Politics
Politics

2 Republicans advance to runoff for South Georgia House seat

11/6/18 - Roswell - A steady steam of people vote at the St Mary's Orthodox Church in Roswell. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM

Credit: Bob Andres

Credit: Bob Andres

11/6/18 - Roswell - A steady steam of people vote at the St Mary's Orthodox Church in Roswell. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM
By Mark Niesse
Feb 13, 2019

Two Republican candidates will face off in a runoff election next month for a South Georgia seat in the state House of Representatives.

None of the four candidates in the race won a majority in Tuesday's special election for House District 176. The seat became open when former Gov. Nathan Deal appointed state Rep. Jason Shaw to the Georgia Public Service Commission in November.

Voters will return to the polls on March 12 to choose between Franklin Patten and James Burchett. Patten is the owner of Southern Financial Systems and chairman of the Lanier County Board of Education, and Burchett is an attorney and a member of the Waycross Chamber of Commerce.

Both Patten and Burchett received more votes than the two Democrats in the race, Barbara Seidman and Barbara Griffin.

The district covers Atkinson and Lanier counties, as well as parts of Lowndes and Ware counties.

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.

Follow Mark Niesse on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks alongside then former president and presidential hopeful Donald Trump at a campaign event in Rome, Georgia, on March 9, 2024. (Elijah Nouvelage/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

Credit: TNS

OPINION

Marjorie Taylor Greene or Trump: Who gets MAGA in the divorce?

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s battles with the president test her base at home in Georgia's 14th Congressional District.

Ex-lawmaker, former Cobb school board member head to Georgia Senate runoff

Two Democrats are top voter getters, headed to runoff in Georgia Senate special election for metro Atlanta seat.

Georgia lawmakers vote to release Epstein files

The tally marked a dramatic reversal for GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill and a stinging rebuke for Trump, who had furiously tried to block the move.

The Latest

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks alongside then former president and presidential hopeful Donald Trump at a campaign event in Rome, Georgia, on March 9, 2024. (Elijah Nouvelage/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

Credit: TNS

OPINION

Marjorie Taylor Greene or Trump: Who gets MAGA in the divorce?

Ex-lawmaker, former Cobb school board member head to Georgia Senate runoff

Georgia lawmakers vote to release Epstein files

Featured

Rose Scott signals as Closer Look goes on air in the WABE studio. An Atlanta resident left WABE a $3 million donation, a boost after WABE lost $1.9 million in annual funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. (Ben Gray / AJC file)

Credit: Ben Gray

Donor leaves WABE $3 million, largest individual gift in station’s history

An Atlanta resident has bequeathed WABE a $3 million donation, the largest one-time individual donation in the nonprofit media operation’s 76-year history.

Usher sues business partners over failed Buckhead restaurant plan

Atlanta singer Usher wants his money back after loaning $1.7 million to music producer Bryan-Michael Cox and others to buy a Buckhead restaurant property for $6.3 million.

Braves’ original ‘Freeze’ is retired. But you probably still can’t catch him.

As the Atlanta Braves prepare to find their next sprinting mascot, Nigel Talton is enjoying his new career coaching high school athletes at McEachern High.