Kevin Martin wins Republican primary to face Lucy McBath for Georgia's 6th District seat, CBS News projects
Smyrna controller Kevin Martin has defeated Justin Pinker in the Republican primary to represent Georgia's 6th Congressional District in Washington, CBS News projects.
Martin will now face four-term incumbent Rep. Lucy McBath in November's general election. The district, which contains part of Atlanta as well as sections of Cobb, Douglas, Fayette, and Fulton counties, heavily leaned Democratic in the 2024 election.
A gun control advocate, McBath first won election to Congress in 2018, ousting Republican U.S. Rep Karen Handel to seize a seat in Atlanta's northern suburbs once held by Newt Gingrich.
When Republicans redrew electoral districts after the 2020 Census, McBath jumped into a primary race against fellow Democrat Carolyn Bordeaux, beating her handily and winning the election. Then, after a court ordered another round of redistricting after finding African-American votes were diluted, McBath shifted to a district Republicans drew on the western side of Atlanta.McBath had considered running in the crowded Democratic race for governor, but suspended her exploratory bid last year, pointing to her need to focus on her husband's health after complications from a recent cancer surgery.
"I'm so grateful for everyone who has stood by my family as we undergo this arduous period. I will be spending some time focusing on my husband's health, and I cannot make a decision to run for governor or not at this moment," McBath said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.