Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District has been represented by Democrat Sanford Bishop since 1993. But Republicans are hoping to change that this November. In fact, many predict that this could be one of the state’s most closely contested congressional election in the upcoming General Election. And even the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has identified Bishop as one of its most vulnerable incumbents ahead of the midterms.

Bishop easily won his primary over challenger Joe O’Hara, but Republicans will have to wait to decide their candidate. Chris West and Jeremy Hunt have advanced to a June 21 runoff to determine the Republican nominee.

Hunt took 37 percent of the vote in the May 24 Primary, while West pulled in 30 percent. Former Trump Department of Education official Wayne Johnson finished third with just over 18 percent of the votes. West has already received the endorsement of several other candidates in the primary, posting on social media that Johnson, Vivian Childs and Paul Whitehead have endorsed his campaign. He wrote: “Conservatives in the race are rallying behind a home-grown, true conservative candidate who is not bought and paid for by the Washington DC establishment. Proud to have the support of my fellow competitors.”

West, 38, is an attorney for a Thomasville real estate development company and an officer in the Georgia Air National Guard.

In a statement released right after the Primary, he said: “We advanced to this runoff despite being outspent 11-1 by Jeremy Hunt and his Washington D.C. lobbyists and special interest donors who flooded this district with their crony, carpetbagging money. The good news is the voters of Middle and Southwest Georgia know a phony campaign when they see one: and that’s exactly why Jeremy Hunt was exposed.”

Hunt is a 28-year-old former U.S. Army Captain and Fox News commentator who recently moved to Columbus. He left Yale Law School to enter the race, according to a report by the Associated Press. Reports also indicate that he registered to vote in Muscogee County in February 2022.

In a statement on Twitter after the Primary, Hunt thanked his supporters, saying: “Ky and I are so thankful for all the support around Southwest & Middle Georgia. We finished first because we ran a campaign focused on what matters most: Faith, family & community,” he said. “Our #1 goal is to defeat Sanford Bishop this fall. And today we are one step closer to that goal!”

The district, which includes much of Columbus and Macon, is still blue although the boundaries were redrawn to make it more Republican-friendly. According to reports, roughly 45 percent of the district’s residents are Republican-leaning voters, and the proportion of Black voters fell just below 50 percent.