A special election is being held in District 152 of the Georgia House of Representatives on November 5. Mary Egler (D), Tyler Johnson (R), Jim Quinn (R), and Bill Yearta (R) are running in the general election. In the event that no candidate receives a majority of votes in the general election, a runoff has been scheduled for December 3.

 

The seat became vacant after Ed Rynders (R) resigned on September 5, citing health concerns. Rynders had served in the state House since 2003. He was last re-elected in 2018 with 74% of the vote in the general election.

 

Heading into the special election, Republicans have a 103-75 majority in the Georgia House with two vacancies. Georgia has a Republican trifecta. A state government trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers.

 

As of August, 76 state legislative special elections have been scheduled or held in 24 states. Between 2011 and 2018, an average of 77 special elections took place each year.