(The Center Square) – A state Senate seat that was reliably Republican during the 2024 election is drawing the attention of Georgia Democrats.
Democrat Debra Shigley won 8,444 of the votes cast in a special Georgia Senate District 21 race in August over six Republican candidates, according to the results from the Georgia Secretary of State.
The six Republicans split 12,923 votes. Jason Dickerson (3,079) garnered the most.
Shigley and Dickerson are facing each other in a runoff on Tuesday.
The 21st District includes Fulton and Cherokee counties. Republican Brandon Beach took 70% of the vote in 2024. He is now the U.S. Treasurer after being appointed to the post by second-term Republican President Donald Trump.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin went door to door for Shigley on Saturday. Also hitting the campaign trail to support Shigley was former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a former Republican who is running as a Democrat in the 2026 governor’s race.
“Doesn’t matter if the district is ruby red or navy blue, the DNC is hyper-focused on mobilizing voters in every corner of the state and building long-standing power within Georgia,” the party said in a statement on its website.
Dickerson has never held public office and calls himself a “political outsider.” He has been racking up endorsements from some of the state’s top leaders. Gov. Brian Kemp endorsed him last week, according to Dickerson’s Facebook page. Senate Majority Leader Jason R. Anavitarte recorded another video on Sunday backing Dickerson.
Turnout for the August special election was low, with just 15.38% of eligible Cherokee County voters casting a ballot and 13.16% of those in Fulton County voting, according to the secretary of state’s website. Early voting indicates a larger turnout with 16,440 ballots casts, according to the Georgia secretary of state’s office.
