Stacey Abrams will win the Democratic primary in Georgia’s gubernatorial race Tuesday, CNN projects, positioning her for a chance to become the nation’s first black female governor.
The former state House minority leader defeated former state Rep. Stacey Evans, who ran a campaign that tried to appeal to moderates and independent voters.
Abrams’ status as an African-American with strong progressive support, as well as Georgia’s status as an early primary and marquee general election state, made her campaign a major draw for national Democratic figures.
Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders endorsed Abrams, and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and California Sen. Kamala Harris went to Georgia to campaign for her.
The Republican race, meanwhile, could be headed to a runoff, with none of the six candidates — including Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and secretary of state Brian Kemp — currently holding a majority of the vote.
If no candidate tops 50%, the top two will advance to a one-on-one runoff on July 24 to decide who will take on Abrams.
