess the PRO T-SPLOST people were right
Jose
August 1st, 2012
9:36 am
now its time for metro atlanta to make a list of what the problems are and what are the solutions to choose from
was told on Roswell Rd that travel time between the river and 285 was reduced by 5 minutes when they changed the patterns of the stop lights……..
not every solution is a TRILLION $ capital project
ragnar danneskjold
August 1st, 2012
9:36 am
I am disappointed the T-SPLOST vote was so close. We need to work harder to educate the remaining 37%.
yuzeyurbrane
August 1st, 2012
9:40 am
Kyle, always go with your gut. I don’t want to gloat too much but I did predict T-Splost would go down big.
MiltonMan
August 1st, 2012
9:41 am
Sucks to be all of those commuters in Woodstock, Acworth, Kennesaw, Marietta, Alpharetta, Roswell, Cumming, Milton, John’s Creek, Suwanee, Duluth, Lawrenceville, etc. I guess…
Alpharetta/Milton doing very well for thanks for your concern.
New high school – check; new subdivisions – check; continue decay of Fulton County – check; telecommuting options – double check; and best of all: few, very few democrats – double check
GT
August 1st, 2012
9:45 am
Chick – Fil – A more positive press, man you just don’t get it do you? The federal government doesn’t make you a failure it all starts at home with yourselves. But fine keep shooting yourselves in the head, the results will stay the same no matter how loud you get.
MiltonMan
August 1st, 2012
9:46 am
“And just so it’s clear, I’m well OTP myself, and those suburban communities face the same air quality and crime issues that folks ITP face. which was the point I was making, earlier.”
Crime is rampant here? I guess “Protected by Smith & Wesson” signage out front or the rescued killer Cavalier keeps them away.
Just Say No to New Taxes
August 1st, 2012
9:50 am
splat goes the tax, like a bug on the windshield! I luv this democracy thing, lets vote on some more stuff: eliminate the entire property tax, limit state income tax to no more than 1%, and fire 80% of government workers!! Make it so…….
Jose
August 1st, 2012
9:55 am
hey where are all those tax loving libs that are usually on here?
are they stuck in traffic?
Kramer
August 1st, 2012
9:55 am
This is another example of the majority of people do not trust government to spend our money wisely. This was not because of the Tea Party ( who I support ). This was citizens of every color and every political belief saying no. Lets hope this flows over into November and we can get the drunken sailor out of the White House.
Big D
August 1st, 2012
10:01 am
We the people said the government has enough of our money. We said to our elected “representatives”, you must budget and live within “our” means as we do.
Big D
August 1st, 2012
10:06 am
Today is “suppoert Chick-fil-A day”. I will lunch at Chick-fil-A today to show support of freedom of speech.
Numbers-R-US
August 1st, 2012
10:07 am
Up here in NE Georgia, the vote was very clear. Republicans said NO to more taxes. They didn’t vote based on the project list. How could they if they don’t even know what is on the project list. They also voted the current crop of state and federal level Republicans into office based on their promise to Grover to not raise taxes. Even the locals running for office make sure they talk about either not raising taxes if they are new to politics or else they brag about how they have not raised taxes if they are incumbents.
Thomas
August 1st, 2012
10:08 am
MiltonMan- you forgot a few important stats- N Fulton schools- Alpharetta HS, Milton HS, Northview are superior to schools in the NEast and are on par with private schools in Atlanta and they are 40% minority.
SlickRick
August 1st, 2012
10:09 am
Awesome. Conservatives cutting off their noses to spite their faces, all because they’re smart enough to read a three letter word.
Kyle Wingfield
August 1st, 2012
10:10 am
Logic was never intended: You’ve been reinstated. Stick to the rules. Your next suspension will be a lot longer than a week.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
August 1st, 2012
10:11 am
WASHINGTON — In a long-shot victory that could help define the conservative tilt of the Senate, tea-party-backed Ted Cruz defeated an establishment Republican on Tuesday in the hard-fought GOP primary runoff in Texas.
They keep writing us off and we keep taking them out.
Piedmont South from North Georgia
August 1st, 2012
10:11 am
I bet the developers who are building those new high rise apartments downtown are happy this morning.
