Congressman John Barrow will seek his fourth term in November and will face one of two Republican challengers as he defeated challenger Regina Thomas in the Georgia's 12th congressional district Democratic primary Tuesday.
      With 84 percent of the district's 288 voting precincts reporting, Barrow received 59.4 percent of the vote (18,904 votes) while Thomas, a former state senator, received 40.6 percent of the ballots cast (12,922 votes).
      Barrow said he wanted to thank the 12th district voters for helping him achieve victory.
      "I'd like to express my gratitude to the voters for their support," Barrow said. "This is the sixth contested election where we've come out on top and it looks like we're heading to a seventh."
      The congressman said he prefers to focus on the issues that everyone thinks is a problem and focus less on those issues where the people disagree about their importance. Barrow said this focus is even more important in the general election where he will address constituents across the political spectrum, not just the ones who voted the Democratic primary ballot.
      "There are Republicans and Independents that are looking for someone to look at all sides of the issue as well as someone who will work well with both sides of the aisle," Barrow said. "I think my record reflects that."
      With all 16 of the Bulloch County voting precincts reporting, Barrow got 945 votes (58.7 percent, while Thomas received 665 votes (41.4 percent).