Republican wins runoff in north-metro state Senate special election
Republican Jason Dickerson defeated a nationally backed Democratic challenger in a runoff special election Tuesday to represent a state Senate district in parts of Fulton and Cherokee counties.
Dickerson beat Democrat Debra Shigley, the top vote-getter in last month’s seven-way special election, in a conservative district in north-metro Atlanta.
Dickerson could not immediately be reached late Tuesday, but he appeared to be on pace to have a more modest showing than previous Republican landslides in this long-held GOP district.
According to unofficial results from the Secretary of State’s Office, Dickerson received about 61.5% of the vote, boosted heavily by his performance in Cherokee County. He got nearly 72% among voters in Canton, Ball Ground and Waleska, but just 45% in Milton and Alpharetta.
The previous state senator who represented the area, Republican Brandon Beach, won reelection last year with about 70% of the vote. Beach vacated the seat earlier this year when he was tapped to serve in President Donald Trump’s administration as U.S. treasurer.
Democrats saw this special election as a chance to flip a seat in the exurbs of traditionally Republican territory — and they brought out big names to do so.
Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, campaigned for Shigley. Democratic gubernatorial candidates Geoff Duncan and Jason Esteves also knocked on voters’ doors, as did Stacey Abrams and U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta.
Senate Majority Leader Jason Anavitarte took a victory lap Tuesday once it was clear Dickerson was going to win.
“National Democrats and left-wing special interests threw everything they had at this race, but voters yet again rejected their out-of-touch radical agenda,” the Dallas Republican said.
Republicans’ low-key efforts were in sharp contrast to Democrats’. They didn’t hold major public events, concentrating instead on volunteers knocking on doors in the suburban district.
Dickerson, an investment manager and trucking company founder who lives in Canton, also boasted his own big endorsements, including from Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and the Georgia Senate Republicans.
Dickerson self-funded his campaign, lending himself $750,000, according to campaign finance reports.
Josephine Cicola, an Alpharetta retiree, said she voted for Dickerson because she thinks “he’s going to be great for this” district. She said she read up on him and liked what she learned.
“I think, with his background, everything he’ll address, he’s going to do a great job,” she said after voting at the Wills Park Recreation Center in Alpharetta.
Although the race was for a state government seat, both parties saw the election as a referendum on Trump.
Dickerson tied himself to the president during the campaign on transgender issues, which Trump has also targeted at campaign rallies.
“Debra Shigley supports boys in girls’ sports and bathrooms,” an ad on Dickerson’s Facebook page said. Supporting her campaign, he said, amounts to a win for “creeps and pedophiles.”
Shigley’s campaign focused on health care, education funding and affordable housing.
“We’ve spoken to thousands upon thousands of voters in this district, and they are concerned about rising costs,” Shigley said at a campaign event Saturday. “They are particularly concerned about health care and how what is happening in Washington is going to affect those here in Georgia.”
Senate Democratic Leader Harold Jones praised Shigley’s showing in the race.
“This was a busy field with many well-funded candidates, and while today did not turn out how we hoped, the effort from the Shigley campaign cannot be overlooked,” he said.
Turnout was expected to outpace last month’s election, which had just over 21,000 voters cast ballots. Just about that same number of votes had been counted late Tuesday and Fulton County’s Election Day votes still had not been made public.
About the Authors
Michelle Baruchman covers the Georgia House of Representatives and statewide issues. She is a politics news and enterprise reporter covering statewide political stories.
Maya T. Prabhu covers the Georgia Senate and statewide issues as a government reporter for The AJC. Born in Queens, New York, and raised in northern Virginia, Maya attended Spelman College and then the University of Maryland for a master's degree. She writes about social issues, the criminal justice system and legislative politics.
