Politics
Politics

4 candidates join race for south Georgia House seat

Former Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone talks with Rep. Amy Carter, R - Valdosta, on March 16, 2017. (DAVID BARNES / SPECIAL)

Credit: David Barnes

Credit: David Barnes

Former Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone talks with Rep. Amy Carter, R - Valdosta, on March 16, 2017. (DAVID BARNES / SPECIAL)
By Mark Niesse
Jan 17, 2018

Three Republicans and a Democrat are running in a Feb. 13 special election for a state House seat representing a district on the Georgia-Florida border.

The candidates are competing to replace former Rep. Amy Carter, R-Valdosta, who resigned from House District 175 in November to take a position with the Technical College System of Georgia. Candidate qualifying for the race ended Friday.

The candidates are Bruce Phelps, a Republican emergency medical technician; Coy Reaves, a Republican who is self-employed; John LaHood, a Republican and CEO of Fellowship Senior Living; and Treva Gear, a Democrat and educator.

See how the opinions fell on this years first AJC legislative poll.

The district covers Brooks County and portions of Lowndes and Thomas counties.

If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, a runoff election will be held March 13.

The winner of the race will then join the Georgia General Assembly, which started its annual legislative session Jan. 8. Every state legislative seat, including House District 175, is up for election again in November.

About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

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