Two incumbent Georgia Supreme Court justices won their elections Tuesday, fending off challengers who were backed by high-profile Democrats. Incumbent justices Charles Bethel and Sarah Warren, who were appointed to the court by then-GOP Gov. Nathan Deal in 2018, defeated attorney Miracle Rankin and former Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan (D-GA).Warren and Bethel also defeated challengers in the 2020 Georgia judicial election.
The Republican-nominated justices, Bethel and Warren, were backed by Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) and other Republicans. Their challengers, Jordan and Rankin, received endorsements from former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and other Democrats.
An incumbent Georgia judge has not lost an election in more than 100 years, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The contest for the state’s high court was designed to be nonpartisan at its founding in 1845.
This election, however, saw endorsements from top players in both parties. Additionally, the race saw over $4 million spent on ads in both contests, according to tracking firm AdImpact.
In early May, Obama endorsed Jordan and Rankin, arguing for the importance of state supreme courts.
