Eric Bell, an Atlanta airport employee and former aviation officer for the U.S. Navy, won a special election Tuesday for a Georgia House seat representing the Jonesboro area.
Bell replaces former state Rep. Mike Glanton, who resigned in January. Both Bell and Glanton are Democrats.
Bell is a Morehouse College graduate who now works as government affairs coordinator at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, according to his website.
He ran a campaign that emphasized teacher pay raises, public safety and health care expansion.
Bell received about 62% of the vote in the race against Democrat Herman “Drew” Andrews and Republican Della Ashley, according to unofficial results.
Since Glanton resigned from the Clayton County seat, House District 75 has lacked a representative during this year’s legislative session, which ends March 29.
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.