Thomas
August 1st, 2012
10:12 am
At Alpharetta High School, students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement® coursework and exams. The AP® participation rate at Alpharetta High School is 69 percent. The student body makeup is 51 percent male and 49 percent female, and the total minority enrollment is 43 percent. Alpharetta High School is 1 of 17 high schools in the Fulton County…
Jose
August 1st, 2012
10:21 am
i see that the white racist tea party must have put on disguises and used illegal id’s to replace voters in CofATL, Dekalb and Fulton and vote NO on t-splost
Up Up and Away
August 1st, 2012
10:25 am
Jose @ 10:21
Is there a point you are attempting to make or is that all the substance you could muster?
Hmmmmmm
August 1st, 2012
10:25 am
Thanks for the comment Big D…. Explain that to AmVet… He is either totally ignorant or he lives under a rock…
Big D
August 1st, 2012
10:27 am
The solution to Metro traffic and to environmental contamination caused by that traffic, and the wasted energy and time caused by sitting in traffic, will not be improved by more roads or mass transits. Making access to downtown Atlanta easier will omly lead to more people going there and furthering the need for more taxes to pay to transport the new people downtown. The solution is simple. Do nothing. As conditions worsen business will eventually wake up and relocate to the suburbs where facilities are cheaper and workers will accept lower pay for the convenience of employment near their homes. The increased infrastructure cost to the suburbs will be significantly less than anything done in Atlanta.
Up Up and Away
August 1st, 2012
10:33 am
Big D
What major city has done that and how has it worked out for the metro area?
USMC
August 1st, 2012
10:33 am
This was NOT a “Tea Party” victory.
The answer to last night’s T-SPLAT loss is very simple.
If you have a track record of IRRESPONSIBILITY, common sense dictates that you are not equipped to handle MORE.
If your child can’t take responsibility for the pet rock they already have, you surly won’t give them a Saint Bernard and expect them to take responsibility for it.
The city of Atlanta is investing MILLIONS of tax payer dollars to install a street car from Centennial Park to the MLK center. What a waste.
If they were serious about “transportation”, why didn’t they run the street car down PEACHTREE from downtown to Buckhead where everyday people could utilize it for work, etc.?
And…. MARTA….. need I say more??
I demand to see Cheesy Grits Birth Certificate- Long Form Please
August 1st, 2012
10:33 am
Today is “suppoert Chick-fil-A day”. I will lunch at Chick-fil-A today to show support of freedom of speech.
Man have they got you guys. When does the next phony war on Christmas start.
They press a button and you Christians start spending money. And they laugh all the way to the bank.
Numbers-R-US
August 1st, 2012
10:33 am
– In House District 117, Republican incumbent Doug McKillip of Athens (49.56 percent), who switched parties in 2010, has apparently lost to challenger Regina Quick (50.44 percent) by a mere 66 votes.
State Democrats had urged their voters to cross over into the GOP primary to punish McKillip. One observer told us that one sign of the crossover: In the March GOP presidential primary, Clarke County turned out only 1,900 Republican voters. On Tuesday, almost 3,200 GOP ballots were cast.
McKillip won the other three counties in the district, but it wasn’t enough enough to offset a major loss in Clarke.
Let us hope that narrow margin holds. McKillip deserves to go down. Good job, voters.
Piedmont South from North Georgia
August 1st, 2012
10:34 am
Big D
August 1st, 2012
10:27 am
____
I disagree. I think there will be more people living and working downtown. Less sprawl.
The trouble with putting jobs in the surburbs is getting the workers to their jobs. They all can’t move to be close to their job. Answer is central location of jobs and living units. And restaurants and parks.
Numbers-R-US
August 1st, 2012
10:36 am
Man have they got you guys. When does the next phony war on Christmas start.
I wonder when Chick-Fil-A and the NRA will link up. A free chicken sandwich with the purchase of a new glock. A free pass to the firing range with the purchase of a regular fry. The profitable possibilites are endless.
