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.

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