Republicans hold onto Georgia state Senate seat as Democrats tout gains in red district

A GOP lawmaker will continue to represent a conservative state Senate district in a north Atlanta exurb after a Democratic candidate’s first-place finish last month surprised Republicans and left Democrats hopeful that a flip was possible.  Jason Dickerson, a Cherokee County resident who is the president of a private investment firm, had 61.5% of the […]

Republican Jason Dickerson won Tuesday's special state Senate election. Photo courtesy of the Dickerson's campaign

A GOP lawmaker will continue to represent a conservative state Senate district in a north Atlanta exurb after a Democratic candidate’s first-place finish last month surprised Republicans and left Democrats hopeful that a flip was possible. 

Jason Dickerson, a Cherokee County resident who is the president of a private investment firm, had 61.5% of the vote Tuesday night, according to unofficial results. 

Dickerson will finish former Alpharetta Republican state Sen. Brandon Beach’s term, which Beach left unfinished after President Donald Trump appointed him to serve as U.S. treasurer. Beach had coasted to reelection with about 70% of the vote just last year in a district that includes north Fulton and Cherokee counties. 

Georgia Republicans rallied behind their candidate as the runoff neared while Dickerson highlighted his support of Trump and framed the Democratic candidate, Debra Shigley, as a “woke liberal.” 

“Conservatives in District 21 sent a strong message: woke liberal ideology has no place here. 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 said in a statement Tuesday. 

The runoff also saw a jump in turnout. Nearly 10,000 more people voted in Tuesday’s election compared to last month. 

Georgia Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon said the party deployed a digital outreach campaign that included targeted text messages and geo-targeted social media advertising to mobilize Republican voters in the special election. 

McKoon said their “digital ground game made the difference.” 

“Republicans cannot afford to sit on the sidelines in the digital space. This victory proves that with the right message, tools, and discipline, we can outwork and out-organize Democrats,” McKoon said in a statement. 

Shigley won 40% of the vote last month in a seven-way race. That strong performance in a red district attracted national attention, with the Democratic National Committee chairman visiting Georgia this past weekend to campaign with Shigley – along with prominent Georgia Democrats like Stacey Abrams and ex-GOP Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan.

Shigley, a Milton mom, attorney and small business owner, campaigned on pocketbook issues like tackling rising costs, protecting health care access and supporting public schools. She had tried to court voters turned off by the status quo. 

But instead of the upset Democrats were hoping for, they had to settle for making gains in a district that overwhelmingly backed Beach and Trump just last year – and forcing Republicans to expend resources to defend the seat. 

“I am incredibly proud of the campaign our team ran and thankful for every single person who volunteered their time fighting for a better Georgia,” Shigley said in a statement Tuesday night. 

“In May, we got off the sidelines and stood up, offering a vision for a better future for our children and our families. Despite the results I am both proud and grateful for our efforts and will continue the work required to make the 21st District a better place for everyone to work and live in.” 

Shigley had 38.5% of the runoff vote as of late Tuesday. That’s slightly less than she had last month but about 9 percentage points more than Beach’s Democratic opponent won in 2024. 

DNC Chair Ken Martin, who visited Georgia Saturday, celebrated Shigley’s performance in a statement Tuesday night. 

“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,” Martin said. 

The race had been seen as a test for both parties ahead of next year’s midterm election, when U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff will be fighting for another term and several open statewide offices and all of Georgia’s legislative and U.S. House seats will be on the ballot. 

“Republicans having to play defense in a ‘safe’ district is a sure sign that they’ll continue struggling to defend their toxic agenda all the way through 2026,” Charlie Bailey, chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, said in a statement. 

“Over this year and next, Georgia Democrats will continue to follow Debra’s example: organizing and competing everywhere, no matter how red or how blue the district; taking no vote for granted; and building momentum to elect strong Democrats who put working families first at every level of the ticket,” he said. 

Dickerson loaned himself $750,000 to fund his campaign, according to campaign finance reports. Shigley reported raising about $252,000.