Baker
ATLANTA (Legal Newsline) - Democrat Thurbert Baker failed in his bid to ascend from Georgia's attorney general to its governor Tuesday, falling to former governor Roy Barnes in a primary election.
Baker has been attorney general since 1997 and earned a high-profile endorsement last week from former President Bill Clinton. Barnes, however, easily defeated Baker and the rest of the field and will face the winner of a Republican runofff election.
Barnes was governor from 1999-2003. The Associated Press declared him the winner early Tuesday night, showing him with a more-than-40-percent lead.
In the battle to replace Baker as attorney general, former district attorney Ken Hodges also claimed an easy win, besting state Rep. Rob Teilheit for the Democratic nomination.
The Associated Press reported Hodges having 67 percent of the vote with 65 percent of the precincts reporting.
His Republican opponent is not known yet. Former Cobb County Commission chair Sam Olens led state Sen. Preston Smith and former U.S. Attorney Max Wood.
If Olens does not get 50 percent of the vote, however, a runoff election is possible.
From Legal Newsline: Reach John O'Brien by e-mail at jobrienwv@gmail.com.