U.S. House District 12: Republican incumbent faces challenge from local lawmaker

A Democratic city council member is challenging a five-term Republican incumbent from Augusta in the 12th Congressional District.

Ceretta Smith won a runoff race in June to land a spot on the November ballot. U.S. Rep. Rick Allen easily beat back a GOP primary opponent in May.

The district, which stretches from Augusta to Statesboro in the eastern part of the state, is reliably Republican. Allen won reelection in 2024 with just over 60% of the vote.

Here are the candidates.

Democrat: Ceretta Smith

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Smith, who served for nearly a decade as a U.S. Army medic, is a former City Council member in Grovetown, which is just west of Augusta.

She said she also worked as a federal employee and national labor leader for the American Federation of Government Employees.

Republican: Rick Allen

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

Allen is considered a faithful member of the U.S. House’s Republican majority, voting consistently in favor of bills backed by President Donald Trump and House leaders.

After the 2020 election, Allen shared unverified conspiracy theories as Republicans scrambled to overturn Trump’s loss in Georgia.

A pet project in his district has been addressing the safety issues at Bon Air Apartments, a complex that houses low-income families and has faced multiple complaints about poor conditions and crime there.