Special elections for a pair of statehouse seats heavily favor the GOP. But Democrats are still making a play as part of a larger strategy to retake the House majority.
One of the districts covers the northern exurbs of Atlanta and the other a part of Athens. The elections will take place Dec. 9, and a runoff, if needed, will be Jan. 6.
Republican state Rep. Mandi Ballinger, who represented House District 23, died in October after a long battle with cancer. The candidate elected to fill her seat, which covers Canton and unincorporated parts of Cherokee County, will fill out the remainder of her term.
Five Republicans and one Democrat have qualified to run. With several candidates in the race, it’s unlikely one person will receive the 50%-plus-one majority needed to win outright.
The candidates are Republicans Will Fincher, Brice Futch, Ann Gazell, Rajpal Sagoo and William Ware, as well as Democrat Scott Sanders.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Futch previously ran for office in an August special election to replace former state Sen. Brandon Beach, who left the Georgia General Assembly to become President Donald Trump’s treasurer. Futch, a firefighter and paramedic from Canton, came in fifth in that contest; Republican Jason Dickerson won the seat in a runoff election.
Sagoo had supported Dickerson’s campaign for state Senate this fall. He’s a consultant and Army Reservist and teaches a course on entrepreneurship and innovation at his alma mater, the University of North Georgia.
Sagoo wants to reduce property taxes and work toward eliminating the state’s income tax. A majority of voters would prefer local property tax relief over eliminating the income tax if given a choice, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution survey recently found.
Gazell describes herself as the “America First, Georgia Forever” candidate, echoing Trump’s campaign slogan. She’s a retired educator, previously serving at several public elementary schools in Cherokee County and lists stopping illegal immigration, upholding the Second Amendment, and eliminating the state’s income taxes as her key concerns for the election.
Sanders is the only Democrat running in a district that heavily favored Trump in the 2024 presidential election — he received about 69% of the vote across Cherokee County. Acknowledging that, Sanders wrote on his website that he knows he may disagree with voters on taxes or health care.
“I absolutely acknowledge and expect and RESPECT that. I’m asking for your vote on behalf of the things I hope we agree on,” he wrote.
Ware is a retired microbiologist, and Fincher, a former attorney, operates an RV park.
The seat representing House District 121 became open when Republican state Rep. Marcus Wiedower retired from the Georgia Legislature last month to concentrate on his real estate business.
The district covers south Athens, Watkinsville and portions of Oconee County.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
One Democrat, Eric Gisler, and one Republican, Mack “Dutch” Guest, qualified for the seat.
Gisler had previously planned to challenge Wiedower next November and adjusted his campaign for the special election. He had already raised more than $17,000 for his campaign, putting him at a financial advantage in a district that heavily supported Trump last November. He received nearly 68% of the vote across Oconee County.
Gisler works at an insurance tech startup and wants to excite voters to choose new leadership in the state Capitol.
“Too many families are struggling with the cost of living, inadequate healthcare, underfunded schools, and a lack of affordable housing,” he wrote on his campaign website.
Guest operates a trucking company and previously served as president of the Oconee County Rotary Club. He aims to keep the district “in conservative hands.”
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