Three seats under the Gold Dome are up for grabs in special elections today in local races scattered throughout the state. With the 2016 legislative session just around the corner, we’ll find out later tonight who, (most) of the newest faces at the State Capitol will be.
In Columbia County’s HD 122, Ross Tolleson’s seat will be filled by either former County Commissioner Mack Taylor or registered nurse Jodi Lott, who emerged from a crowded primary field to face one another in today’s runoff. The candidates, both Republicans in a heavily red district, appear to be on the same page in most issues, with the one exception being the hot-topic Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) that figures to be a big deal in Atlanta in 2016. Will today’s vote be something of a referendum on the issue? Too early to say, but what we do know is that there will be a new State Representative crowned tonight.
Speaking of crowded fields, in Warner Robins’ Senate District 20 six Republicans have entered the fray in what will likely result in a runoff. Bonaire businessman Brooks Keisler, Houston businessman Larry Walker III, Perry businessman Michael Reece, Warner Robins youth minister Vivian Childs, Kathleen businessman James Pettis, and Laurens County businessman Jon Martin are the candidates vying to replace former Senator Ross Tolleson, who left his seat earlier in November due to health issues. With a mere month to campaign and little variation in platforms, it’s tough to predict a race that will likely come down to who managed to scrape together the best grassroots organization the quickest. Walker may have the advantage there – he finished second to Shaw Blackmon in a close race for Larry O’Neal’s seat following the Representative’s resignation from the State House earlier this Summer. The runoff, assuming no candidate runs away with 50% +1 of the vote today, will be held December 29th.
Conyers’ Georgia State Senate District 43 features a good old fashioned red vs blue race, as Democrat Tonya Anderson, (a former State Rep. who gave up her seat to pursue this one) will meet Republican Janice Frey Van Ness in a runoff following a November primary. The seat was left vacant when Ronald Ramsey left to take a judgeship on the DeKalb County traffic court. While typically a very liberal district, Frey Van Ness took home an impressive 37% of the primary vote, (to Anderson’s 26%). It’s likely however that this result was due to Democrats splitting votes between three other strong candidates while Frey Van Ness galvanized the district’s, (small) Republican base. Can the GOP candidate carry over her momentum and pull the upset? A likely tepid voter turnout makes it a possibility. We’ll know in about 12 hours.
