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By: MATT SCHAFER
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Two judicial candidates endorsed by Georgia Equality won runoff elections on Dec. 2. Holland & Knight attorney Sara Doyle narrowly beat former prosecutor and defense attorney Mike Sheffield. Doyle beat Sheffield by 60,000 votes in a 52 percent to 48 percent win.
Although the race was non-partisan, Sheffield branded himself as a socially conservative Republican and was open about his opposition to gay marriage and the Supreme Court ruling that struck down sodomy laws.
Doyle kept her political leanings private, but did seek Georgia Equality’s endorsement because the gay advocacy organization’s questionnaire was primarily about legal qualifications, and one question about workplace equality.
Largely because of Georgia Equality’s endorsement, many social conservatives branded Doyle “bad for families” and a far left liberal. After her victory, Doyle said that while Georgia Equality’s endorsement might have fanned some fires, it was a positive.
“I guess that could be perceived as a negative, but the people who knew me know that that’s in no way accurate,” Doyle said of being called “anti-family.”
Another Georgia Equality endorsed judicial candidate, Tangela Barrie, won her runoff for an open Stone Mountain Circuit Superior Court judgeship against Administrative Law Judge Johnny Mason. Barrier garnered 85,084 votes, or 56.7 percent to Mason’s 65,059, or 43.3 percent.
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