July 16, 2008
Gwinnett Daily Post
Incumbents roll in state races
Easy victories for Unterman, Reese, Weber
By Alex P. Joyner
Staff Writer
State Senate District 45
Renee Unterman’s 20-plus years in Gwinnett politics will continue as she defeated challenger Peggy Armstrong in an often prickly GOP race for the state Senate’s District 45 seat.
Unterman, 54, an insurance executive, will run unopposed in the November general election.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Unterman received 62 percent of the vote with 8,111 ballots cast, according to unofficial numbers released by the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office. Armstrong received 5,002 votes, or 38 percent.
“I’m just very grateful and very humbled to be able to serve this district,” Unterman said while attending a rally in Buford. “This was a very negative campaign, and I’m just grateful that people saw through it.”
Armstrong, 71, who hosted an open house at her Lawrenceville residence Tuesday evening, said she was “delighted” and “very grateful” to have the opportunity to run against Unterman. Despite the defeat, she said she won’t be going anywhere and plans to do whatever she can “to help the county.”
“I feel like I’ve run a good race,” Armstrong said. “It’s very important to have challengers and that (incumbents) don’t own any seat.”
