Republican Holt Persinger won a special election runoff Tuesday for the Georgia House, filling a seat vacated by a man who was charged with stealing prescription narcotics from a retirement complex where he worked.
Persinger, who owns a landscaping company, defeated Republican Charlie Chase, a bail bondsman, in the race to represent House District 119 in Barrow County west of Athens. Persinger received 59% of the vote, according to unofficial results.
Republicans now control 101 of 180 seats in the state House of Representatives, with one Democratic-leaning seat in Clayton County yet to be filled in a special election scheduled for March. Democratic state Rep. Mike Glanton stepped down from that seat for health reasons in January.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
Persinger replaces Republican Danny Rampey, who won election in November but withdrew as he faced drug charges following an investigation into “suspicious activity involving missing medications” at the Magnolia Estates assisted living center in Winder, according to the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office.
The district was previously represented by state Rep. Terry England, who didn’t seek reelection.
A runoff was required after no candidate won a majority in a seven-candidate race in the initial election in January.
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