The State House of Representatives District 24 seat, vacant due to the resignation of Rep. Mark Hamilton, includes much of Cumming and most of western Forsyth County. Forsyth is one of Georgia’s fastest-growing and most solidly Republican counties, so it is no surprise that four GOP candidates have announced for the June 16 special election. (Last year the district averaged 83% support for GOP statewide candidates— 80% for Sen. David Perdue and 79% for Gov. Nathan Deal.)
The candidates are attorney Ethan Underwood, a partner at Miles Hansford & Tallant; attorney David Van Sant of Van Sant Law; insurance agent Will Kremer (a former chairman of the Georgia College Republicans); and Lanier Tech teacher Sheri Smallwood Gilligan.
It is interesting to note that Forsyth County overall (not just the portion in House District 24) is so heavily Republican that is easily surpasses traditionally Republican Cobb and Gwinnett Counties in GOP percentage support. In fact, Deal’s Forsyth margin last year— he carried the county by 34,865 votes over Democrat Jason Carter— was larger than Deal’s margin in Cobb (+30,264) or Gwinnett (+22,609). Only Cherokee delivered a larger winning margin than Forsyth last year for Deal (Deal winning Cherokee by 35,751 votes).
Although former Secretary of State Karen Handel finished third in last year’s statewide GOP primary, her endorsement may still carry some weight in this district. In that Senate primary, Handel took a plurality with 34% of the vote, with Perdue a close second at 31% and then-Congressman Jack Kingston at 15% (candidates Paul Broun nor Phil Gingrey were not able to crack 10% in the district). More than 6,500 district voters participated in that primary. In the subsequent July Senate runoff, which attracted nearly 5,500 district voters, House District 24 gave Perdue 56%, Kingston 44%.
As of last October, according to the Elections Division of the Secretary of State’s office, House District 24 had 32,984 active registered voters, of whom 2% were black, 81% were white, 2% each either Asian or Hispanic and 13% “others” (multiracial, no race listed, etc.)
This June 16th special election is officially “non-partisan.”
