By Kelly Whitmire, Forsyth County News Staff
Two days after receiving an endorsement from Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden, Carolyn Bourdeaux, the Democratic candidate for Georgia’s 7th Congressional District, former President Barack Obama officially gave his support to her campaign.
Bourdeaux’s campaign announced the endorsement on Friday morning, as Obama announced his support for numerous candidates nationwide, including Democratic Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.
“I’m proud to endorse these outstanding Democratic candidates who will work to get the virus under control, rebuild the economy and the middle class, and protect Americans’ health care and pre-existing conditions protections from Republican assault,” Obama said in the release. “They’re dedicated to shoring up and strengthening our democracy, a project that’s going to take time and require all of us — but it begins by electing Democrats right now. So give these candidates your vote — and vote early if you can, either by mail or in person.”
In a statement, Bourdeaux – who is running against Republican Rich McCormick to fill the seat of Republican Incumbent Rob Woodall – said she was grateful for the endorsement and called this year “the most important election of our lifetimes.”
“This election is the most important election of our lifetimes,” Bourdeaux said. “It’s a true honor to receive President Barack Obama’s endorsement. He understands the stakes for our health care, our working families, and for our democracy. We are all the change-makers in this country — it’s time to make our voices heard at the ballot box this November.”
On Wednesday, Biden also endorsed Bourdeaux, citing her stance on health care.
“Carolyn Bourdeaux knows what it’s like for families across the country who struggle to pay for health care — she’s lived it,” Biden said in a news release. “Carolyn will listen and bring people together to overcome this crisis. I’m proud to endorse Carolyn for Congress.”
Earlier this year, Bourdeaux, a professor at Georgia State University who formerly worked at the Georgia Senate Budget and Evaluation Office and was chair of the Association for Budgeting and Financial Management, won the Democratic primary for the seat over fellow Democrats John Eaves, Nabilah Islam, Zahra Karinshak, Brenda Lopez Romero and Rashid Malik.
McCormick, an emergency medicine physician at Northside Hospital Gwinnett who served for more than 20 years in the Marine Corps and Navy as a pilot and emergency medicine physician, beat out fellow Republicans Mark Gonsalves, Lynne Homrich, Renee Unterman, Lisa Noel Babbage, Zachary Kennemore and Eugene Yu in their primary.
In 2018, Bourdeaux narrowly lost to incumbent Rob Woodall, who announced in 2019 he would not seek re-election for the seat he had held since 2011, by 419 votes.
In that race, Woodall won Forsyth County by a margin of about 68% of the vote to 32%. Bourdeaux won Gwinnett, 55% to 45%, the first time in Woodall’s term he did not win both counties or earn more than 60% of the total vote.
Recently, a pair of professors told the Forsyth County News this year’s presidential election should have a big impact on voter turnout and would impact down-ballot races.
“Of course, this year, we have a presidential election,” said Dr. Charles S. Bullock III, of the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs. “OK, that changes the dynamics also, in that both candidates may be somewhat helped and somewhat hurt by the candidate who is at the top of their ticket. We know, or at least expect, there will be higher turnout this year.”
This is a reprint from Forsyth County News. Read the original article here.
