Runoff Elections in Georgia

Abstract

Runoff elections have received little scholarly attention. This paper begins to fill this void by exploring the accuracy of three popular myths concerning the impact of runoffs. The "leader loses" myth states that the primary leader usually loses the runoff. The "incumbent loses" myth warns that if an incumbent is forced into a runoff, the challenger will win the nomination. The "minority disadvantage" myth is a special case of the leader loses myth and claims that minorities who obtain primary pluralities lose runoffs. Data from 215 Georgia runoffs held between 1965 and 1982 are used to explore the myths. The myths bear little relationship to general patterns. While selected well-known cases conform to the myths, the myths are inaccurate more often than they are correct. The success of primary leaders in runoffs is related to the margin enjoyed by the leader in the primary and to conditions associated with incumbency.