The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, and elected the 14 U.S. Representatives from the state, one from each of the state's 14 congressional districts, an increase of one seat following the 2010 United States census. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election. The party primary elections were held on July 31, 2012, and the run-off on August 21, 2012.
The new congressional map, drawn and passed by the Republican-controlled Georgia General Assembly, was signed into law by Governor Nathan Deal on September 7, 2011. The new district, numbered the 9th, is based in Hall County. The map also made the 12th district, then represented by Democrat John Barrow, much more favorable to Republicans.
Results of the 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia by district:
Republican incumbent Jack Kingston, who had represented Georgia's 1st congressional district since 1993, ran for re-election.
Democratic incumbent Sanford Bishop, who had represented Georgia's 2nd congressional district since 1993, ran for re-election. In redistricting, the 2nd district was made majority-African American, and Macon was moved from the 8th district to the 2nd. The Hill ranked Bishop at fourth in its list of house members most helped by redistricting.
Republican incumbent Lynn Westmoreland, who had represented Georgia's 3rd congressional district since 2007, and had previously represented the 8th district from 2005 to 2007, ran for re-election.
Democratic incumbent Hank Johnson, who had represented Georgia's 4th congressional district since 2007, ran for re-election.
Democratic incumbent John Lewis, who had represented Georgia's 5th congressional district since 1987, ran for re-election.
Republican incumbent Tom Price, who had represented Georgia's 6th congressional district since 2005, ran for re-election. In redistricting, the 6th district was made slightly less favorable to Republicans: Cherokee County was removed from the district, while parts of DeKalb County were added to it.
Republican incumbent Rob Woodall, who had represented Georgia's 7th congressional district since January 2011, ran for re-election.
Republican incumbent Austin Scott, who was first elected to represent Georgia's 8th congressional district in 2010, ran unopposed in the primary as well as the general election. In redistricting, most of MaconâÂÂthe heart of the 8th and its predecessors for over a centuryâÂÂwas shifted to the neighboring 2nd, thereby making the 8th district more favorable to Republicans, which prompted The Hill to rank Scott at fifth in its list of house members most helped by redistricting.
In redistricting, the new 9th district is centered around Gainesville, and had no incumbent.
Collins defeated Zoller in an August runoff election.
Republican incumbent Paul Broun, who had represented Georgia's 10th congressional district since 2007, ran for re-election.
In a leaked video of a speech given at Liberty Baptist Church Sportsman's Banquet on September 27, Broun is heard telling supporters that, "All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the Big Bang Theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of Hell." Broun also believes that the world is less than 9000 years old and that it was created in six literal days. In response to this, and as Broun is also on the House Science Committee, libertarian radio talk show host Neal Boortz spearheaded a campaign to run deceased biologist Charles Darwin against Broun as the Democratic candidate, with the intention of drawing attention to these comments from the scientific community and having him removed from his post on the House Science Committee. Darwin received nearly 4,000 write-in votes in the election, which Broun won.
Republican incumbent Phil Gingrey, who had represented Georgia's 11th congressional district since 2003, ran for re-election.
In redistricting, Savannah was removed from Georgia's 12th congressional district and replaced with the Augusta area, thereby making the district more favorable to Republicans. The former 12th district gave 55 per cent of its vote in the 2008 presidential election to Democratic nominee, whereas only 40 per cent of the new district's voters voted for Obama. Democratic incumbent John Barrow, who had represented the 12th district since 2005, ran for re-election.
Anderson defeated Allen in an August runoff election, winning the Republican nomination.
Given the increased Republican lean of his district and that his home in Savannah had been removed, Barrow faced significant political headwinds entering the general election campaign. However, his ad campaign, where he made direct-to-camera appeals was able to paint him a conservative democrat without alienating the party's liberal base. One ad featured Barrow showing off his grandfather's revolver and his father's bolt-action rifle and recounting, "Long before I was born, my grandfather used this little Smith & Wesson here to help stop a lynching".
In contrast, the Anderson campaign tried to appeal to the district's largely rural base by empathizing his background as a hay farmer. His cause wasn't helped by fact that Anderson, after stumbling in some of the GOP primary debates, has refused to share a debate stage with Barrow, a Harvard-educated lawyer.
Anderson's performance during the campaign was criticised by political analyst Stuart Rothenberg stating that "This district is one that should have never been a headache for the GOP, but after getting a weak nominee in state Rep. Lee Anderson, reality is setting in for many Republican operatives. Anderson's weakness isn't the only factor in this race. Rep. John Barrow has run a good race with terrific TV ads meant to demonstrate his political independence and get voters to focus on him and not on his party."
As election day approached, Barrow expressed confidence, saying, "I'm encouraged by everything I see and hear".
Democratic incumbent David Scott, who had represented Georgia's 13th congressional district since 2003, ran for re-election.
In redistricting, the new 14th district includes almost all of northwestern Georgia. Republican incumbent Tom Graves, who had represented the 9th district since May 2010, lived in this new district and ran for re-election here.