Ossoff just short of 50% threshold for US Senate primary win

ATLANTA (AP) — A media executive backed by civil rights icon John Lewis is just short of the majority he needs to avoid a runoff election in Georgia’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, a race that was still too early to call Wednesday.

Ossoff was far ahead of two other candidates in his bid to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue in November. As of 12 p.m. Wednesday, he had just shy of 49% of the counted vote, trailed by Teresa Tomlinson and Sarah Riggs Amico. Tomlinson and Amico were separated by less than 2 percentage points in the race for the second spot in a potential runoff.

Counties across Georgia were in the process Wednesday of assessing what still remains to be counted. An analysis by The Associated Press based on absentee ballots requested and returned suggests there could be well over 100,000 votes remaining to be counted in the Atlanta area alone.

In Georgia, candidates must win more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff.

The race, which saw some voters waiting hours to cast their ballots Tuesday, has so far proved to be anything but predictable. Technical glitches, a lack of poll workers and high turnout contributed to long lines, prompting judges in numerous counties, including Atlanta’s Fulton County, to extend voting hours.

“It's far too early to talk about outcomes,” Ossoff said Wednesday during a call with reporters. “The most important thing, and I want to make this extremely clear, is that every vote must be counted,” including absentee and provisional ballots.

Ossoff called Tuesday’s election problems “an outrage” and “an affront to our constitutional principles.”

Election Day had been previously postponed and campaigns were forced almost entirely online because of the coronavirus. The final days also saw...