Twelve Georgia legislative races advance to runoffs

by Maya Homan, Georgia Recorder, [This article first appeared in the Georgia Recorder, republished with permission]

May 25, 2026

Voters across the state will head back to the polls next month after a number of state legislative candidates failed to reach the majority vote needed to avoid a runoff election.

Candidates in five state Senate seats are hoping to fill seats vacated by senators who had eyes for higher office. Three of the races will be held on the Democratic ticket, and the remaining two races will be on the Republican ballot.

On the House side, candidates across seven districts will compete to replace representatives who are retiring, have resigned or are seeking statewide office. One incumbent candidate is also fighting to hold onto her seat in the face of a competitive primary challenge. Democrats will face off in six races, while two Republicans will seek a rematch in one House runoff.

The runoffs will be held June 16, with at least one week of early voting. Voters who selected one party’s ballot in the May primary election will have to stick with that party for the runoff, but anyone who did not vote in the primary can pick the runoff ballot of their choice. Voters who selected a nonpartisan ballot in the primary can also choose which runoff they would like to vote in.

Here’s a look at the legislative candidates who advanced to a runoff.

Senate District 7

Voters in Senate District 7 will have two races to settle in the runoff. 

Republican Air Force veteran and small business owner Aizaz Shahbaz Shaikh and Democrat Adrienne White, who works in finance, will see each other again in a special election to finish former state Sen. Nabilah Parkes’ term after she resigned from her seat to run for lieutenant governor. The district includes a western portion of Gwinnett County.

In the Democratic primary to choose the district’s next senator longer term, state Rep. Ruwa Romman and civil rights attorney Rahul Garabadu are also headed to a runoff after neither managed to secure a majority in a three-way race. According to unofficial results from the secretary of state’s office, Romman came in the lead with 38% of the vote, and Garabadu was in second place with 33%. The winner will later face Shaikh, who ran unopposed in the GOP primary.

Senate District 10

Democrats Larry Johnson, a former DeKalb County commissioner, and Gabrielle Rogers, the founder of a consulting firm, are vying for a seat that spans portions of DeKalb and Henry counties. Johnson received 48% of the vote in a four-way primary, while Rogers came in second place with 27%.

The district is currently represented by Democratic Sen. Emanuel Jones of Decatur, who recently lost a six-way primary for the 13th Congressional District.

Senate District 14

Democrats Kevin Abel, a consultant, and Nathalie J. Kanani, an attorney, will face off again over a northern Fulton County district currently represented by state senator and lieutenant governor candidate Josh McLaurin. Abel received 37% of the vote in a three-way primary, while Kanani received roughly 33%. The winner will face Republican real estate broker Mike Dvorscak in the general election.

Senate District 46

Republicans Marc McMain, an entrepreneur, and Doug McKillip, a lawyer, will compete to represent Senate District 46, which spans Oconee County and portions of Barrow, Clarke, Gwinnett and Walton counties. McMain received 43% of the vote in a three-way contest, while McKillip came in second place with 35%. 

Incumbent Sen. Bill Cowsert, an Athens Republican, ran for attorney general but lost the Republican primary to fellow state Sen. Brian Strickland of McDonough.

Senate District 51

State Rep. Will Wade of Dawsonville and attorney Philip Milam are headed to a runoff in the Republican primary to replace former Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch, a Dahlonega state senator who lost his bid for lieutenant governor. The district encompasses Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Pickens and Union counties, as well as a portion of White County. According to unofficial results from the secretary of state’s office, Wade was in the lead with roughly 43% of the vote, while Milam came in second place with 41%.

House District 47

Jack Miller, a financial planner, and Brian Cochran, a software engineer, will compete to replace outgoing Rep. Jan Jones of Milton after neither candidate secured a majority in Tuesday’s election. The metro Atlanta district encompasses part of Fulton and Cherokee counties. Miller came just shy of securing a majority at 49% of the vote, while Cochran received 37%.

Jones, who serves as the House Speaker Pro Tem, announced her retirement earlier this year.

The winner will run against Lindsay Defranco, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary. 

House District 58

Nonprofit director Demetria Henderson will face software engineer Mathewos Samson in the runoff for the Democratic primary runoff for a metro Atlanta seat. Henderson finished first in a four-way contest with about 39% of the vote. Samson, a Democratic Socialist, came in second place with 29% of the vote.

The winner will face Republican Torrey Balam in November. The seat is currently held by Democrat Rep. Park Cannon of Atlanta, who announced earlier this year that she will not be seeking re-election.

House District 62

Nonprofit founder Kenn Collier and consultant KaVon Arnold will compete to fill a seat previously held by Minority Caucus Chair Tanya Miller, who is now the Democratic nominee for attorney general. Collier received 38% of the vote, while Arnold received 32% in a four-way contest.

No Republican candidate qualified in the 62nd House district, meaning whoever wins the runoff election will represent the district starting next year.

House District 68

Retired law enforcement officer Mark Baker will face maternal health advocate Timoria McQueen Saba in the Democratic runoff election for a district that includes portions of Fulton and Fayette counties. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Derrick Jackson of Tyrone launched an unsuccessful bid for governor.

Baker received nearly 30% of the vote, according to unofficial results from the secretary of state’s office. Saba came second in a six-way contest with 18% of the vote.

House District 94

Democrat Venola Mason, a DeKalb County education consultant, is set for a rematch with fellow Democrat Kelly Kautz after defeating her earlier this year during a special election for a district that spans portions of Gwinnett and DeKalb counties. 

The seat was vacated in January by former state Rep. Karen Bennett, a Stone Mountain Democrat who resigned shortly before pleading guilty to pandemic-era unemployment fraud.

Mason received 48% of the vote in a four-way contest Tuesday, and Kautz took second place with roughly 20%.

House District 117

Democrat Kim Thomas Smith came close to unseating incumbent Rep. Mary Ann Santos of McDonough, finishing first in a five-way contest with roughly 30% of the vote. Santos, who received 26% of the vote, was first elected in 2024. The district includes portions of Henry and Spalding counties.

House District 177

Family nurse practitioner Elsie Cason Napier and former Valdosta Mayor Pro Tem Alvin Payton Jr. will compete in a Lowndes County district previously represented by Democratic Valdosta Rep. Dexter Sharper, who resigned from office shortly before pleading guilty to federal fraud charges. Napier came in first place with nearly 30% of the vote in a five-way contest, while Payton came in second place with roughly 26%.

Payton is also running in a special election to fill the remainder of Sharper’s term. He will face former Valdosta City Council member Eric Howard in the special election runoff on June 9.

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