Oconee County’s district 21, when Eric Gisler defeated Republican Mack “Dutch” Guest IV by 197 votes in a race to replace the resigning Marcus Wiedower. However, Georgia Republicans started the new year in a special election on Jan. 6, 2026, with a 50-point win in Cherokee County’s house district 23. Bill Fincher solidly defeated Scott Sanders to become the newest member of the Georgia General Assembly. Some of Georgia’s top legislative officials are running for higher office, including Lt. Gov. Burt Jones , who oversees the state Senate but is now running for governor. One of Jones’ top campaign platforms is the elimination of the state’s income tax. MORE COVERAGE | GEORGIA’S GOVERNOR’S RACE Several current and former state lawmakers are also running for higher office in 2026: It’s the second year of the legislature’s biennial session, meaning bills that sat dormant for months since the end of the last session will immediately be ready to take up. That includes a bill that would ban cell phones in every Georgia high school and a bill that would allow for the use of automated detection cameras to reduce speeding in school zones. But on Wednesday, Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns (R-
