(The Center Square) – Republican Steven McNeel won the District 18 Georgia Senate post, staving off a Democrat who took the majority of the votes in the initial contest.
Former Fort Valley City Councilman LeMario Nicholas Brown received 40.58% of the vote in Tuesday’s runoff, more than the nearly 37% he received in Jan. 21, but not enough to overcome the 59.42% McNeel received, according to unofficial results from the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.
Republican votes were split in the January contest among five candidates.
McNeel will be replacing former Sen. John F. Kennedy, who stepped down to concentrate on his run for lieutenant governor.
Senate District 18 includes portions of Bibb and Houston counties and all of Crawford, Monroe, Peach and Upson counties.
Tuesday’s runoff is one in a series of off-season elections prompted by resignations on the state and federal levels.
Eighteen candidates are vying for the U.S. District House 14 seat formerly held by Marjorie Taylor Greene of Rome. The election is March 10 with a runoff scheduled for April 7.
Also on March 10, voters will cast ballots for three General Assembly seats.
Voters in Northwest Georgia will decide who will replace former Republican state Sen. Colton Moore, who is running for Congress. Lanny Thomas, Denise Burns and Blake Elsberry are running as Republicans. John Bentley Zibluk is the sole Democrat on the ballot.
Four Democrats are running to replace Karen Bennett in House District 94. Bennett, a Democrat, resigned after pleading guilty to a charge of making a false statement related to pandemic unemployment fraud. Kelly Kautz, Audrey Lux, Venola Mason and Ikenna Ugwumadu will be on the ballot. The district covers portions of DeKalb and Gwinnett counties.
Four Democrats and two Republicans are hoping to win the House District 130 post formerly held by Augusta Democrat Lynn Heffner, who stepped down to focus on rebuilding her home damaged by Hurricane Helene. Sha’Quanta Calles, Karen Gordon, Sheila Clark Nelson and LaFawn Pinkey-Mealing are running as Democrats and David Carson and Thomas McAdams are the Republican candidates.
