Republicans retain Georgia House seat in special election

VALDOSTA, Ga. – Republican John LaHood has won a special election for a seat in the Georgia House of Representatives, with voter turnout at less than 10 per cent.

According to unofficial results on the Georgia Secretary of State website, LaHood captured 2,337 votes, more than 70 per cent of votes cast in Tuesday’s District 175 election. He will serve out the rest of Amy Carter’s term.

Carter, also a Republican, resigned Dec. 31 for a position with the Technical College System of Georgia.

Democrat Treva Gear came second, with 778 votes. She was followed by two other Republicans, who together received less than 6 per cent of votes.

The south Georgia district includes parts of three counties that each went for Donald Trump with nearly 60 per cent of votes cast in the 2016 presidential election.