Republican state lawmakers retained almost every seat in competitive races across the state, according to unofficial results from Tuesday’s general election.
Democratic candidates chipped away at the edges, but the GOP remained in firm control of both the state House and Senate, helped in part by the Republican-led redistricting effort in 2023. While the outcomes have yet to be finalized, the Democrats stand to gain two seats in the House, leaving the Republicans with a 100-80 advantage in the chamber.
In the state Senate, there are 23 Democrats and 33 Republicans. The election results did not change those numbers.
Throughout Forsyth, Fulton and Gwinnett counties, Republican incumbents defeated well-funded Democratic challengers. Some Republican candidates running in swing districts in metro Atlanta held on to their seats by distancing themselves from the party’s presidential nominee, Donald Trump, but it’s not clear how much that played into their victories.
Republican state Rep. Scott Hilton avoided mentioning Trump’s name on the trail and said he voted for former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in the state’s presidential primary. He kept his seat in the Georgia Statehouse with 55% of the vote.
He was competing against Democrat Laura Murvartian for House District 48, which covers parts of Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Peachtree Corners and Roswell. She sought, unsuccessfully, to tie him to the state’s abortion and gun laws, and she criticized his position on school vouchers.
State Rep. Matt Reeves fended off a challenge from Democrat Michelle Kang, a community organizer and first-generation Korean American. Although the most recent round of redistricting left House District 99, which covers parts of Duluth, Sugar Hill and Suwanee, with one of the highest percentages of Asian American voters in the state, Reeves won with 51.1% of the vote.
Another race, for a House District 53 seat that covers parts of Buckhead, Roswell and Sandy Springs, was seen as one of the most competitive. With 94% of the vote counted, Republican state Rep. Deborah Silcox bested Democrat Susie Greenberg with 52% of the vote.
Gov. Brian Kemp and House Speaker Jon Burns lent their support to Republican incumbents with $2.5 million in contributions from their leadership fundraising committees. Kemp also held several get-out-the-vote campaign events with these candidates, and some Republican House members with safe seats donated money and knocked on doors on their behalf.
“Politics is a team sport, and we succeeded together last night as a team. Republicans at every level of government have consistently delivered results on the issues that matter most to voters across the state,” Burns said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The speaker said the state’s tax cuts and education legislation sent “the message that led to the results we witnessed Tuesday.”
State Sen. Shawn Still won his race despite being indicted in 2023, alongside 17 others, including Trump, in a sweeping criminal case tied to their conduct following the 2020 presidential election. His opponent, Democrat Ashwin Ramaswami, had made Still’s indictment a prominent point in his campaign, yet Still won with 53.6% of the vote with 97% of the count completed.
While the Democrats had some success in retaining seats that were targeted by Kemp and Burns, they struggled to make gains. One prominent Democrat, state Rep. Mack Jackson of Sandersville, was barely hanging on as of Wednesday.
Democratic state Rep. Jasmine Clark held on against a challenge from Republican Elvia Davila, winning 53.9% of the vote to keep her seat in House District 108, which includes Lilburn and Lawrenceville.
Republican state Rep. Mesha Mainor, after switching parties last year, lost to Democratic challenger Bryce Berry. He took 83.8% of the vote in the race for House District 56, which includes neighborhoods surrounding Atlantic Station, Georgia Tech, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Morehouse College.
Democrats also picked up a Milledgeville-based seat. After a court order, the district was drawn to be a majority-Black district. Democrat Floyd Griffin defeated state Rep. Ken Vance with 55.3% of the vote.
In another newly created House district in the Macon area, Democrat Tangie Herring was leading Republican Noah Harbuck with 50.5% of the vote. The race, however, had not yet been called by The Associated Press.
In Gwinnett County, Democratic state Rep. Farooq Mughal was trailing Republican Sandy Donatucci by just 87 votes.
If a race’s margin is less than or equal to 0.5%, a candidate may request a recount. That request must be made within two business days of the results being certified, which is set to occur Nov. 12.
