Voters to decide on 3 Georgia legislative seats in special runoffs
Georgians will head to the polls next week to vote on candidates running for three seats in the Georgia Legislature a month before the May primaries, where they’ll have another chance at running for the same seats.
The top two vote-getters in each of the March 10 special elections will square off in runoff elections April 7 to determine who holds the legislative seats for the remainder of the year.
The legislative session ends Thursday, so the winners won’t be able to cast any votes, but they will have the opportunity to run as incumbents next month.
Special elections are usually light turnout affairs because they happen outside of the normal election calendar, meaning Georgians voting in person can expect short lines.
Here’s a look at the races and the candidates in the running.
House District 94
Democrats Kelly Kautz and Venola Mason square off in the deep-blue metro Atlanta district spanning parts of Gwinnett and DeKalb counties.
Mason led the March special election with about 44% of the vote, while Kautz trailed her with 23% of voters.
Kautz, a former Snellville mayor, said that holding an elected office is about more than the words you speak.
“My actions, my history within the HD 94 community show that I am the candidate with the experience and the understanding to best serve the needs of the residents,” Kautz said.
Mason, an education consultant, did not respond to requests for comment.
State Rep. Karen Bennett vacated the seat in January before being charged by prosecutors in a federal investigation into pandemic-era unemployment insurance fraud. Bennett pleaded guilty in federal court for making a false statement.
House District 130
Republican Thomas McAdams will face former Democratic state Rep. Sheila Clark Nelson in the safely Democratic Augusta-area district. The winner will replace state Rep. Lynn Hefner, who resigned from her seat in January. Hefner said her home sustained so much damage during Hurricane Helene she could no longer meet the legal requirement to live in her district.
Nelson declined an interview and did not respond to questions over email, citing her busy campaign schedule.
McAdams, who secured his spot in the runoff coming in second by seven votes ahead of Democrat Karen Gordon, said he’s been campaigning by making calls, door knocking and making stops at local events.
“South Augusta should vote for me to have an accessible voice of reason and godly discernment representing them in Atlanta,” said McAdams, a minister. “I’m from South Augusta, and I love South Augusta.”
Senate District 53
The race to replace former state Sen. Colton Moore’s deep-red northwest Georgia state Senate district seat is between Republican Lanny Thomas and Democrat Jack Zibluk.
Thomas led Zibluk in the March vote with 39% of the vote to Zibluk’s 27%.
Thomas touted his previous experience as mayor of Trion, saying his tenure sets him apart from his Democratic rival.
“Voters deserve someone who understands our district because they’ve lived it, worked in it and served it,” said Thomas. “I’ve built my campaign around affordability, strong public safety and supporting our schools, because those are the issues I hear about every day from the people I meet.”
Zibluk also is stressing affordability for the district. The top issue he hears about from voters is concerns over health care costs, he said.
“While the structure of the health care system is largely a federal issue, we can pass regulations to ensure transparency in procedures and billing and other measures to protect consumers against various forms of price gouging,” Zibluk said.
Early voting for each of the three runoffs runs through Thursday.
About the Author
Caleb Groves is a general assignment reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's politics team and a Kennesaw State University graduate.