Steve
August 1st, 2012
10:37 am
Although we are still stuck in the dark ages here in Georgia, things are looking up nationally:
The Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times polls showed Obama leading his Republican challenger Mitt Romney in Florida 51%-45%, in Ohio 50%-44%, and in Pennsylvania 53%-42%.
Up Up and Away
August 1st, 2012
10:37 am
I see Jm is still distraught from last night. Hopefully he hasn’t been so impacted mentally and emotionally that he requires professional assistance.
Our thoughts are with you JM.
iggy
August 1st, 2012
10:37 am
“Businesses should relocate to the suburbs – like Caterpillar is doing, like Toyo Tires did. Leave Atlanta in its own filth.”
Absolutely!!
1961_Xer
August 1st, 2012
10:37 am
Had McCain won in 2008, he would’ve been facing the same meltdown, and he would’ve almost certainly pushed for a similar economic stimulus (a mix of spending and tax cuts/credits to those who would spend that money), and it would’ve been uncontroversial, because that’s what sane leaders of prosperous nations do. They prevent their nation’s economies from going under. They plug in the holes the best they can by printing money.
To be fair, this is probably true. But the projects that the money was spent on would have been completely different. For example, infrastructure spending was just 3% of the stimulus money ($20 billion). That $800billion stimulus could have purchased the best infrastructure (Roads, bridges, power, transit… EVERYTHING) in the world. Instead, the vast majority of it was spent on Democrat pipe dreams. That essentially doomed any further stimulus bills from getting through Congress.
Now, Obama has no footing when he wants to take about “investments” in our infrastructure. He has no footing when he wants to take about hiring teachers and first responders. He has no footing when he talks about “investments” in the Green economy. He squandered that political capitol when he allowed Democrat interests to dominate the first stimulus.
McCain would have passed a stimulus, but it’s anyone’s guess as to where the money would have gone. I’m guessing MUCH more would have gone to infrastructure.
@@
August 1st, 2012
10:37 am
Obama Supporters Barraged With Pleas for Cash
In the meantime, the result is a Democratic campaign that is trying to portray the sitting president as a financial underdog whose ability to stay in the White House depends on the largess of his army of everyday supporters.
“My upcoming birthday next week could be the last one I celebrate as President of the United States, but that’s not up to me — it’s up to you,” Mr. Obama said to his supporters in an e-mail late last week.
Accompanying the e-mail was a link to donate in exchange for a chance to attend his “birthday get-together” in August.
Has he no shame? I’m so embarrassed for him.
Steve
August 1st, 2012
10:38 am
“Do nothing.”
Wow…is this what a Georgia edumacation produces?? Good God.
Hillbilly D
August 1st, 2012
10:38 am
these are the same people that refused to build a MARTA station at the Braves stadium
It’s my understanding that the reason there is no MARTA line to Turner Field is that the Braves didn’t want it because it would cut into their parking revenue.
Never can tell
August 1st, 2012
10:39 am
@@
How is that working out in the projected Electoral College?
USMC
August 1st, 2012
10:39 am
“They press a button and you Christians start spending money. And they laugh all the way to the bank.”
LOL! What a joke. Let me guess…. SOCIALIST who lacks diversity… and common sense.
I demand to see Cheesy Grits Birth Certificate- Long Form Please
August 1st, 2012
10:40 am
Steve the race for the White House is all over but for the crying.
No way this country elects Cheesy Grits.
With Bill Clinton on board the Obama campaign its
Game. Set. Match.
Wonder why the Dems can use former Presidents but you sure dont see the Bush’s around
Hmmmmmmmm
stands for decibels
August 1st, 2012
10:40 am
Instead, the vast majority of it was spent on Democrat pipe dreams.
Unless you can document this and define what you mean by “vast majority” and “pipe dream”, I’m gonna have to call BS on that one.
Steve
August 1st, 2012
10:41 am
The South will continue to shoot itself in the foot and not move forward, but the rest of the nation will. Thankfully.
Never can tell
August 1st, 2012
10:42 am
@@
This from Karl Rove. No fan of Obama
http://www.rove.com/election
shnirt
stands for decibels
August 1st, 2012
10:42 am
and you can feel free to point to specific projects that fall into the “pipe dream” category here.
http://www.recovery.gov/Pages/default.aspx