Candidates seek Augusta state House seat in Tuesday’s special election

Voters in a state House district in the Augusta area will choose a new representative in Tuesday’s special election after the incumbent resigned earlier this year.

Six candidates are running to replace state Rep. Lynn Heffner, who announced her resignation in January. Heffner said her home suffered damage during 2024’s Hurricane Helene and she could no longer meet the constitutional requirement to live in her district.

The district leans heavily Democrat. Heffner was first elected in 2022, winning with about 67% of the vote. In 2024, she ran unopposed.

The winning candidate in next week’s election needs more than 50% of the vote in order to vote on any proposals before the end of the legislative session on April 2. Otherwise, the race would go to a runoff after the end of the legislative session.

Two Republicans and four Democrats are in the running. The eventual winner will immediately have to run in their party primary in May to have a shot at keeping the seat.

Candidates include Republicans David Carson and Thomas McAdams. The Democratic contenders are Sha’Qunta Calles, Karen Gordon, Sheila Clark Nelson and LaFawn Pinkney-Mealing.

Like many other Democrats running for statehouse in recent elections, most of the candidates have framed their platforms around the cost of living.

Here are campaign details from five of the candidates. The AJC’s effort to interview Calles was not successful.

David Carson

Republican candidate Carson is skeptical of some of his opponents’ messages on affordability.

“I don’t think that actually solves their issues, and I don’t think that’s an actual platform,” he said.

Carson, a cybersecurity analyst and educator, has pitched himself as a political outsider aiming to shake up the political establishment.

He said he wants future data center projects to deliver jobs for locals and require more community input. Carson also wants to focus on hurricane recovery efforts and create more education and training opportunities to prepare students in his district for the modern workforce.

Karen Gordon

Gordon, a publisher and entrepreneur, said she is running to improve education and workforce development, while growing the local economy and reducing the cost of living.

“I go where problems need to be solved, and I put in the work,” she said.

Thomas McAdams

It’s not just the Democrats taking up affordability. Republican McAdams, a minister, said one of the biggest issues for him is addressing affordability in Augusta.

The Augusta native said he wants to incentivize businesses to come to his district and make “sure that we keep more money in our pockets.”

Sheila Clark Nelson

A former member of the House, Nelson is taking another swing at running for the House. The retired postal worker previously served as a representative for three terms. She said she left office in 2023 to take care of her mother.