The race to fill the state House seat left vacant by the late Rep. Bobby Franklin appeared headed for a runoff late Tuesday night between a former state senator and political newcomer.
One hundred and two votes separated SunTrust accountant John Carson and Robert Lamutt, who served in Georgia’s senate for five terms, with all of the district's 14 precincts counted. Carson ended the night with 35.63 percent, or 801 votes; while Lamutt ended with 31.09 percent, or 699 votes.
Neither candidate received a majority of the votes, so the race for the District 43 seat will be decided Oct. 18 in a runoff.
Lamutt, 55, and Carson, 39, were part of a five-candidate field of Republicans running to fill Franklin’s term. In July, Franklin was found dead in his home after earlier complaining of chest pains. Franklin, one of the legislature’s most conservative members, was first elected to represent the northeast Cobb area in 1996.
In the weeks leading to the runoff, Carson, who touts himself as a fresh conservative voice for the district, plans to continue his strategy of grassroots campaigning, he said.
"I think this has become a race of the establishment versus the non-establishment," Carson said, noting that voters' frustrations with state and federal politics have played a large role in the race.
For Lamutt, the lead up to the run-off will be a time to compare records.
"Until now it's been everyone taking shots at Robert," said Lamutt, whose financial debts became a campaign issue during the race. "This will finally be an opportunity to go head to head and for me to present my experience and my record on the issues."
A charge for the new representative will be preserving the quality of life in the district, said state Rep. Ed Setzler, Cobb’s legislative delegation chairman.
“Residents in that district will want a representative that recognizes individualism and not having the government impact their quality of life,” said Setzler,who did not endorse a candidate in the race. “This is a collection of individuals with conservative sensibilities that chose to live in the area because of the exceptional quality of life, and that is important to them.”
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