James Burchett (R) defeated Franklin Patten (R) in a runoff election on Tuesday, March 12, to become the next representative for Georgia House of Representatives District 176.

The district became vacant after former Rep. Jason Shaw (R) was appointed to serve on the Georgia Public Service Commission starting on January 1, 2019. Burchett and Patten advanced to a runoff after defeating two other candidates in the special general election on February 12.

Georgia is currently a Republican trifecta—a state where one political party holds the governor’s office and controls both state legislative chambers. Georgia became a Republican trifecta in 2005 when the Republican Party took control of the state House.