ATLANTA (CN) — As Georgians headed to the polls Tuesday to cast their votes in statewide primary races for a number of state offices and Congress, all eyes are on the race for governor, where Democrats will decided whether Stacey Abrams or Stacey Evans is the state's first female nominee for governor.
If Abrams prevails and goes on to win the November election, she would become the first black female governor in any state capital and a standard-bearer for the so-called "blue wave" inspired by disapproval of President Donald Trump.
In all, five Republicans and two Democrats are competing to succeed Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, who cannot run for reelection due to term limits.
Abrams, a former Georgia House minority leader Evans, an attorney and former state Representative, are competing for the change to bring home the first gubernatorial win for Democrats since Roy Barnes was elected Georgia governor in 1998.
Abrams, who has received national attention thanks to endorsements from high-profile politicians including Hillary Clinton, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, and California Sen. Kamala Harris, hopes to edge out Evans with a strategy focused on winning over left-leaning minority voters.
Evans has adopted a more conventional Democratic strategy focusing on appealing to independent voters and moderates.
According to Alan Abramowitz, a professor of political science at Emory University, Abrams' gamble may pay off.
"The Democratic primary electorate is going to be probably 60% or more African-American. That would give a significant advantage, I would think, to Stacey Abrams in the primary," Abramowitz explained. "Evans would have to win over a pretty large share of African-American votes. She'd have to make significant in-roads there... We've seen white candidates win Democratic primaries in Georgia, but whether she can do it against an African-American candidate is the question."
But Abrams and Evans are up against a formidable field of Republican challengers. Voters will choose between five Republican men: incumbent Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, former state Senator Hunter Hill, incumbent Secretary of State Brian Kemp, ex-Navy SEAL Clay Tippins, and former state Senator Michael Williams.
Republicans currently control every statewide office in Georgia and maintain a majority in the Georgia legislature.
"In terms of bench strength, Republicans currently have the advantage," Abramowitz said. "But I think Georgia is not as much of a Republican stronghold as it used to be. Trump only carried Georgia by 5 percentage points."
With three statewide election victories, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle is undoubtedly the man to beat.
Cagle, who made headlines in Feb. 2018 for threatening to kill tax benefits for Delta Air Lines after the airline ended its affiliation with the National Rifle Association, has received the endorsement of the NRA and promised to expand gun rights if elected. He has also vowed to a sign a "religious liberty" bill and promised to "sign the toughest abortion laws in the country." He maintains a significant lead in the polls.
Cagle's closest polling competitor, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, has made similar promises in his campaign to win over rural conservative voters. Kemp has adopted a "Georgia First" mantra to echo President Trump's rallying cry and pledged to crack down on illegal immigration.
It's likely that voters will be split between Kemp and Cagle and that neither candidate will receive 50 percent of the vote. Experts say that a July 24 runoff between the candidates is imminent.