A day after Rep. Rob Woodall said he would not be seeking re-election in 2020, his 2018 Democratic opponent announced plans to run again.
Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux said in a news release she is running again in 2020 and is set to make a formal announcement on her campaign for the 7th Congressional District on Tuesday. The district is made up of the majority of Forsyth and Gwinnett counties.
“Now is the time to get back in the fight and flip this seat,” Bourdeaux said. “This is bigger than us -- we are fighting for the country we believe in, and I am proud to have such a diverse and strong coalition lend me their support. Together, we’re going to show the nation that the 7th district is ready for new leadership.”
Bourdeaux conceded the 2018 race more than two weeks after the Nov. 6 election night following a recount by the Georgia secretary of state’s office.
Official results showed Bourdeaux trailed Woodall by just 419 votes out of 280,411 cast. Georgia law allows a recount if the margin between the candidates is 1 percent or less.
In Forsyth County, Woodall earned about 68 percent of the vote (44,887 votes) to Bourdeaux's 32 percent (21,181 votes).
Before facing Woodall, Bourdeaux and David Kim were the top two vote-getters in the Democratic primary. Bourdeaux defeated Kim in a July runoff by a margin of 51.87 percent to 48.13 percent.
The 2020 race was already expected to be hotly-contested before Woodall’s announcement on Thursday that he would not seek re-election due to political and personal changes and wanted to give the next Republican candidate ample time to prepare for what is expected to be a hard-fought race in 2020.
Woodall has held the seat since 2011.
Democrat Marqus Cole, a Snellville resident and attorney, has already announced his candidacy for the seat.
Bourdeaux’s campaign has been endorsed by U.S. Reps. Hank Johnson, former U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young, former District 7 Democratic candidates Steve Riley and Doug Hackman, former District 6 Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff and state Reps. Dewey McClain Jasmine Clark, Shelly Hutchinson, Gregg Kennard, Mary Margaret Oliver and Park Cannon.
She is a supporter of comprehensive immigration reform, reducing carbon emissions in line with the Paris Climate Accord, comprehensive paid family leave and affordable healthcare through expanding Medicaid.
Bourdeaux is a native of Roanoke, Va., earned a Bachelor's from Yale, a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Southern California, and a Ph.D. in public administration from Syracuse University.
She teaches at Georgia State University and was previously of the Georgia Senate Budget and Evaluation Office and as chair of the National Association for Budgeting and Financial Management.