Campaign

Despite pledging in 1990 to serve only one term, incumbent Governor Zell Miller announced his re-election bid on June 16, 1993.^[5] During the next 12 months, three other Democrats entered the primary, they included perennial candidate Jim Boyd, State Representative Charles "Judy" Poag, and Korean War veteran Mark Tate. Boyd and Poag attacked Miller for attempting to change the state flag and increasing fees for driver's licenses, car tags, and sporting licenses. Miller defended other portions of his record, including the establishment of the Georgia Lottery, the passage of a $100 million tax cut, and a bill proposed that would take a tougher stance on violent criminals. In May 1994, Mark Tate was convicted of attempting defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs out of $99,000 by falsely claiming he had no other source of income. His sentencing was scheduled for July 19, the day of the primary. However, Tate's name remained on the ballot.^[6]

Candidates

• Zell Miller, incumbent Governor of Georgia
• Jim Boyd, candidate for Georgia's 9th congressional district in 1976 and 1982, 1984 United States Senate election, and Georgia Public Service Commissioner in 1986 and 1988
• Mark Tate, Korean War veteran
• Charles "Judy" Poag, Georgia State Representative from Eton

Results

Democratic primary results by county:

  Miller

•   Miller—40–50%
•   Miller—50–60%
•   Miller—60–70%
•   Miller—70–80%
•   Miller—80–90%
•   Miller—>90%

  Boyd

•   Boyd—40–50%

  Poag

•   Poag—40–50%
•   Poag—>80%

Miller easily prevailed against the other three Democrats, winning just over 70% of the vote, compared to 17.06% for Boyd, 6.69% for Tate, and 6.23% for Poag. Because Miller received a majority of the votes, he immediately advanced to the general election without a run-off.^[7]

Campaign

Five Republicans entered to compete for the party nomination, including former State House Minority Leader Paul W. Heard, Jr., former Mayor of Waycross John Knox, Atlanta management consultant Nimrod McNair, businessman Guy Millner, and Tift County developer Leonard Morris. Then-State Senator Johnny Isakson, Miller's 1990 general election opponent, announced his intention to run again on June 16, 1993.^[5] However, he apparently withdrew from the race well before the primary in July 1994. Bert Lance, a Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Jimmy Carter, predicted a run-off in the Republican primary. He also believed that Miller would face a tougher re-election against Paul Heard, citing his legislative experience and noting that, "Paul knows the state well and has the potential to be a strong candidate." During the primary, Heard pledged to reduce taxes and improve education, while attacking Miller's new prison release program, which, in Heard's opinion, un-incarcerated too many criminals. Similarly, Knox promised to cut income tax by $250 million in his first year in office, reform education, and make prison "hard time". Millner pledged to decrease taxes, make Georgia's education the top-ranking in the Southern United States, reform welfare, and force violent criminals to serve their entire sentence.

Candidates

Results

Republican primary results by county:

  Millner

•   Millner—30–40%
•   Millner—40–50%
•   Millner—50–60%
•   Millner—60–70%
•   Millner—>70%

  Knox

•   Knox—30–40%
•   Know—40–50%
•   Knox—50–60%
•   Knox—60–70%
•   Knox—70–80%
•   Knox—80–90%
•   Knox—>90%

  Heard

•   Heard—40–50%
•   Heard—>50%

  Morris

•   Morris—>60%

Runoff Results

Republican runoff results by county:

  Millner

•   Millner—50–60%
•   Millner—60–70%
•   Millner—70–80%
•   Millner—>80%

  Knox

•   Knox—50–60%
•   Knox—60–70%
•   Knox—70–80%
•   Knox—80–90%
•   Knox—>90%

  Tie

•   Tie—50%

Republican primary runoff results^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Guy Millner	131,280	59.41
	Republican	John Knox	89,709	40.59
Total votes			220,989	100.0

Results