Correction – We meant to say the HD 122 Race was in Columbia County, not Warner Robins. We apologize for the error.
The votes are in, and the final rosters for the 2016 Legislative Session are set – no runoffs needed.
Houston’s Larry Walker lapped the field in a six man battle-royale in SD 20, taking home 52% of the vote and avoiding the month-long sprint to a runoff that would have been forced should he have been just under the 50% total. A bit of a surprise that Walker was able to emerge so easily, but with one race under his belt from earlier this summer, Walker’s campaign team was a well oiled machine that sailed to victory. He replaces Senator Ross Tolleson, who stepped down due to health issues.
In the biggest surprise of the night, Republican Janice Frey Van Ness scored a stunning victory over former House Rep. Tonya Anderson in SD 43. Why is that a shock? The district, in DeKalb County, is overwhelmingly Democratic, by a near 80%-20% margin. After taking first in the November Special Election, many thought it was just a split vote between Democratic candidates that made it seem as though Frey Van Ness stood any real chance come December. That turned out not to be the case, as the Republican kept up her strong grassroots effort and turned out what little GOP base the district has, managing to squeak out a victory Tuesday by a razor thin margin – less than 100 votes. It may, (will) prove very difficult for Republicans to keep the seat, but the victory should prove a big wake up call for a state Democratic Party that has taken blow after blow in recent years.
Down in Columbia County, Jodi Lott cruised to victory over fellow Republican Mack Taylor in HD 122. In a race marked by a particularly nasty Special (General) Election, Lott managed to stay above the fray, clearly a good strategy here as she won with over 75% of the vote.
