Five candidates have qualified to replace former state House Rep. Lynne Riley, R-Johns Creek, in a Jan. 6 special election, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office.
Riley served four terms in the state House and won re-election Nov. 4 for a fifth, but Gov. Nathan Deal then appointed her to lead the state Department of Revenue.
Riley’s former district, House District 50, sits firmly in the Johns Creek area of North Fulton County. Now two City Council members from Johns Creek are among those vying to claim a seat in the state Legislature.
It’s worth noting that if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the state would schedule a runoff election between the top two vote-getters. The race is officially nonpartisan, although most candidates declared a political party affiliation.
The candidates are:
- Christine A. Austin, 44, a homemaker and financial consultant. Party affiliation: Libertarian.
- Brad Raffensperger, 59, an engineer and member of the Johns Creek City Council. Party affiliation: Republican.
- Royce M. Reinecke, 62, a retired engineer. Party affiliation: Republican.
- Kelly Leigh Stewart, 48, self-employed and a member of the Johns Creek City Council. Party affiliation: Republican.
- Paul Troop, 72,a retired journalist and public relations executive. No party affiliation but lost to Riley in November as a Democrat.
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