2 US House races on the ballot in Macon. Here’s who won Districts 2, 8 on Election Day

U.S. House Districts 2 and 8 were on the ballot for some Macon voters Tuesday, with incumbents winning both races.

Republican Rep. Austin Scott won District 8, defeating Democrat Darrius Butler, according to a race call by the Associated Press.

Rep. Sanford Bishop, the incumbent Democrat, won District 2 by defeating Wayne Johnson, according to the AP. The AP called the race at 10:30 p.m.

District 2

Bishop held a lead of nearly 11 percentage points when the AP called the race. Bishop has served in the House for more than 30 years.

Prior to his time in federal office, Bishop worked as a lawyer and served in the U.S. Army.

Bishop describes himself as a “fiscally responsible Democrat,” according to his bio on the U.S. House website. He has supported legislation to lower taxes for Americans and increase small business lending, and supported a constitutional amendment that would require any new spending by Congress to be offset by spending cuts or increasing revenue.

Bishop has co-sponsored amendments to the U.S. Constitution that would forbid acts of desecration against the flag and allow voluntary, non-denominational prayer in schools and other public places. He has expressed support for abortion rights.

District 8

Scott has defeated Butler to win Georgia’s 8th District, according to the Associated Press, which called the race just over an hour after polls closed Tuesday.

Scott has served the district in the House since 2011. Before his time in federal office, he was a state representative for Tift and Turner counties.

During his previous terms, Scott has supported legislation that would require people to show proof of U.S. citizenship before registering to vote and that would limit federal funding to sanctuary cities — localities that limit or prevent cooperation with federal authorities in detaining undocumented immigrants. He voted against a bill in 2022 that would’ve guaranteed women access to abortion.

This cycle, Scott promised to protect “the personal freedoms, individual liberties, and economic opportunities of the next generation,” according to his website.

This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 10:20 PM.