Georgians went to the polls Tuesday in special runoff elections to fill three seats in the state General Assembly, alongside a separate contest for the U.S. House seat formerly held by Marjorie Taylor Greene. All three state-level races produced expected results, leaving Republicans with wide majorities in both chambers.
Republican Lanny Thomas defeated Democrat Jack Zibluk 68.7% to 31.3% to replace former Senator Colton Moore, who resigned to run in the Republican primary for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District seat previously held by Marjorie Taylor Greene. Clay Fuller won the GOP primary and defeated Democrat Shawn Harris in Tuesday’s runoff.
Democrat Venola Mason defeated fellow Democrat Kelly Kautz 68.5% to 31.5%. She won the seat vacated by former state representative Karen Bennett, a Democrat who resigned after pleading guilty to making false statements. The Department of Justice alleged that Bennett defrauded taxpayers by receiving pandemic unemployment assistance for which she was not entitled.
Democrat Sheila Clark Nelson defeated Republican Thomas McAdams 70.7% to 29.3% to replace former representative Lynn Heffner, a Democrat who resigned due to state constitutional residency requirements after her primary residence sustained severe structural damage during Hurricane Helene.
