- A combined 10 candidates — five Democrats and five Republicans — have qualified for ballot access in two special elections to the Georgia Legislature.
- Among the more notable candidates for the seats are former state Rep. Tim Bearden and Republican National Committee Youth Advisory Council Co-Chair C.J. Pearson.
- If no one candidate receives an outright majority of the vote in either Feb. 13 election, the race will head to a March 12 runoff that would coincide with Georgia’s presidential primary.
Five candidates apiece are running in special elections for a Georgia state Senate seat west of Atlanta and a state House seat near Augusta.
Qualifying closed Wednesday for the Feb. 13 votes to replace Republican Mike Dugan in Senate District 30 and Rep. Barry Fleming in House District 125. Dugan resigned to run for Congress, while Gov. Brian Kemp swore Fleming in as a superior court judge on Wednesday.
Members of all parties will run together in the special elections with no primaries to select nominees. If no one wins a majority on Feb. 13, the top two candidates would advance to a runoff on March 12, the same day as Georgia’s presidential primary.
GEORGIA VOTING SYSTEM UNDER SCRUTINY AS TRIAL OVER CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE DRAWS NEAR
Running in the Senate race as Republicans are former state Rep. Tim Bearden of Carrollton, real estate agent Renae Bell of Tallapoosa, contract administrator Amber Nixon of Carrollton and consultant Robert “Bob” Smith. Ashley Kecskes Godwin of Carrollton is running as a Democrat. The district covers all of Haralson County and parts of Carroll, Douglas and Paulding counties.
Bearden was elected to the state House four times before former Gov. Nathan Deal appointed him as director of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center. Bearden is now the government affairs manager for a billboard company. He’s a former police officer who pushed for expansions of gun rights while in the House.
“My goal is to make sure that this district is set up for…
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