A Republican won a Georgia state Senate race in a special election on Tuesday but Democrats hailed the showing by their candidate as an overperformance that heralded wins as discontent with the GOP grows.
Why It Matters
Both of the main parties are monitoring political trends in the run-up to midterms next year as the impact of the Trump administration’s policies, especially on the economy, gradually become apparent.
What To Know
Georgia’s District 21 seat was up for grabs after President Donald Trump drafted state Senator Brandon Beach, who won with more than 70 percent of the vote in 2024, to serve as U.S. treasurer.
Republican businessman Jason Dickerson beat Democrat Debra Shigley in the Tuesday runoff after no candidate in a seven-person field won a majority to take the seat outright in August.
Dickerson, who had a big lead in unofficial results, declared victory on Tuesday night, and Shigley conceded.
“Conservatives in District 21 sent a strong message: woke liberal ideology has no place here,” Dickerson said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to taking office and fulfilling their mandate to champion the America First values that make us the greatest state to live, work, and raise a family.”
Dickerson had secured 61.5 percent of the vote while Shigley won 38.5 percent, according to a late Tuesday tally by the Georgia Recorder.
But Democrats also took heart from the result, pointing to what they said was a trend of strong showings in recent elections because of their focus on “bettering the lives of working families instead of billionaires and the elites.”
“When Debra and I knocked on doors together over the weekend, we heard from Georgians fed up with Donald Trump raising their costs and jeopardizing their health care — and tonight’s overperformance showed once again that voters are making their opposition known at the ballot box,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement.
What People Are Saying
Martin, said in his statement: “Debra ran an incredible campaign focused on lowering costs for hard-working Georgians and protecting their health care…Republicans are running scared across the country while Democrats are standing their ground and winning in red, blue, and purple districts.”
What Happens Next
The midterm elections are scheduled for November 3, 2026. The Republicans have a narrow majority in both the Senate and House and losing either would make it significantly more difficult to advance Trump’s policy agenda.
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