30 years after his first Congressional win, Rep. Sanford Bishop defeats Chris West in GA-2
Rep. Sanford Bishop defeated Republican challenger Chris West in the race for Georgia’s District 2 House seat, officials said.
The Associated Press called the race for Bishop around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night.
“Thirty years ago, I decided to leave my career as an attorney to pursue a full time ministry of public service as a member of Congress so that I could use the political process to improve the lives of people and communities,” Bishop said in a statement Tuesday night after he announced victory in the race. “I believe I have given good account for my stewardship and the election today indicates that the voters confirmed that belief.”
Bishop, the Democratic incumbent, had 55% of the vote once Wednesday morning rolled around. The 10-point margin was Bishop’s biggest since early voting numbers were released Tuesday.
The win is Bishop’s 15th consecutive election victory since he won the Congressional district in 1992, not including when he kept the seat unopposed in 2002.
“Given the struggles that our people and communities have faced, we have made unprecedented investments that include the American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Access to Baby Formula Act, the Lower Food & Fuel Costs Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act,” Bishop said. “We have more work to do, and I look forward to working in Congress to assure brighter days ahead for the people of Middle and Southwest Georgia, our nation, and humankind.”
The race had been back-and-forth all night, with each candidate taking a narrow lead at some point. It was the only race for a congressional district in Georgia considered to be a toss-up, and that prediction rang true for most of the evening.
Why was it close?
District 2 covers major cities including Columbus, Macon and Albany as part of its 29-county range. The district covers an expanse of rural areas outside of those major cities.
District 2 was redrawn before the 2022 election, resulting in slightly lower numbers of Black voters, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Republicans believed the shift gave them an edge in the district and likely contributed to the close race. Bishop last faced a close race in the 2010 election prior to the district change.
With the newly redrawn district lines playing a factor, the race was neck-and-neck Tuesday night. The two candidates were tied at 50% multiple times according to AP’s vote tracking.
West, Bishop’s first competitive challenger in some time, criticized inflation and rising gas prices under Democratic leaders.
Bishop has built a reputation as a moderate candidate, often known for reaching across party lines to make deals with Republicans in the house. He has comfortably kept the seat for roughly 30 years thanks to his appeal to both the metro and rural areas in the district.
The district’s rural counties helped West keep pace with Bishop, but Muscogee County ended up being the key difference makers.
Bishop’s support from the largest city in the district gave him the lead, with the New York Times giving him a 37-point margin in Muscogee County. The county was responsible for nearly 49,000 votes. Bishop also had a 44-point margin in Bibb County, where nearly 34,000 votes were cast.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 11:26 PM.