Hall, Franklin Head To Runoff For Rest Of John Lewis’ Term

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In this Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017 photo, Kwanza Hall answers a question during the Atlanta Police Foundation's Atlanta Mayoral debate hosted by WSB-TV at their studios in Atlanta.

Credit: Phil Skinner/Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Former Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall and former Morehouse College President Robert Franklin are advancing to a Dec. 1 runoff in the special election to fill the remainder of the term of the late John Lewis.

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In this Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016 file photo, Robert Franklin, a Laney Professor of Moral Leadership at Emory University's Candler School of Theology, speaks during his "Faith and Politics" course at Emory University in Atlanta.

Credit: AP/Rebecca Breyer

Hall and Franklin led five other candidates Tuesday in Georgia’s 5th Congressional District. The winner will serve about a month in Congress. The November election between Republican Angela Stanton King and Democrat Nikema Williams will decide who serves the full two-year term beginning in January. Neither was on Tuesday’s ballot.

Lewis died in July from pancreatic cancer after 17 terms in Congress. The campaign in the Atlanta-centered district focused on continuing the civil rights icon’s legacy.